Spinning Gold

Spinning Gold is a 2023 American biographical drama film written and directed by Timothy Scott Bogart. It is based on the life of his father, Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart.

Spinning Gold
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Timothy Scott Bogart
Written by	Timothy Scott Bogart
Produced by	Timothy Scott Bogart Laurence Mark Chris Torto Jessica Martins Gary A. Randall
Starring	Jeremy Jordan Wiz Khalifa Jason Isaacs Jason Derulo Jay Pharoah Michelle Monaghan Dan Fogler Sebastian Maniscalco
Cinematography	Byron Werner
Edited by	Derek Ambrosi
Music by	Evan Bogart Justin Grey
Production companies	Hero Entertainment The Boardwalk Entertainment Group Madmana Studios Carioca Capital Partners Blue Rider Pictures Bay Point Media
Distributed by	Hero Entertainment Howling Wolf Films
Release date	March 31, 2023 (2023-03-31)
Running time	137 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$66,284[2]

Premise

The film depicts the life and career of record producer and Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart, who was credited with discovering many musical acts such as Donna Summer, Kiss, Village People, Cameo; and signing acts including the Pips (without Gladys Knight), Cher and Parliament.

Cast

• Jeremy Jordan as Neil Bogart
  • Winslow Fegley as young Neil Bogart
• Michelle Monaghan as Elizabeth "Beth" Weiss-Bogart
• Jay Pharoah as Cecil Holmes
• Dan Fogler as Buck Reingold
• James Wolk as Larry Harris
• Jason Isaacs as Al Bogatz
• Lyndsy Fonseca as Joyce Biawitz
• Peyton List as Nancy Weiss-Reingold
• Wiz Khalifa as George Clinton
• Sebastian Maniscalco as Giorgio Moroder
• Tayla Parx as Donna Summer
• Ledisi as Gladys Knight
• Jason Derulo as Ron Isley
• Sam Harris as Paul Stanley
• Caylee Cowan as Farrah Lee
• Chris Redd as Frankie Crocker
• Pink Sweats as Bill Withers
• Casey Likes as Gene Simmons
• Alex Gaskarth as Peter Criss
  • Matt Greiner as Peter Criss in performances
• Michael Ian Black as Bill Aucoin
• Vincent Pastore as Big Joey

Production

The project was originally announced in September 2011, with Timothy Scott Bogart writing and directing the feature about his late father. Justin Timberlake was cast as Bogart.^[3][4] In October 2013, Spike Lee was in talks to direct the film.^[5] In January 2014, the film was delayed due to the Envision Entertainment scandal.^[6]

In June 2019, Deadline reported that Timothy Bogart would direct the film, with Jeremy Jordan now cast as Bogart, and Samuel L. Jackson, Kenan Thompson, Jason Isaacs and Jason Derulo amongst the extensive cast.^[7] Richard Dreyfuss and Sebastian Maniscalco were added to the cast in August.^[8] In June 2021, new cast members were announced, including Wiz Khalifa replacing Jackson and newcomer Casey Likes playing Gene Simmons.^[9]

Filming began on July 16, 2019, in Montreal, with plans to wrap on September 20.^[7][10] On August 23, Canadian actors' union ACTRA issued a "Do Not Work" order forbidding its members from working on the film, alleging the producers were "unfair engagers for failure to meet payroll obligations."^[10][11] As of June 17, 2021, filming had begun in New Jersey.^[9]

Release

The film was released in theaters on March 31, 2023.^[12]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 30% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "A fairly flat telling of a true story that was far more colorful and entertaining in real life, Spinning Gold is destined for the cutout bin."^[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[14]