It Couldn't Happen Here (1987)

Pet Shop Boys go Bizarre in Cinematic Misstep
It Couldn't Happen Here is something of a relic of a bygone era, when the excesses of successful bands/musicians would have them churn out large amounts of licsensed merchandise, do the occaisonal guest tv show appearance, and maybe even do a feature film. Pet Shop Boys are somewhat an oddity because although the 80s found them success, they weren't the phenomenon of Madonna or Prince or in a more modern context, Britney Spears or the Spice Girls. Also, their musical content wasn't exactly the sugar coated pop that caters to the demographic of the aforementioned bands. So that the Pet Shop Boys have a movie in and of itself is a strange anomoly, which makes for even stranger viewing.

The film can best be described as a long form music video. Music plays in the background is actually lip synched by the boys in true music video fashion. What happens in between the music though is what makes the film so bizarre. There is a loose story that basically revolves around the boys' childhoods - fictional but with a hint of reality - and the characters they encounter, including a goofy uncle, a homicidal priest, and an eccentric ventiloquist with a dummy babbling about existentialism. While it doesn't make for great everyday viewing, the bizarre nature of it makes it worth a look.

And you have to give the boys credit for not letting their image be tarnished. In the midst of the strange and sometimes poorly acted scenes, there are some great visuals that have always been a PSB trademark. Catch men painted as zebras or a man on fire during "King's Cross" or Neil start to bleed while a bunch of skin heads look in on him while he's in a spinning phone booth. Stranger still is the dialogue, some of it culled from old Steven Wright jokes while other lines are from Milton's Paradise Lost.

In retrospect, it's strange that the Pet Shop Boys ever made a movie, but be it as it may, this is probably the best we could expect. It's not embarrasing, but it's not one of these noteworthy music films either. If nothing else, it's no "Cool As Ice" or "Spice World." For that alone, it's worth a look.

Neil and Chris' finest hour...
I first saw this movie in the early 90s. I remember my mom and I going to Blockbuster and having to special order it and paying about $70!

This movie is nothing short of brilliant. Considering how well educated Neil and Chris are, it's not a surprise they would make a movie like this. It has a lot of tidbits that well rounded and intelligent individuals should have no problem picking up on. I've been a diehard PSB fan for 20 years, ever since I saw West End Girls on MTV. So I'm a biased opinion.

Anyway, the diner scene with the puppet is sheer briliance. What was kind of sad about this movie, was it was shot before the terrible Kings Cross underground bombing. Towards the end of the movie, you see Kings Cross exploding. It was a political statement about the IRA, et al and it rang prophetic. They got a lot of flack for leaving that in, but I'm glad they didn't take it out.

I also think one of the best scenes is when Neil and Chris are haggling with the car dealer. Also, the hitchhiker and the Always on My Mind sequence, which was used for the music video.

I love this movie and I really wish they would release a DVD with extras. As an ardent PSB fan, this movie never gets old and I think it is already a classic. It will gain ground over time despite bombing when it was released a la Magical Mystery Tour.

It Did Happen Here, Actually.
I must admit I'm not your average Pet Shop Boys fan. I have followed their career with nauseating dedication and inspite of the onslaught of almost two decades - a span that can jade even the most talented bands, I remain impressed by the 'Samurai In Autumn'. Hailing from a country that's an ex-British colony, I am an unusually ardent fan of most things British. Oh, the irony. Now, this PSB movie is almost too British, if there is such a thing. It is like a series of abstract paintings by Salvador Dali, taken off the wall and projected on to the screen in motion with the PSB hits rendering the context. This movie is quite cerebral. Prerequisites include being a fan of the Boys, and a certain amount of active grey cells. In order to savour this film, you have to be as crazy, or thereabouts, as the Pet Shop Boys themselves. I must be, because I think this is art in its purest form. I think the segment where "Two Divided By Zero" starts to shape up is brilliant - an ex-RAF pilot, still donning all his gear, trying to figure out the mathematics of division by 0 and his personal life problems, a ventriloquist pontificating on the perception of time through his dummy, a zany waitress in a restaurant where the Boys are dining are the characters who lend drama to this scene. This film will talk to you personally, and at times, emotionally, assuming your life had has had a respectable amount of hardships in it. It's not for the American club go-er [the species infesting the ever present, ever deteriorating non-culture of today's America] who thinks of thinking as an extra-curricular activity. It will make you think. If you can't, it will make you push the stop button on your VCR, as it is only available on VHS. If you can relate to Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe as I do, you will love this movie.