Me Me Me is an interesting exploration of media-created sensations, heroes and villains, combined with the old Romeo and Juliet-type theme of a love story with a mutually tragic ending. Jane and Johnny the two main protagonists, who fall in love, become innocent victims chewed up and spat out by the remorseless media machine-remorseless in the abstract, and in the specific representative of the tabloid editor, who shows no remorse for Johnny, or even his erstwhile employee Jane.
The tunes were nearly all very enjoyable and catchy. Johnny Bambino's hits have a rather quaint sound for a contemporary pop singer, it can be observed. I'm not complaining about this, mind. I'm not overkeen on modern pop, and much prefer the musical style that was on display here. One particular song sung by Johnny-Don't Forget Me When You're On The Island-is still buzzing around my head over twelve hours later, and, I suspect, will continue to do so for some time, such is its degree of catchiness! As far as the story and its themes go, one major keynote was that of the media following what it sees as popular morality. It is implicitly argued that the media see it as necessary to dump those it has been an erstwhile vaunter of, when they are exposed in conduct that is seen as reprehensible by the common standard, or when the interests it offends (such as the church, in this instance, both abstractly considered, and in its concrete manifestation as the hallowed Westminster Abbey) carry too much clout in society for the media not to be seen to take their part.
Over and above that, the expediency of scandal to create more hype around a subject for which positive news coverage may be becoming less newsworthy and thereby less commercial is also implicitly vaunted. Irresponsible journalism-such as the story of Johnny's stabbing, published before it is confirmed-and its possible knock-on effects-here, Jane's suicide, are also condemned.
Despite the tragedy of the ending, the final song sounds a satisfying uplifting note to conclude on, urging the maintenance of hope no matter how bad may seemed-and linking that rather trite and general abstract sentiment to a specific saviour, in terms of the media, the internet, which, it is implied, is a more honest media whose content is not determined by what a small coterie of proprietors deem to be most conducive to profit and loss.
The only caveats I have for the production are in terms of credibility. The scene in which Jane and Tabby discuss their mutual backgrounds is introduced in one of the most cringingly artificial and contrived ways ever-to wit, Jane suddenly observing to Tabby that, although they had been at college together for a period they have never really discussed their mutual backgrounds, apropos of nothing in particular. Also, Jane's just chancing to be hit upon by the very graffiti artist whom she is trying to track down, without having identified or targeted him for the purposes of effecting a meeting is also a most artificial and unlikely plot device-as is Jane and Tabby agreeing to go outside the club for a chat with two blokes they do not know, and the very first thing Johnny doing upon this being to announce himself as the graffiti worker, and introduce himself by full name (for all he knew, they could have been policewomen). Also, if Johnny is known as the graffiti artist and this is the basis on which he is elevated to pop-stardom, surely the police would have intervened. However, one should not get too hung up on questions of practicality and credibility, as musical is a form of entertainment in which these factors are of relatively little importance.
In concluding, one can take note of a couple of pieces of noteworthy humour. The fictional tabloid in the film is called the Moon-a multi-faceted joke, given both that it invokes by name the astral body that is counterpart to the one whose name is borne by today's most notorious tabloid, and given the title of the 1960s hit that catapulted the show's creator to fame. Also, JK's cameo role, as an ordinary member of the public who is camera-shy and unwilling to give even a soundbite for a street reporter is also rather funny in it's own right, given his penchant for embracing publicity! In summary, then, a most entertaining and worthwhile 90 minutes! Good work all around! Well done, Kenneth*!
* Jonathan King's real name-don't tell anyone!!
