---
title: "WHAM!"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/wham"
fi1m_id: "wham"
imdb_id: "tt27726927"
tmdb_id: 1134865
wikidata_id: "Q119997722"
fi1m_score: 75
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 14
published: "2026-10-03T03:23:28.818122+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-03T03:23:29.641837+00:00"
region: "AR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# WHAM! (2023)

Directed by Chris Smith · 1h 32m · INCAA +13 · Documentary, Music

## Identity

WHAM!

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/wham
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** wham
- **IMDb ID:** tt27726927
- **TMDB ID:** 1134865
- **Wikidata ID:** Q119997722
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27726927/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1134865, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q119997722

**Fi1m score: 75** · Critics 69 from 14 reviews

*In a sentence:* A pop documentary that allows a man to be pleased for his friend without looking for the catch

> Chris Smith’s documentary is an affectionate, enjoyable account of Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael’s friendship. Its archive brings them close, though the fondness too often discourages the questions that would make this more revealing.

## Synopsis

Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael appear as themselves in an account of their beginnings as a pop duo. Michael wants to develop as a songwriter, and Ridgeley supports his ambitions as their partnership takes shape. Ridgeley’s reflections run alongside Michael’s archive recordings, with scrapbooks and footage supplying a record of their early progress. Shirlie Holliman also appears as herself in archive footage. The account stays with the friendship and the music, allowing both men to describe how they remember their beginnings and what each brings to the partnership.

## Review

Chris Smith’s documentary is warm, brisk and worth an evening, though it is less curious than its subjects deserve. Its most persuasive subject is the friendship between Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael, particularly the support Ridgeley gives Michael’s developing songwriting. There is enough here to make that support interesting in its own right. We do not need a quarrel to make a partnership worth watching, and the director is sensible enough not to manufacture one.

Editor Gregor Lyon brings George Michael’s archive recordings together with Andrew Ridgeley’s reflections, giving their separate accounts the ease of a conversation. We were moved by Ridgeley’s support for his friend’s songwriting: hearing him value that talent makes their affection convincing without a speech about loyalty. That matters because the film asks us to care about both men, despite their different contributions to the music. Both are given room to talk.

The scrapbook framing and animation give the archive a shape without smothering it in explanation. It is an approachable way of presenting the material, keeping our attention on the two men without making the documentary’s assembly a distraction. We can enjoy their recollections without being instructed to regard every remembered moment as a landmark. The format is well suited to the early account of the duo finding their way.

Tim Atack has the music credit, and the film sensibly lets the songs provide much of its momentum. Their energy keeps the account buoyant when the storytelling grows hurried. What we miss is sustained attention to how that music was made: admiration for a songwriter is a beginning, and the film too often treats it as sufficient. The archive offers plenty to enjoy, but the musical discussion needs more time.

The larger reservation is that Chris Smith seems reluctant to let a difficult question interrupt a fond recollection. A documentary need not punish its subjects for being successful, and there is something welcome about the lack of appetite for scandal here. But friendship can withstand closer inspection than it receives. We want to understand what each man needed from the other, beyond the broad account of encouragement and ambition that the film supplies.

That limit is felt most keenly with Andrew Ridgeley, whose importance is acknowledged without his life getting quite the same attention. The film makes us interested in him, then seems content to have established that he was a good friend. George Michael’s archive voice is candid enough to suggest how much further the account might have gone. Neither man needs to be diminished for the portrait to become fuller.

We welcome a music documentary that takes encouragement seriously without insisting on a rivalry. The familiar demand for friction can make a supportive friend seem like someone a film has to work around; here, his place in the story matters. At 92 minutes, there is room for that emphasis without exhausting the appeal of the archive. Choose it for a relaxed evening with the music, not a searching biography.

*Fi1m score 75, published 3 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find this an affectionate, enjoyable account of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s partnership, with praise clustering around the archive footage and the pair’s candid voices. The music supplies much of the pleasure, while the friendship gives the documentary its warmth. Several reviews welcome the attention paid to Ridgeley’s support for Michael’s songwriting. Even some less enthusiastic responses find the scrapbook presentation appealing and the celebration of the duo’s early years entertaining.

The disagreement is over how much the film reveals beneath that cheerful surface. The Evening Standard finds it illuminating and refreshingly restrained in its praise; The i Paper considers it fawning and shallow, despite enjoying the portrait of the friendship. Digital Spy offers the sharpest objection, finding too little exploration of Michael’s closeted identity and struggles. Reservations elsewhere concern pacing, limited discoveries for established fans and stories left unexplored. The spread is wide, despite the clear positive majority.

## Straight answers

**How long is WHAM!, and what is it rated?**

*WHAM!* runs 1h 32m and is rated +13 by the INCAA in Argentina. It is a documentary and music film.

**Where can I watch WHAM! in Argentina?**

*WHAM!* is streaming on Netflix in Argentina. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**What should I watch after WHAM!?**

After *WHAM!*, try [*Buena Vista Social Club*](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club) (1999, Fi1m 76): Another affectionate musical gathering, with more room for the performers to breathe. Then [*The Young Girls of Rochefort*](https://film.one/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort) (1967, Fi1m 84): For more musical pleasure, with friendship and romantic longing driving the dancing.

### Reviews we read (14)

- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (85/100, inferred): Gleiberman finds the documentary joyful and more substantial than a simple nostalgia trip, while tracing George Michael’s artistic ambition. He especially praises how it captures the distinctive energy and musical richness of Wham!’s best songs. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/wham-review-george-michael-andrew-ridgeley-chris-smith-1235664364/)
- **Evening Standard**, El Hunt (4/5): Hunt finds the documentary genuinely illuminating and refreshingly free of exaggerated praise, despite some pacing issues. She particularly praises the candid archived narration from George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/wham-documentary-review-there-s-a-refreshing-lack-of-hyperbole-b1087718.html)
- **Total Film**, James Mottram (4/5): The critic finds the documentary buoyant, joyful, and warmly positive about the band’s friendship. He especially praises how the archival footage and interview audio convey Ridgeley’s support for Michael’s songwriting. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/wham-review-netflix/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Noel Murray (75/100, inferred): Murray finds the documentary an enjoyable treat for fans of 1980s culture, though longtime followers may learn little that is new. He praises the wealth of audio and video that gives both George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley room to share grounded perspectives. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-07-05/review-wham-documentary-george-michael-andrew-ridgely-run-rabbit-run-sarah-snook)
- **Screen Daily**, Fionnuala Halligan (70/100, inferred): The available description presents the documentary as a peppy account of WHAM!’s early days. It highlights George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley recounting their proto-boy-band beginnings; the full review is behind a paywall. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/wham-sheffield-review/5183204.article)
- **The New York Times**, Ben Kenigsberg (70/100, inferred): The review presents the documentary as a compact, warmly nostalgic look back at Wham!. It singles out the archival material as a strength. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/05/movies/wham-review-documentary.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (60/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the documentary entertaining and moving, but frustratingly incurious about the people behind Wham!’s success. He praises the scrapbook framing and the joy of the music while faulting its failure to explore the friendship, sexuality, and music more deeply. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jun/17/wham-review-netflix-george-michael-andrew-ridgeley-80s-pop)
- **The i Paper**, Emily Baker (35/100, inferred): Baker finds the documentary overly fawning and shallow, though she sees it as a fun celebration of Wham!’s era. She praises its warm portrait of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s symbiotic friendship. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/wham-netflix-review-george-michael-andrew-ridgeley-boring-documentary-2455778)
- **The Playlist** (85/100, inferred): The headline presents the documentary as excellent. It singles out friendship and music as taking center stage. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/wham-review-friendship-music-take-center-stage-in-this-excellent-chris-smith-made-netflix-doc-20230717/)
- **NME**, Alex Flood (4/5): The review finds the documentary affectionate, intimate and poignant while remaining upbeat. It praises the friendship at the centre of the story and Ridgeley’s importance beyond being a supporting figure. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/wham-review-netflix-george-michael-andrew-ridgeley-3465078)
- **Paste**, Tara Bennett (7.8): Bennett finds the documentary an engrossing, intimate time capsule, though it leaves gaps in Andrew Ridgeley’s life and the aftermath of George Michael’s death. She praises how Michael’s archival audio and Ridgeley’s present-day reflections create the feeling of an ongoing conversation between the friends. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/netflix/wham-review)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (76/100, inferred): Wilkinson finds the documentary’s positive portrait of the duo’s partnership refreshing and lively. She particularly praises its archival material and animation, while noting that it leaves some post-split stories unexplored. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/wham-2023-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **Den of Geek**, Laura Vickers-Green (3/5): The critic finds the documentary a cheerful, enjoyable celebration, though it avoids deeper or more complicated stories. She praises its generous archive footage and the candid voices of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/netflixs-wham-review-80s-pop-doc-good-vibes-only/)
- **Digital Spy**, David Opie (30/100, inferred): Opie finds the documentary hollow and insufficiently serious about Michael’s story. He praises its scrapbook presentation and archive footage, but says it fails to explore Michael’s closeted identity and struggles. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a44437608/wham-netflix-review-george-michael-gay-queer/)

## Details

- **Director:** Chris Smith
- **Director:** Chris Smith
- **Editor:** Gregor Lyon
- **Music:** Tim Atack
- **Producer:** Simon Halfon, John Battsek, Chris Smith
- **Cast:** Andrew Ridgeley as Self; George Michael as Self (archive footage); Elton John as Self (archive footage); David Bowie as Self (archive footage); Mick Jagger as Self (archive footage); Sting as Self (archive footage); Freddie Mercury as Self (archive footage); Paul McCartney as Self (archive footage)
- **Runtime:** 1h 32m
- **Certificate (INCAA):** +13
- **Release (Argentina):** 5 July 2023
- **Genres:** Documentary, Music

## Where to watch in Argentina

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-10-03.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Stop Making Sense* (1984): For the pleasure of watching musicians work, with explanations kept sensibly out.
- *Buena Vista Social Club* (1999), Fi1m 76: Another affectionate musical gathering, with more room for the performers to breathe. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club.md)
- *The Punk Singer* (2013): A musician’s public confidence gets a searching, more personal examination.
- *Linda Linda Linda* (2005): A school band finds its nerve through rehearsal, friendship and shared mistakes.
- *The Young Girls of Rochefort* (1967), Fi1m 84: For more musical pleasure, with friendship and romantic longing driving the dancing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/wham