There's nothing in "Velvet Goldmine" that can really make up for the fact that Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers' performances are well below par. They never really seem convincing or even genuinely interested in their parts.
When the movie moves away from its main characters it tends to succeed more, but although some of the supporting actors are excellent (especially Toni Collette), obviously there's only so much they can offer. The newly-recorded music is lukewarm (I looked at the names in the credits and marvelled at how they produced such uninteresting work - it's remarkable just how much the film perks up when the 'real' versions of "Virginia Plain" and "Satellite of Love" are playing) and, overall, the movie does a very poor job of evoking 1974 or indeed 1984. A completely missed opportunity.
When the movie moves away from its main characters it tends to succeed more, but although some of the supporting actors are excellent (especially Toni Collette), obviously there's only so much they can offer. The newly-recorded music is lukewarm (I looked at the names in the credits and marvelled at how they produced such uninteresting work - it's remarkable just how much the film perks up when the 'real' versions of "Virginia Plain" and "Satellite of Love" are playing) and, overall, the movie does a very poor job of evoking 1974 or indeed 1984. A completely missed opportunity.