Creation Stories (2021)

(On Cable TV, April 2022) I almost liked Creation Stories. In many ways, it’s a film that should be in my wheelhouse – a snappy, stylishly directed epic of music-fuelled excesses (somewhat based on a true story, but don’t obsess about that) tracking a headstrong, devious music executive (Alan McGee, played with panache by Ewen Bremner) as he builds a company out of scraps and shady tactics. The framing device has the older McGee telling the story to an incredulous journalist, with flashbacks from the 1980s–1990s handling the bulk of the picture. There’s some good music, of course, but I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed the result more if I cared more about British rock music of the time, or if I had a better grasp of the Scottish accent (thank goodness for closed-captioning) or if the film was more focused in its approach. The problem here isn’t the raw elements of Creation Stories’ story – but director Nick Moran’s approach, or maybe the lack of narrative connecting tissue in the script. As a result, the film flies past but doesn’t quite stick – it multiplies tangents such as politics with Tony Blair and a visit to Jimmy Saville designed to be creepy before everyone knew that Saville was a terrible person. Some moments work, and others depend on extra-movie knowledge (Oasis fans will like this film more than others) and the frenetic pace calls attention to itself but, in the end, Creation Stories feels like a first draft of a better film.