***REVIEW*** of "Never Tear Us Apart"

I love INXS. The original lineup is the only one I've ever known - other than hearing "Don't Change" done by five of the original men. In my opinion, they are one of the greatest bands ever - musically, lyrically and live. In my youth, I had crushes on every one of the guys (especially Michael Hutchence) and I'm so glad that the five are still around.

Okay. Now that you know what a fan I am, let's talk about the movie, "Never Tear Us Apart". I'm going to be careful not to spoil it for those who haven't seen the show yet.

I have seen the first part and, yes, it's good. Is it perfect? Nope. Nothing could be, other than a documentary of the guys using footage of every high and low of their careers. The first part of the film doesn't have a lot of surprises for any die-hard fan. I mean, come on, we hardcore fans devoured everything about those guys as it was happening. Still, I like what the movie does with the music.

Here is where I might get in trouble with some fans, but I'm going to say it: I don't think that Luke Arnold looks all that much like Hutchence. He's attractive, yes, but what Hutchence had made him rare. Arnold does a great job of capturing the mannerisms and singing voice. At least, it's my understanding that he does some of the singing. He doesn't have Hutchence's speaking voice down. That was another rare,sexy thing about the man. The actor who looks most like the character he represents is Andrew Ryan (playing Andrew Farriss). Both guys are sweetly cute. (Yeah, Andrew Farris was actually my first crush in the band. He's still a cutie. ~sigh~ Kirk Pengilly was second, then Michael.)

I digress.

It was nice to see the flashbacks in the movie. The Farris's seem to have had a great family. Watching the boys interact with their folks, I thought of my own Southern upbringing. Nice. The young hotness playing a young Hutchence looks a lot like, well, a young Hutchence. That kid is going to have the girls chasing him, trust that.

No matter what you think of the casting, this is a movie that any INXS fan is going to like. For me, it brought back a lot of good memories - of the band and of my own life then. Things were just so good.

Finally, I have to say that I love Aussie TV. They aren't all hung up on nudity or language issues. As an American, I'm not used to such openess on 'regular' television. When the first boob flashed, I almost spit orange juice. When the black dildo was shown, I closed my blinds because I was afraid the neighbors would think I was watching porn. That kind of honesty really let the story be told. I wonder now if that's why the few Aussies I know are so happy. They don't have our standard hangups about such things.

I can't wait to see the next part of the movie. Actually, I'm a little apprehensive. Of course, I know how the story ends, but that's just it. I remember how I felt when I heard about Hutchence dying. I was affected more than seemed normal. After all, I had never met the man. Talk about the power f music! While the first half of the movie made me smile because of the memories (and the fan-affection I still have for those guys), the second half just might make me sad all over again.

Peace
--Free