The Who? I love bands. I’ve loved The Who ever since they were the Hillbilly Bugger Boys. So why hadn’t I seen this movie before? Because I’m not a big fan of the album. I like Quadrophenia, but I don’t LIKE like Quadrophenia. It has my favorite Who track, “The Real Me,” but it also has one of my least favorite Who tracks, “Love, Reign o’er Me.” And you better believe that song makes its presence known throughout that album’s sprawling 81-minute runtime. But what about the movie?
Honestly, a movie about Quadrophenia makes a lot more sense than a movie about Tommy. Tommy is a great album, but unless you love watching a blind, deaf, and dumb Roger Daltrey go head-to-head against Elton John in pinball, you’re probably better off skipping the drug-fueled nonsense of Ken Russell’s 1975 adaptation.
But Quadrophenia is straightforward. It’s about a disillusioned teen named Jimmy (Phil Daniels) trying to make his way in the world as a mod rock-loving rebel in mid-60s London. He goes to parties, kisses girls, riots, and regularly squares off against the “rockers” (who are more like the guys from Grease).
Quadrophenia is an understated movie. Almost too understated, as not much happens in the way of an actual plot. Rather, we hang out with Jimmy as he gets his kicks taking amphetamines and trying to romance a girl named Steph (Leslie Ash), despite the fact that she’s seeing another guy. We also meet Jimmy’s childhood friend and voice of reason, Kevin (Ray Winstone), and the resident cool guy in town, Ace Face (Sting, in a brief but memorable role).
The film isn’t a musical, nor does it feel like a vanity project for The Who. Sure, they have quite a few songs in the soundtrack and appear on a TV show Jimmy watches, but they aren’t the focus of the film. This is a coming-of-age film through and through, almost to its detriment.
Quadrophenia feels too real to be fun. Not that this has to be a fun movie, but I feel like all we see is Jimmy taking L’s over and over again. His parents are cruel, he’s cruel, and he has no prospects or dreams to fulfill. The film is a downer. I respect that it’s a downer, but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed that it’s a downer.
It’s also weird to watch a movie about life in 1964 while listening to the pounding synths of “Love, Reign o’er Me” play in the background. I get that Quadrophenia is about the ’60s, but man, does it ever not sound like the ’60s. Luckily, the film also employs a lot of period-appropriate diegetic music. Watching teens dance to the Ronettes at a British house party is a vibe I’m into. The film looks good, too. I don’t know anything about the film’s director, Franc Roddam, but he builds a world that feels real and lived-in.
Quadrophenia didn’t need to be a movie. Most albums don’t. That’s why they’re albums. But I like that Roddam and the slew of screenwriters who penned this (including Pete Townshend) went in a less-is-more direction. The film doesn’t capture the grandiosity of its musical counterpart; it captures the emotional drive, which is more important with this kind of story. It’s not my cup of tea, but I bet it’s somebody’s. I bet somebody really loves this movie. You better, you better, you bet I’m right. Whatever that means.