A common refrain you’ll hear when discussing documentary filmmaking, especially those about celebrities, is where people will say that this or that film is “for the fans” with not that much appeal to a more general audience outside of that. While this can be a valuable thing to keep in mind so as to recognize when something is a rather incomplete profile or superficial in its exploration while just appealing to a certain subset of viewers already familiar with the story being told, there is also the possibility for depth when no time is wasted in trying to forcibly create said broader appeal. Wham!, Chris Smith’s documentary about the energetic English pop duo made up of the late George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, is a film in the latter category. Even as there are some moments where it can fall into feeling like a greatest hits recap of the group that dances along the surface of the story, the more complicated reflections it offers on their lives and music cuts quite a bit deeper when it counts.

Spanning decades across their rise to music stardom with the pressures that came with it and the subsequent evolution of them as people as well as artists, there is something refreshingly candid to the experience. Rather than incessantly cycle through talking head after talking head regardless of whether they have much to add to the experience, we hear almost solely from Michael and Ridgelely themselves who essentially narrate over archival footage from their career. Rather than feel narrow, there is an authenticity to this as both of the musicians talk frankly and openly about the trajectory their lives took. We see this through music videos and television appearances, yes, though it also makes use of some home movies and photos. The two become intertwined, gently revealing the personal strife that was playing out just out of frame. The visuals of the documentary end up feeling like fragments of memory that are given some new context. While fans will likely know many of the details, hearing it discussed in the duo’s own words as it takes us step by step through nearly everything that happened is quite engaging. This then becomes a more formally focused portrait, making it easy to get drawn into the saga of the group and the era where they become the center of attention.

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‘Wham!’ Is More Incisive Than Your Typical Celebrity Documentary
Image via Netflix

There is a thoroughness to Smith’s approach that never ends up feeling baggy as the documentary is also quite fun. He holds room for more somber reflections, especially when we hear about how Michael was not able to live openly as a gay man, while also showing the soul of the two young men they expressed through their work. There are extended segments about them trying to find the right sound for their music and moving beyond the formula that they had been expected to create within. This is something that will likely be gobbled up by fans, but it also will have resonance for any who are interested in that creative process.

There are then triumphs, like when they release “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” which also brings to mind Trainspotting with the image of the “Choose Life” shirts that they were made fun of for, though their success feels increasingly bittersweet. As the duo drifts apart, going in different directions with their careers, they are happy for each other even as there is a sadness that their musical futures will not have the other in them. This still opens the door for more complex explorations, both for Michael and the documentary itself, that is where it starts to dig a bit deeper. While it isn’t quite as revelatory as Smith’s previous documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, there is still a shared commitment to drawing out more complex details.

It also proves to be quite funny in how without pretension it is as interjections from the duo cut through the archival footage of them doing everything from dancing on the long-running program Top of the Pops to skateboarding and swimming. They poke fun at themselves with how, when they were basically kids launched into fame, they were just trying to figure out how to maintain the passion that got them into music in the first place and their individuality as artists. Obviously, that is no easy task as any industry, especially the music industry, is a place where individuality can be obliterated in favor of commercial success. When it shifts towards being about them turning their attention to America, we get a look at the subsequent tabloid coverage that became obsessed with their image rather than the art itself. That they were bigger than they had ever been makes the looming dissolution of the group feel rather sad. Not because one ever wanted them to stay together forever if they didn’t want to or because we are unaware as audiences of what is coming. Instead, even as it is fun to see them go down memory lane, it is the connection the two friends had that really is the heart of the experience. Beyond their success and celebrity, Smith will smartly pull back to focus on the enduring connection they had to each other that got them into pursuing music at all.

‘Wham!’ Is a Loving Tribute to George Michael
Image via Netflix

This reaches an emotional zenith in the last section which is kicked off by a standout clip where Elton John effusively praises their music and pushes back against some of their doubters. It is the beginning of a conclusion that plays out like a closing hurrah when they make their final tours and last performances together. Michael wanted to launch his solo career and we hear him talking openly about being “distressed” by fame while still being driven by his ego to pursue the next chapter in his life that much more. As he is on the cusp of doing just that, Smith steps away from the success to the personal one more time. If anything, this final part could have been its entire hour on its own though it is understandable why it doesn’t linger. The story it wanted to tell was coming to a close and it doesn’t shy away from this. Seeing Michael owning the stage one last time with his lifelong friend feels like it could not have been a better closing tribute to the musician and, more importantly, the man himself.

Rating: B+

Wham! is now streaming on Netflix.