It’s a bit surprising that it has taken this long for a movie to come around that takes a stab at capturing the punk spirit and music history made down at New York City’s famed club CBGB in the ’70s. But it speaks to just how powerful and vital of a time it was that it’s still ripe for a big screen telling.
“It was this iconic place, and it has this kind of history,” writer/director Randall Miller told USA Today. “But people don’t know how it all began. And that’s what we wanted to tell, the origin of all of this.” And indeed, that’s where the film goes, chronicling the tale through owner Hilly Kristal (Alan Rickman), who found financial salvation by putting his finger on the pulse of New York’s punk scene and becoming home to it. And in the process, the stage at the club soon became the familiar stomping ground of bands like Talking Heads, The Ramones, Blondie, The Police and much more, with folks like Iggy Pop and Patti Smith passing by.
And all those iconic acts are represented here with a battery of stars breaking out into a sneer to play Debbie Harry (Malin Akerman), Cheetah Chrome (Rupert Grint), Lou Reed (Kyle Gallner), Stiv Bators (Justin Bartha), Joey Ramone (Joel David Moore), and more. “CBGB” hits theaters on Oct. 11th, watch below. [THR]