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Spice World (film)

Spice World is a 1997 British musical comedy film directed by Bob Spiers and written by Kim Fuller. The film stars pop girl group the Spice Girls, who all play themselves. The film—made in a similar vein to The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night (1964)—depicts a series of fictional events leading up to a major concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, liberally interspersed with dream sequences and flashbacks as well as surreal moments and humorous asides, along with having an antagonist in the form of an overzealous newspaper editor who starts a smear campaign against the group in an attempt to destroy their reputation for his own benefit.

Spice World
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byBob Spiers
Screenplay byKim Fuller
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyClive Tickner
Edited byAndrea MacArthur
Music byPaul Hardcastle
Production
companies
Distributed byPolyGram Filmed Entertainment[1]
Release dates
  • 15 December 1997 (1997-12-15) (Premiere)
  • 26 December 1997 (1997-12-26)
Running time
93 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[2]
Box office$100 million[3]

This is the second feature-length film directed by Spiers, following That Darn Cat (1997). The film features Richard E. Grant, Claire Rushbrook, Naoko Mori, Meat Loaf, Barry Humphries, and Alan Cumming in supporting roles, with cameo appearances by a number of British celebrities. Filming took place in London for six of the eight filming weeks and also inside Twickenham Studios, as well as at over 40 famous British landmarks. Shooting featured several fourteen-hour shooting sessions and a constant, heavy media presence due to the Spice Girls' then-large popularity.

The film premiered in the United Kingdom on 15 December 1997, ahead of its wide theatrical release on the British holiday Boxing Day (26 December). In North America, it was released on 23 January 1998 by Columbia Pictures. In the United States, Spice World became a box office success and broke the record for the highest-ever weekend debut for Super Bowl weekend with box office sales of $10.5 million. The film grossed over $100 million at the worldwide box office. Despite being a box office success, the film received primarily negative reviews.[3]

To celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2017, Spice World was given a limited release across the United Kingdom showing at Odeon Cinemas. Spice World is the highest-grossing film of all time by a musical group.[4]

Plot

The Spice Girls perform their song "Too Much" at the Top of the Pops, but are dissatisfied with the burdens of fame and fortune. Meanwhile, the sinister newspaper owner, Kevin McMaxford, is trying to ruin the girls' reputation for his ratings. McMaxford dispatches photographer Damien to take pictures and tape recordings of the girls. Piers Cuthbertson-Smyth, with his camera crew, stalks the girls, hoping to use them as subjects for his next project. At the same time, the girls' manager, Clifford, is fending off two over-eager Hollywood writers, Martin Barnfield and Graydon, who relentlessly pitch absurd plot ideas for the girls' feature film.

Amid this, the girls must prepare for their live concert at the Royal Albert Hall in three days, which will be the biggest performance of their music career. At the heart of it, the constant rehearsals, travelling, publicity appearances and other burdens of celebrity affect the girls on a personal level, preventing them from spending much time with their best friend, Nicola, who is due to give birth soon. Throughout the busy schedule, the girls try to ask Clifford for time off to spend with Nicola and relax, but Clifford refuses after talking with the head of the girls' record label, the cryptic and eccentric "Chief". The stress and overwork compound, which culminate in the girls' huge argument with Clifford. The girls suddenly storm out on the evening before their gig at the Albert Hall.

The girls separately think back on their humble beginnings and their struggle to the top. They reunite by chance outside the abandoned café where they practised during their adolescent years, they reconcile, and decide to take Nicola out dancing. However, Nicola's contractions start at the nightclub and she is rushed to the hospital, where she gives birth to a healthy baby girl. When Emma notices that the delivery "doctor" has a camera, the girls realize that he is Damien, who flees with the girls in hot pursuit, only to hit his head after accidentally colliding with an empty stretcher. When Damien sees the girls standing over him, he tells them that they have made him realise he's "been living a meaningless lie", and he goes after McMaxford, who is subsequently fired in a "Jacuzzi scandal". After noticing the girls' bus driver, Dennis, is missing, Victoria decides to take the wheel. It becomes a race against time as Victoria drives recklessly through the streets of London to the Albert Hall. While approaching Tower Bridge, the bridge starts being raised to let a boat through the River Thames. Victoria drives up the bridge and over the gap. The bus lands safely on the other side, but when Emma opens a trapdoor in the floor, she discovers a bomb, and the girls scream before Emma slams the trapdoor shut again.

The girls finally arrive at the Albert Hall and run the Rocky Steps for their performance. However, the girls have one more obstacle to overcome: a London policeman charges them with "dangerous driving, criminal damage, flying a bus without a licence, and frightening the pigeons". Emma is pushed forward and explains to the policeman that she and the other girls were late for their performance at the Albert Hall. Emma smiles at the policeman, and he lets the girls off for their performance. The girls open their Albert Hall concert with their song "Spice Up Your Life", which is broadcast live on global television. The supporting cast later talk about the girls' film during its closing credits. Melanie C breaks the fourth wall and tells the other girls that the outgoing audience is watching them. The girls talk to the audience, commenting on "those two in the back row snogging" and on one's dress, and discuss about their film, just minutes before the bomb in their bus explodes.

Cast

Production

Development

 
Geri Halliwell's red swimsuit from the film

As the popularity of the Spice Girls grew, The Walt Disney Company approached the band about making a film. The band turned down Disney's offer as they did not like the "Disney-fied" script, which was about "a young single mother of one of the girls, fighting hardship to form the band."[5] Kim Fuller, brother of the band's manager Simon Fuller, decided to write the screenplay for a Spice Girls movie himself.[5]

According to Fuller, the script had to be revised many times to accommodate the growing number of celebrities hoping to take part in the film.[5] Director Bob Spiers had been working in America on the Disney film That Darn Cat at the peak of the Girls' popularity. He was unaware of the group when first offered the job until his friend Jennifer Saunders advised that he take it. He arrived at a meeting with them in a New York hotel, unaware of what they looked like.[6]

Casting

Frank Bruno was originally cast as the tour bus driver, but withdrew after a security guard prevented his son Franklin having an on-set photo taken with the girls. Mentions of Princess Diana and scenes featuring the designer Gianni Versace had to be edited out in post-production following their deaths shortly before the release of the film.[7]

"Their company rang me up and asked if I would be in it", remarked Elvis Costello of his cameo. "I wouldn't have thought I was the kind of face you would get to do a cornflakes advert. Maybe twenty years ago. I was surprised."[8]

Gary Glitter controversy

Glam rock musician Gary Glitter filmed a four-minute cameo appearance as himself, but shortly before release, he was arrested on child pornography offences. The Spice Girls and the production team agreed that his cameo should be deleted from the final print, although the band's performance of Glitter's "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" was retained.[7] Glitter's scene has since been leaked online.[9]

Filming

Spice World began filming in June and wrapped in August 1997.[10] The film was to be set to the songs from the Girls' second studio album, but no songs had been written when filming began. The band thus had to do all the songwriting and recording at the same time as they were filming Spice World.[11]

Music

An official motion picture soundtrack has not been released, since their second studio album, Spiceworld, was released at the time, heavily promoted and serving as the film's soundtrack. The only song from Spiceworld not to appear in the film is "Move Over". The songs appearing in the film are in order of appearance.

"Too Much", the main single, debuted atop the UK Singles Chart,[12] becoming the Spice Girls' second consecutive Christmas number-one single.[13] It made the group the first act to reach number one with their first six singles, and the first to debut atop the chart five times in a row.[14] The single spent two weeks at number one,[15] and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 9 January 1998.[13]

Release

Rating

In the United Kingdom, Spice World was granted a PG certificate by the British Board of Film Classification for "mild bad language, mild sex references".[1] In the United States, it received a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association for "some vulgarity, brief nudity and language".

Merchandising

Official toy versions of the Spice Bus were produced upon the release of the movie.[16]

Home media

The film was released on VHS in May 1998 in many regions including the UK, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan and Australia. In June 1998, it came out on VHS in the US and Canada. Despite concerns that the high-profile departure of Halliwell from the Spice Girls would affect sales, global demand for the VHS was high.[17] In the UK, the film was number one on the video charts for six consecutive weeks,[18] was certified 11× Platinum, and became the ninth best-selling video of 1998.[19] In the US, the film peaked at number one on the video charts for five consecutive weeks[20] and was the fifth best-selling video of 1998.[21]

Spice World: The 10th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD on 19 November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Australia and on 27 November 2007 in the United States.

Spice World: The 20th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD on 7 February 2018 in Australia.[22]

2017 re-release

In 2017, the film was screened at various cinemas in the UK, Ireland and Australia to mark its 20th anniversary.[3]

Reception

Box office

Spice World was a number-one box office success in the United Kingdom, grossing £2.3 million during its opening weekend on Boxing Day 1997. It was the highest opening gross for a British production in the UK, surpassing the record set earlier in the year by Bean (excluding previews for Bean)[23] and also set a record opening week gross for a British film in the U.K. with a gross of £4.8 million.[24] The film was also successful in the United States, breaking the record at that time for the highest-ever weekend debut for Super Bowl weekend (25 January 1998), with box office sales of $10,527,222.[25] The film took in total $100 million at the box office worldwide.[3][26]

Critical reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics. Film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave Spice World a rating of 35% based on reviews from 68 critics, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10 and a critic consensus that reads "Spice World's lack of cohesive plot will likely lose most viewers, but for fans of the titular girl group there's more than enough fun to be had in their wacky -- albeit superficial -- whirlwind of an adventure."[27] On Metacritic, the film has a 32 out of 100 rating, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[28] AllMovie gave it two out of five stars.[29]

Noted American film critic Roger Ebert gave one-half of a star and listed Spice World as one of his most hated films, saying: "The Spice Girls are easier to tell apart than the Mutant Ninja Turtles, but that is small consolation: What can you say about five women whose principal distinguishing characteristic is that they have different names? They occupy Spice World as if they were watching it: They're so detached they can't even successfully lip-synch their own songs." And when he reviewed the film on his and Gene Siskel's film critique programme Siskel & Ebert, only three weeks into 1998, he declared that he had already seen the worst film of that year, and called it "an entertainment-free dead zone". Ebert included the film on the Worst of 1998 special, but he chose Armageddon as the worst film of 1998.[30][31]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated that the film "is pleasant and painless enough to amuse ardent fans, who figure in the film quite often." She also noted that while it got a PG rating in the United States, "nothing about it should disturb its target audience of media-wise, fun-loving 8-year-old girls."[32] Writing for Sight and Sound, in a positive review, Mark Sinker placed it alongside The Monkees' 1968 cult film Head. He went on to say that it "sends up the amiable idiocy of pop packaging - and the slow witted mass-media response to it" and it was "tirelessly generous in its energy".[33]

Derek Elley, resident film critic for Variety, gave a mixed review, calling the film "bright and breezy" and "as timely but evanescent as the Cool Britannia culture it celebrates". He stated that the film would "delight the Fab Five's pre-pubescent fans" but that it would "be forgotten within six months".[34]

Reappraisal

Several critics have reevaluated the film more positively in the years after its initial release. Re-watching Spice World in 2019, Alice Vincent of The Daily Telegraph was "pleasantly surprised" that the jokes had not aged badly and found the sets and costuming had a "now-retro charm". Vincent stated: "It's an irreverent, lighthearted romp that captured the brash, patriotic positivity of a London swept up in Cool Britannia."[35] Writing for The New York Times in 2019, Eleanor Stanford found the film to be "much smarter and more self-aware than I once gave it credit for," particularly enjoying how the Spice Girls poked fun at themselves. Stanford concluded: "The Spice Girls were absolutely working the (very sexist) system, and making a lot of money off it, but they were doing it slyly, with a wink and a grin. They were, I think, misunderstood at the time, and I wonder if an irreverent, breezy group like theirs could even exist today."[36]

Accolades

The film has been listed in Golden Raspberry Awards founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of "The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made".[37] Along with the nominations and wins racked up at the 1998 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, Spice World was listed in their upcoming "100 Years, 100 Stinkers" list, in which people voted for the 100 worst movies of the 20th century. The film was ranked at #5.[38][39]

Award Category Subject Result
Golden Raspberry Award Worst Actress Spice Girls Won
Worst New Star Nominated
Worst Original Song ("Too Much") Nominated
Paul Wilson Nominated
Andy Watkins Nominated
Worst Supporting Actor Roger Moore Nominated
Worst Screen Couple Any combination of two people, body parts or fashion accessories Nominated
Worst Screenplay Jamie Curtis Nominated
Kim Fuller Nominated
Worst Picture Uri Fruchtmann Nominated
Barnaby Thompson Nominated
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award Favorite Movie Actress Spice Girls Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Movie Actress in a Comedy Spice Girls Nominated
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards[40] Worst Picture Sony, Columbia Won
Worst Actress or British Singing Group Pretending to Act Spice Girls Won
Worst Sense of Direction Bob Spiers Nominated
Worst On-Screen Hairstyle Scary Spice Nominated
Worst Song in a Motion Picture "Spice Up Your Life" Nominated

Legacy and cult status

 
The bus used in the Spice World movie

Spice World has arguably achieved cult status.[41] The film, while being negatively reviewed during its original release, is remembered fondly by many who were part of its target audience of younger pop fans at the time of its release. Some commentators consider the film to be a "cult classic", describing it as brilliant, even a masterpiece of the parody genre, that mocks both celebrity culture and cinematic clichés, while giving many winks to popular culture of the time. Several reviews have even made positive comparisons between SpiceWorld and the 1984 "rockumentary" parody film This Is Spinal Tap.[5][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]

On 18 July 2014, the Spice Bus used in the film was put on permanent display at Island Harbour Marina, on the Isle of Wight, England.[50]

Potential sequel

In 2010, Bunton revealed that there were plans for a sequel following the first film's release, stating: "We would've liked to do another film, but after Spice World, there was an album, then a tour and then Geri left, so it didn't happen."[51]

Speaking in January 2019, following the announcement of the Spice Girls reunion tour, Simon Fuller confirmed plans to make an animated sequel to Spice World.[52] On 13 June 2019, it was reported that Paramount Animation president Mireille Soria had greenlit the project, with all five members of the band returning. The project will be produced by Simon Fuller, with Karen McCullah and Kiki Smith writing the screenplay, and will feature both previous and original songs.[53] The film would feature the band as superheroes. A director has not yet been announced.[54]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "SPICE WORLD - THE MOVIE (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 27 November 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  2. ^ Pappas, Ben (22 March 1999). "Star power, star brands". Forbes.
  3. ^ a b c d Vincent, Alice (29 September 2017). "Five go mad on camera: how the Spice Girls made Spice World". The Telegraph.
  4. ^ "All Time Domestic Box Office for Based on Musical Group Movies". The Numbers. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Kale, Sirin (23 January 2018). "How the 'Spice World' Movie Became a Deranged, Postmodern Masterpiece". Vice. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  6. ^ Bob Spiers and Stacey Adair, Joking Apart, Series 2 Episode 2, DVD audio commentary, replaydvd.co.uk
  7. ^ a b Smith 2019, pp. 156–158
  8. ^ Du Noyer, Paul]] (February 1998). "Cash for questions". Q. No. 137. p. 15.
  9. ^ "The Truth Behind The Deleted Gary Glitter Cameo In The Spice Girls Movie". Yahoo! Movies. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  10. ^ Spice Girls, Cripps & Peachey 1997, p. 142
  11. ^ Sinclair 2004, pp. 102, 113–114
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  13. ^ a b Myers, Justin (14 December 2017). "Classic Christmas Number 1s: Spice Girls' 2 Become 1". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  14. ^ Wright, Matthew (22 December 1997). . The Mirror. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019.
  15. ^ "All The Number 1 Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Toy Spice Buses". VivaSpice.net. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  17. ^ "With Spice Girls Down to Four, Sales Still Ride High (pg. 8, 120)". Billboard Magazine. 12 June 1998. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  18. ^ Official Video Chart Top 100: 31 May 1998 – 11 July 1998. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  19. ^ End of Year Video Chart Top 100 - 1998. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  20. ^
    • "Top Video Sales: 11 July 1998". Billboard Magazine. 11 July 1998. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
    • "Top Video Sales: 18 July 1998". Billboard Magazine. 18 July 1998. p. 66. Retrieved 18 February 2017. spice world video sales.
    • "Top Video Sales: 25 July 1998". Billboard Magazine. 25 July 1998. p. 72. Retrieved 18 February 2017. spice world video sales.
    • "Top Video Sales: 1 August 1998". Billboard Magazine. 1 August 1998. p. 73. Retrieved 18 February 2017. spice world video sales.
    • "Top Video Sales: 8 August 1998". Billboard Magazine. 8 August 1998. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  21. ^ "The Year in Video: Top Video Sales". Billboard Magazine. 9 January 1999. p. 52. Retrieved 18 February 2017. 1998 best vhs selling spice world.
  22. ^ "Spiceworld - the Movie - 20th Anniversary Edition".
  23. ^ Scott, Mary (9 January 1998). "No turkeys this Christmas". Screen International. p. 47.
  24. ^ "Spiceworld The Movie $7,834,483 (advertisement)". Variety. 12 January 1998. p. 53.
  25. ^ Opening weekend box office sales in the US. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 25 June 2006.
  26. ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (17 July 1998). . Entertainment Weekly. p. 2. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  27. ^ "Spice World (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Spice World Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  29. ^ Spice World at AllMovie
  30. ^ Ebert, Roger (11 August 2005). . Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  31. ^ Roger Ebert (23 January 1998). "Spice World". Chicago Sun-Times.
  32. ^ Janet Maslin (23 January 1998). "'Spice World': Hits and Hairdos on the Spice Rack". The New York Times.
  33. ^ Sinker, Mark (February 1998). "Spice World". Sight and Sound: 49. ISSN 0037-4806.
  34. ^ Elley, Derek (18 December 1997). "Review: 'Spice World'". Variety.
  35. ^ Vincent, Alice (24 May 2019). "When the Spice Girls hit Cannes: the inside story of Spice World, 'the worst film ever made'". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  36. ^ Stanford, Eleanor (2 September 2019). "'Spice World' & Me". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  37. ^ Wilson, John (2005). The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69334-0.
  38. ^ . The Stinkers. Archived from the original on 24 January 2002. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  39. ^ . The Stinkers. Archived from the original on 2 February 2002. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  40. ^ . 3 January 2007. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  41. ^ Smith 2019, p. 153
  42. ^ "The 20 Most Surreal Moments from the Cult Classic 'Spice World'". Vice. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  43. ^ "Crew members explain why Spice World is still so weird, 20 years on". Interview Magazine. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  44. ^ Duke, Simon (2 August 2017). "Spice World returns to cinemas for limited edition screening". SurreyLive. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  45. ^ Duke, Simon (1 August 2017). "Spice World The Movie set to air at North East cinema as it turns 20". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  46. ^ Donahue, Anne T. (22 June 2017). "'Spice World' is a Brilliant Movie. It Might Even Be Better Than 'A Hard Day's Night.'". Esquire. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  47. ^ McStravick, Sheena (1 August 2017). "Spice World: The Movie to be shown at NI cinema for 20th Anniversary". BelfastLive. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  48. ^ "Screen Queens: SPICE WORLD". blogTO. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  49. ^ Stopera, Matt (21 March 2013). "37 Reasons "Spice World" Is A Cinematic Masterpiece". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  50. ^ The Spice Bus. Island Harbour. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  51. ^ Team, Cosmo (23 July 2010). "Spice Girls movie sequel confirmed". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  52. ^ "A new Spice Girls film is coming". The Independent. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  53. ^ "'Spice Girls' Movie in the Works as Paramount Unveils Animation Slate (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  54. ^ "The Spice Girls are getting an animated movie — and all five members are on board". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

Book references

External links

spice, world, film, spice, world, 1997, british, musical, comedy, film, directed, spiers, written, fuller, film, stars, girl, group, spice, girls, play, themselves, film, made, similar, vein, beatles, hard, night, 1964, depicts, series, fictional, events, lead. Spice World is a 1997 British musical comedy film directed by Bob Spiers and written by Kim Fuller The film stars pop girl group the Spice Girls who all play themselves The film made in a similar vein to The Beatles A Hard Day s Night 1964 depicts a series of fictional events leading up to a major concert at London s Royal Albert Hall liberally interspersed with dream sequences and flashbacks as well as surreal moments and humorous asides along with having an antagonist in the form of an overzealous newspaper editor who starts a smear campaign against the group in an attempt to destroy their reputation for his own benefit Spice WorldUK theatrical release posterDirected byBob SpiersScreenplay byKim FullerProduced byUri Fruchtmann Barnaby ThompsonStarringVictoria Emma Mel C Geri Mel B Richard E Grant Alan Cumming George Wendt Mark McKinney Roger MooreCinematographyClive TicknerEdited byAndrea MacArthurMusic byPaul HardcastleProductioncompaniesFragile Films PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Icon Entertainment InternationalDistributed byPolyGram Filmed Entertainment 1 Release dates15 December 1997 1997 12 15 Premiere 26 December 1997 1997 12 26 Running time93 minutes 1 CountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishBudget 25 million 2 Box office 100 million 3 This is the second feature length film directed by Spiers following That Darn Cat 1997 The film features Richard E Grant Claire Rushbrook Naoko Mori Meat Loaf Barry Humphries and Alan Cumming in supporting roles with cameo appearances by a number of British celebrities Filming took place in London for six of the eight filming weeks and also inside Twickenham Studios as well as at over 40 famous British landmarks Shooting featured several fourteen hour shooting sessions and a constant heavy media presence due to the Spice Girls then large popularity The film premiered in the United Kingdom on 15 December 1997 ahead of its wide theatrical release on the British holiday Boxing Day 26 December In North America it was released on 23 January 1998 by Columbia Pictures In the United States Spice World became a box office success and broke the record for the highest ever weekend debut for Super Bowl weekend with box office sales of 10 5 million The film grossed over 100 million at the worldwide box office Despite being a box office success the film received primarily negative reviews 3 To celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2017 Spice World was given a limited release across the United Kingdom showing at Odeon Cinemas Spice World is the highest grossing film of all time by a musical group 4 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Casting 3 2 1 Gary Glitter controversy 3 3 Filming 3 4 Music 4 Release 4 1 Rating 4 2 Merchandising 4 3 Home media 4 4 2017 re release 5 Reception 5 1 Box office 5 2 Critical reception 5 3 Reappraisal 5 4 Accolades 6 Legacy and cult status 7 Potential sequel 8 See also 9 References 9 1 Book references 10 External linksPlot EditThe Spice Girls perform their song Too Much at the Top of the Pops but are dissatisfied with the burdens of fame and fortune Meanwhile the sinister newspaper owner Kevin McMaxford is trying to ruin the girls reputation for his ratings McMaxford dispatches photographer Damien to take pictures and tape recordings of the girls Piers Cuthbertson Smyth with his camera crew stalks the girls hoping to use them as subjects for his next project At the same time the girls manager Clifford is fending off two over eager Hollywood writers Martin Barnfield and Graydon who relentlessly pitch absurd plot ideas for the girls feature film Amid this the girls must prepare for their live concert at the Royal Albert Hall in three days which will be the biggest performance of their music career At the heart of it the constant rehearsals travelling publicity appearances and other burdens of celebrity affect the girls on a personal level preventing them from spending much time with their best friend Nicola who is due to give birth soon Throughout the busy schedule the girls try to ask Clifford for time off to spend with Nicola and relax but Clifford refuses after talking with the head of the girls record label the cryptic and eccentric Chief The stress and overwork compound which culminate in the girls huge argument with Clifford The girls suddenly storm out on the evening before their gig at the Albert Hall The girls separately think back on their humble beginnings and their struggle to the top They reunite by chance outside the abandoned cafe where they practised during their adolescent years they reconcile and decide to take Nicola out dancing However Nicola s contractions start at the nightclub and she is rushed to the hospital where she gives birth to a healthy baby girl When Emma notices that the delivery doctor has a camera the girls realize that he is Damien who flees with the girls in hot pursuit only to hit his head after accidentally colliding with an empty stretcher When Damien sees the girls standing over him he tells them that they have made him realise he s been living a meaningless lie and he goes after McMaxford who is subsequently fired in a Jacuzzi scandal After noticing the girls bus driver Dennis is missing Victoria decides to take the wheel It becomes a race against time as Victoria drives recklessly through the streets of London to the Albert Hall While approaching Tower Bridge the bridge starts being raised to let a boat through the River Thames Victoria drives up the bridge and over the gap The bus lands safely on the other side but when Emma opens a trapdoor in the floor she discovers a bomb and the girls scream before Emma slams the trapdoor shut again The girls finally arrive at the Albert Hall and run the Rocky Steps for their performance However the girls have one more obstacle to overcome a London policeman charges them with dangerous driving criminal damage flying a bus without a licence and frightening the pigeons Emma is pushed forward and explains to the policeman that she and the other girls were late for their performance at the Albert Hall Emma smiles at the policeman and he lets the girls off for their performance The girls open their Albert Hall concert with their song Spice Up Your Life which is broadcast live on global television The supporting cast later talk about the girls film during its closing credits Melanie C breaks the fourth wall and tells the other girls that the outgoing audience is watching them The girls talk to the audience commenting on those two in the back row snogging and on one s dress and discuss about their film just minutes before the bomb in their bus explodes Cast EditThe Spice Girls Victoria Adams Posh Spice as Herself Melanie Brown Scary Spice as Herself Emma Bunton Baby Spice as Herself Melanie C Sporty Spice as Herself Geri Halliwell Ginger Spice as Herself Richard E Grant as Clifford The Girls Manager Claire Rushbrook as Deborah The Girls Assistant Roger Moore as The Chief The Head of The Girls Record Label Naoko Mori as Nicola The Girls Best Friend Meat Loaf as Dennis The Girls Bus Driver Barry Humphries as Kevin McMaxford Jason Flemyng as Brad Richard O Brien as Damien Alan Cumming as Piers Cuthbertson Smyth George Wendt as Martin Barnfield Mark McKinney as Graydon Steven O Donnell as Jess Gary Crombie as Roy MacInerney Michael Barrymore as Mr Step Jools Holland as Musical Director Kevin McNally as Policeman Dance of the Goblins Disassociator Kevin Allen as Gainer Peter Sissons as Newsreader Neil Mullarkey as Barnaby Richard Briers as Archbishop of Candleford Dominic West as The Photographer Bill Paterson as Brian Jonathan Ross as Himself Elvis Costello as The Bartender Elton John as Himself Bob Geldof as Himself Bob Hoskins as Himself Jennifer Saunders as Fashionable Woman Hugh Laurie as Hercule Poirot Stephen Fry as Judge Simon Ellis as Keyboardist In Spice BandProduction EditDevelopment Edit Geri Halliwell s red swimsuit from the film As the popularity of the Spice Girls grew The Walt Disney Company approached the band about making a film The band turned down Disney s offer as they did not like the Disney fied script which was about a young single mother of one of the girls fighting hardship to form the band 5 Kim Fuller brother of the band s manager Simon Fuller decided to write the screenplay for a Spice Girls movie himself 5 According to Fuller the script had to be revised many times to accommodate the growing number of celebrities hoping to take part in the film 5 Director Bob Spiers had been working in America on the Disney film That Darn Cat at the peak of the Girls popularity He was unaware of the group when first offered the job until his friend Jennifer Saunders advised that he take it He arrived at a meeting with them in a New York hotel unaware of what they looked like 6 Casting Edit Frank Bruno was originally cast as the tour bus driver but withdrew after a security guard prevented his son Franklin having an on set photo taken with the girls Mentions of Princess Diana and scenes featuring the designer Gianni Versace had to be edited out in post production following their deaths shortly before the release of the film 7 Their company rang me up and asked if I would be in it remarked Elvis Costello of his cameo I wouldn t have thought I was the kind of face you would get to do a cornflakes advert Maybe twenty years ago I was surprised 8 Gary Glitter controversy Edit Glam rock musician Gary Glitter filmed a four minute cameo appearance as himself but shortly before release he was arrested on child pornography offences The Spice Girls and the production team agreed that his cameo should be deleted from the final print although the band s performance of Glitter s I m the Leader of the Gang I Am was retained 7 Glitter s scene has since been leaked online 9 Filming Edit Spice World began filming in June and wrapped in August 1997 10 The film was to be set to the songs from the Girls second studio album but no songs had been written when filming began The band thus had to do all the songwriting and recording at the same time as they were filming Spice World 11 Music Edit An official motion picture soundtrack has not been released since their second studio album Spiceworld was released at the time heavily promoted and serving as the film s soundtrack The only song from Spiceworld not to appear in the film is Move Over The songs appearing in the film are in order of appearance Too Much the main single debuted atop the UK Singles Chart 12 becoming the Spice Girls second consecutive Christmas number one single 13 It made the group the first act to reach number one with their first six singles and the first to debut atop the chart five times in a row 14 The single spent two weeks at number one 15 and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry BPI on 9 January 1998 13 Spice Girls Too Much Spice World Version Opening sequence Spice Girls Do It Spice Girls Say You ll Be There Unplugged Concert Version Spice Girls Mama Spice Girls Denying Spice Girls Saturday Night Divas Spice Girls Stop Spice Girls 2 Become 1 Spice Girls I m the Leader of the Gang I Am Spice Girls Never Give Up on the Good Times Spice Girls Sound Off Millie Small My Boy Lollipop Spice Girls Viva Forever Spice Girls Wannabe Demo Version Spice Girls Who Do You Think You Are Morales Club Mix Edit Spice Girls Spice Up Your Life Live Albert Hall Spice Girls The Lady Is a Vamp Closing titles Release EditRating Edit In the United Kingdom Spice World was granted a PG certificate by the British Board of Film Classification for mild bad language mild sex references 1 In the United States it received a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association for some vulgarity brief nudity and language Merchandising Edit Official toy versions of the Spice Bus were produced upon the release of the movie 16 Home media Edit The film was released on VHS in May 1998 in many regions including the UK Germany Spain the Netherlands Japan and Australia In June 1998 it came out on VHS in the US and Canada Despite concerns that the high profile departure of Halliwell from the Spice Girls would affect sales global demand for the VHS was high 17 In the UK the film was number one on the video charts for six consecutive weeks 18 was certified 11 Platinum and became the ninth best selling video of 1998 19 In the US the film peaked at number one on the video charts for five consecutive weeks 20 and was the fifth best selling video of 1998 21 Spice World The 10th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD on 19 November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Australia and on 27 November 2007 in the United States Spice World The 20th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD on 7 February 2018 in Australia 22 2017 re release Edit In 2017 the film was screened at various cinemas in the UK Ireland and Australia to mark its 20th anniversary 3 Reception EditBox office Edit Spice World was a number one box office success in the United Kingdom grossing 2 3 million during its opening weekend on Boxing Day 1997 It was the highest opening gross for a British production in the UK surpassing the record set earlier in the year by Bean excluding previews for Bean 23 and also set a record opening week gross for a British film in the U K with a gross of 4 8 million 24 The film was also successful in the United States breaking the record at that time for the highest ever weekend debut for Super Bowl weekend 25 January 1998 with box office sales of 10 527 222 25 The film took in total 100 million at the box office worldwide 3 26 Critical reception Edit The film received generally negative reviews from critics Film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave Spice World a rating of 35 based on reviews from 68 critics with an average rating of 4 7 out of 10 and a critic consensus that reads Spice World s lack of cohesive plot will likely lose most viewers but for fans of the titular girl group there s more than enough fun to be had in their wacky albeit superficial whirlwind of an adventure 27 On Metacritic the film has a 32 out of 100 rating based on 16 critics indicating generally unfavorable reviews 28 AllMovie gave it two out of five stars 29 Noted American film critic Roger Ebert gave one half of a star and listed Spice World as one of his most hated films saying The Spice Girls are easier to tell apart than the Mutant Ninja Turtles but that is small consolation What can you say about five women whose principal distinguishing characteristic is that they have different names They occupy Spice World as if they were watching it They re so detached they can t even successfully lip synch their own songs And when he reviewed the film on his and Gene Siskel s film critique programme Siskel amp Ebert only three weeks into 1998 he declared that he had already seen the worst film of that year and called it an entertainment free dead zone Ebert included the film on the Worst of 1998 special but he chose Armageddon as the worst film of 1998 30 31 Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated that the film is pleasant and painless enough to amuse ardent fans who figure in the film quite often She also noted that while it got a PG rating in the United States nothing about it should disturb its target audience of media wise fun loving 8 year old girls 32 Writing for Sight and Sound in a positive review Mark Sinker placed it alongside The Monkees 1968 cult film Head He went on to say that it sends up the amiable idiocy of pop packaging and the slow witted mass media response to it and it was tirelessly generous in its energy 33 Derek Elley resident film critic for Variety gave a mixed review calling the film bright and breezy and as timely but evanescent as the Cool Britannia culture it celebrates He stated that the film would delight the Fab Five s pre pubescent fans but that it would be forgotten within six months 34 Reappraisal Edit Several critics have reevaluated the film more positively in the years after its initial release Re watching Spice World in 2019 Alice Vincent of The Daily Telegraph was pleasantly surprised that the jokes had not aged badly and found the sets and costuming had a now retro charm Vincent stated It s an irreverent lighthearted romp that captured the brash patriotic positivity of a London swept up in Cool Britannia 35 Writing for The New York Times in 2019 Eleanor Stanford found the film to be much smarter and more self aware than I once gave it credit for particularly enjoying how the Spice Girls poked fun at themselves Stanford concluded The Spice Girls were absolutely working the very sexist system and making a lot of money off it but they were doing it slyly with a wink and a grin They were I think misunderstood at the time and I wonder if an irreverent breezy group like theirs could even exist today 36 Accolades Edit The film has been listed in Golden Raspberry Awards founder John Wilson s book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made 37 Along with the nominations and wins racked up at the 1998 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards Spice World was listed in their upcoming 100 Years 100 Stinkers list in which people voted for the 100 worst movies of the 20th century The film was ranked at 5 38 39 Award Category Subject ResultGolden Raspberry Award Worst Actress Spice Girls WonWorst New Star NominatedWorst Original Song Too Much NominatedPaul Wilson NominatedAndy Watkins NominatedWorst Supporting Actor Roger Moore NominatedWorst Screen Couple Any combination of two people body parts or fashion accessories NominatedWorst Screenplay Jamie Curtis NominatedKim Fuller NominatedWorst Picture Uri Fruchtmann NominatedBarnaby Thompson NominatedNickelodeon Kids Choice Award Favorite Movie Actress Spice Girls NominatedBlockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Movie Actress in a Comedy Spice Girls NominatedStinkers Bad Movie Awards 40 Worst Picture Sony Columbia WonWorst Actress or British Singing Group Pretending to Act Spice Girls WonWorst Sense of Direction Bob Spiers NominatedWorst On Screen Hairstyle Scary Spice NominatedWorst Song in a Motion Picture Spice Up Your Life NominatedLegacy and cult status Edit The bus used in the Spice World movie Spice World has arguably achieved cult status 41 The film while being negatively reviewed during its original release is remembered fondly by many who were part of its target audience of younger pop fans at the time of its release Some commentators consider the film to be a cult classic describing it as brilliant even a masterpiece of the parody genre that mocks both celebrity culture and cinematic cliches while giving many winks to popular culture of the time Several reviews have even made positive comparisons between SpiceWorld and the 1984 rockumentary parody film This Is Spinal Tap 5 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 On 18 July 2014 the Spice Bus used in the film was put on permanent display at Island Harbour Marina on the Isle of Wight England 50 Potential sequel EditIn 2010 Bunton revealed that there were plans for a sequel following the first film s release stating We would ve liked to do another film but after Spice World there was an album then a tour and then Geri left so it didn t happen 51 Speaking in January 2019 following the announcement of the Spice Girls reunion tour Simon Fuller confirmed plans to make an animated sequel to Spice World 52 On 13 June 2019 it was reported that Paramount Animation president Mireille Soria had greenlit the project with all five members of the band returning The project will be produced by Simon Fuller with Karen McCullah and Kiki Smith writing the screenplay and will feature both previous and original songs 53 The film would feature the band as superheroes A director has not yet been announced 54 See also EditSpice Girls filmography List of films featuring extraterrestrialsReferences Edit a b c SPICE WORLD THE MOVIE PG British Board of Film Classification 27 November 1997 Retrieved 4 February 2012 Pappas Ben 22 March 1999 Star power star brands Forbes a b c d Vincent Alice 29 September 2017 Five go mad on camera how the Spice Girls made Spice World The Telegraph All Time Domestic Box Office for Based on Musical Group Movies The Numbers 13 July 2020 Retrieved 13 July 2020 a b c d Kale Sirin 23 January 2018 How the Spice World Movie Became a Deranged Postmodern Masterpiece Vice Retrieved 20 February 2021 Bob Spiers and Stacey Adair Joking Apart Series 2 Episode 2 DVD audio commentary replaydvd co uk a b Smith 2019 pp 156 158 Du Noyer Paul February 1998 Cash for questions Q No 137 p 15 The Truth Behind The Deleted Gary Glitter Cameo In The Spice Girls Movie Yahoo Movies 5 May 2016 Retrieved 10 February 2017 Spice Girls Cripps amp Peachey 1997 p 142 Sinclair 2004 pp 102 113 114 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company www officialcharts com Retrieved 8 January 2020 a b Myers Justin 14 December 2017 Classic Christmas Number 1s Spice Girls 2 Become 1 Official Charts Company Retrieved 14 December 2017 Wright Matthew 22 December 1997 Top of the Tots Girls can t conquer Germany The Mirror Archived from the original on 26 July 2019 All The Number 1 Singles Official Charts Company Retrieved 28 July 2019 Toy Spice Buses VivaSpice net Retrieved 10 February 2017 With Spice Girls Down to Four Sales Still Ride High pg 8 120 Billboard Magazine 12 June 1998 Retrieved 18 February 2017 Official Video Chart Top 100 31 May 1998 11 July 1998 Official Charts Company Retrieved 17 February 2017 End of Year Video Chart Top 100 1998 Official Charts Company Retrieved 17 February 2017 Top Video Sales 11 July 1998 Billboard Magazine 11 July 1998 Retrieved 18 February 2017 Top Video Sales 18 July 1998 Billboard Magazine 18 July 1998 p 66 Retrieved 18 February 2017 spice world video sales Top Video Sales 25 July 1998 Billboard Magazine 25 July 1998 p 72 Retrieved 18 February 2017 spice world video sales Top Video Sales 1 August 1998 Billboard Magazine 1 August 1998 p 73 Retrieved 18 February 2017 spice world video sales Top Video Sales 8 August 1998 Billboard Magazine 8 August 1998 Retrieved 18 February 2017 The Year in Video Top Video Sales Billboard Magazine 9 January 1999 p 52 Retrieved 18 February 2017 1998 best vhs selling spice world Spiceworld the Movie 20th Anniversary Edition Scott Mary 9 January 1998 No turkeys this Christmas Screen International p 47 Spiceworld The Movie 7 834 483 advertisement Variety 12 January 1998 p 53 Opening weekend box office sales in the US Internet Movie Database Retrieved 25 June 2006 Svetkey Benjamin 17 July 1998 Cover Story Spice Girl s Tour Divorce Entertainment Weekly p 2 Archived from the original on 13 October 2013 Retrieved 29 October 2019 Spice World 1998 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved 25 December 2022 Spice World Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved 23 October 2015 Spice World at AllMovie Ebert Roger 11 August 2005 Ebert s Most Hated Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on 28 June 2009 Retrieved 2 March 2022 Roger Ebert 23 January 1998 Spice World Chicago Sun Times Janet Maslin 23 January 1998 Spice World Hits and Hairdos on the Spice Rack The New York Times Sinker Mark February 1998 Spice World Sight and Sound 49 ISSN 0037 4806 Elley Derek 18 December 1997 Review Spice World Variety Vincent Alice 24 May 2019 When the Spice Girls hit Cannes the inside story of Spice World the worst film ever made The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 15 February 2021 Retrieved 15 February 2021 Stanford Eleanor 2 September 2019 Spice World amp Me The New York Times Archived from the original on 15 February 2021 Retrieved 15 February 2021 Wilson John 2005 The Official Razzie Movie Guide Enjoying the Best of Hollywood s Worst Grand Central Publishing ISBN 0 446 69334 0 The 100 Worst Films of the 20th Century The Stinkers Archived from the original on 24 January 2002 Retrieved 18 September 2019 The Top 10 sic Worst Films of All Time The Stinkers Archived from the original on 2 February 2002 Retrieved 18 September 2019 Past Winners Database 3 January 2007 Archived from the original on 3 January 2007 Retrieved 14 January 2020 Smith 2019 p 153 The 20 Most Surreal Moments from the Cult Classic Spice World Vice 23 January 2018 Retrieved 20 April 2022 Crew members explain why Spice World is still so weird 20 years on Interview Magazine 23 January 2018 Retrieved 20 April 2022 Duke Simon 2 August 2017 Spice World returns to cinemas for limited edition screening SurreyLive Retrieved 20 April 2022 Duke Simon 1 August 2017 Spice World The Movie set to air at North East cinema as it turns 20 ChronicleLive Retrieved 20 April 2022 Donahue Anne T 22 June 2017 Spice World is a Brilliant Movie It Might Even Be Better Than A Hard Day s Night Esquire Retrieved 20 April 2022 McStravick Sheena 1 August 2017 Spice World The Movie to be shown at NI cinema for 20th Anniversary BelfastLive Retrieved 20 April 2022 Screen Queens SPICE WORLD blogTO Retrieved 20 April 2022 Stopera Matt 21 March 2013 37 Reasons Spice World Is A Cinematic Masterpiece BuzzFeed Retrieved 20 April 2022 The Spice Bus Island Harbour Retrieved 25 June 2016 Team Cosmo 23 July 2010 Spice Girls movie sequel confirmed Cosmopolitan Retrieved 3 June 2019 A new Spice Girls film is coming The Independent 13 January 2019 Archived from the original on 24 May 2022 Retrieved 3 June 2019 Spice Girls Movie in the Works as Paramount Unveils Animation Slate Exclusive The Hollywood Reporter 12 June 2019 Retrieved 14 June 2019 The Spice Girls are getting an animated movie and all five members are on board www cbsnews com Retrieved 15 June 2019 Book references Edit Spice Girls Cripps Rebecca Peachey Mal 1997 Real Life Real Spice The Official Story by the Spice Girls Zone Chameleon Books ISBN 0 233 99299 5 Smith Sean 2019 Spice Girls The Story of the World s Greatest Girl Band HarperCollins ISBN 978 0 00 826756 8 Sinclair David 2004 Wannabe How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame Omnibus Press ISBN 0 7119 8643 6 External links EditSpice World at IMDb Spice World at AllMovie Spice World at Box Office Mojo Spice World at Rotten Tomatoes Spice World at Metacritic Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Spice World film amp oldid 1154764032, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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