Film Review: SPINNING GOLD (2023): Timothy Scott Bogart’s Cinematic True Story of Casablanca Records Has its Highs and Lows

Spinning Gold Review

Spinning Gold (2023) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Timothy Scott Bogart and starring Jeremy Jordan, Michelle Monaghan, Jay Pharoah, Lyndsy Fonseca, Dan Fogler, Peyton List, James Wolk, Michael Ian Black, Chris Redd, Ledisi, Tayla Parx, Sebastian Maniscalco, Jason Isaacs, Sam Nelson Harris, Casey Likes, Alex Gaskarth, Wiz Khalifa and Jason Derulo.

Filmmaker Timothy Scott Bogart tells the story of his now deceased dad, Neil Bogart (Jeremy Jordan) who was the co-founder and head of Casablanca Records which went through a fair share of financial woes in the 1970’s. This film is called Spinning Gold and stars Jordan in the type of performance that, if it was done just a tad better, could have propelled him to star status.

Jordan certainly gives everything to the role but due to no fault of the actor, the character was not the most likable of guys. This was a man who took great risks that didn’t always pay off and it’s hard to believe he lived as long as he did (he died in his late-30’s) given his extremely detrimental gambling habits. There are moments of the real Neil Bogart talking to Merv Griffin that are played during this film’s end credits which help show us that Neil lived on the edge and although his efforts eventually paid off, things could have went a whole different way for him and his label. Neil is just not a sympathetic character in many respects and that hurts both the performance by Jordan and the film overall.

The women in Neil’s life are portrayed as somewhat more likable and are well played by Michelle Monaghan (as Beth Weiss) and Lyndsy Fonseca (as Joyce Biawitz). The scenes between Lyndsy (as more than just a girl from Queens) and Neil are actually well-developed creating a relationship that is worth watching. Monaghan is always excellent and captures every nuance of Beth perfectly. Peyton List holds her own beside the other two actresses as Nancy Weiss.

The meat and potatoes of Spinning Gold are the scenes of Neil trying to make a “go” out of his record label with the talented musical artists which are at his helm. For some reason, even though Gene Simmons (Casey Likes) and KISS sell out at concerts, they don’t seem to be selling records. Then there’s the matter of up-and-comers Gladys Knight (Ledisi) and Donna Summer (Tayla Parx) who may just have what it takes to get the label out of its multi-million dollars of debt which accumulates and accumulates (think well over $6 million worth of debt) as the movie’s story line progresses.

There is some good music here, for certain but the song interludes are occasionally undermined by the nasty portrayal of Neil’s gambling which gets him severely beaten up. Not only that but Neil is just not a very relatable character. Although things worked out for him, what price did he have to pay? He died young of cancer and only enjoyed success for a little bit. Maybe the moral of the story is that fleeting moments of success can make the efforts to attain it seem worthwhile.

Neil was a passionate man and the performance of Jordan in the role certainly goes for broke. Jordan takes this part and runs with it to varying degrees of success. By the time the film reaches its conclusion, the audience may just feel sympathy for the man who gave his blood and sweat to make sure those he took under his wing would one day see great success. He seems so desperate at times that one just wants to yell at the screen and tell him to stop doing certain things. A performance that inspires such a response should be credited regardless of how successful it is overall.

Ledisi and Tayla Parx shine in their respective roles. Both actresses excel and make us believe in the stars they are portraying. Parx has the showier role and steals scenes of the picture, especially towards the end. There is only a little bit of the Village People (a group who was also showcased on Casablanca Records) featured in the movie but the film tries to give a fair amount of screen time to each of the talents the record label represented.

There are other pluses in the casting of the movie including two standout male supporting turns. Jay Pharoah plays Cecil Holmes with a lot of passion while as Al Bogatz, Neil’s dad, Jason Isaacs is truly exceptional in his minimal screen time, creating a believable relationship with Neil that had many highs and lows.

In the end, it’s hard to fully recommend Spinning Gold. It’s a long investment for the viewer at almost two hours and twenty minutes in length while some of the production design feels somewhat amateurish. It’s a shame about the budgetary restraints because with a bigger budget, this could have been a movie that really stood out. It’s understandable that people will want to see this movie given the talents that Casablanca Records represented but the film is only occasionally about those artists. The majority of the movie is about the wildly ambitious Neil who was a man who was hard to love. The fact that you can’t help but wish he got to see more success than he got to see may be a testament to just how good this movie could have been with a bigger budget and a tighter running time.

Rating: 6/10

Leave your thoughts on this Spinning Gold review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, and Flipboard.