Girl band mystique owes a lot to The Go-Go’s. Now, the women behind one of the most successful bands of all time are telling their own stories. Showtime’s upcoming doc, “The Go-Go’s,” chronicles the band’s rise in the punk scene, emerging as chart-topping sensations, personal as well as professional struggles, and a subsequent breakup which resulted from it all. The outcome is a no holds barred inspection of what made them legendary.
Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary was on course to be one of 2020’s festival circuit hits; it was not to be due to the pandemic. Instead, most viewers will get their first glimpse of the film when it premieres on August 1. The event is shaping up to be one akin to the network’s 2013 game-changer “History of the Eagles.” Much of that film’s popularity owed to unflinching observations of a fabled rock and roll lifestyle long since passed. Viewers can thank filmmaker Alison Ellwood for executing the delicate balances of egotism and truth that came along with those subjects. She’s bringing the same unrivaled style to this recent entry in non-fiction storytelling.
Ellwood once again allows band members to tell stories without restriction or interference. Each woman bares her soul as to the reasons they came to the band, why they stayed, and ultimately why it all destructed. Sometimes they overlap one another, sometimes they shine a light into an individual’s thoughts and feelings. In either case, the results lead to a complex picture of what unquestionably lingered amongst band members. Personal recollections are highlighted by never before seen photos and videos.
The band was also scheduled to perform selected tour dates in conjunction with the documentary’s release. Those dates are currently on-hold for an indefinite amount of time. At the moment, this feature may be the closest fans get to being “Head Over Heels.”