The jokes about Milli Vanilli have existed for decades. After being exposed for not singing their own songs, the German-based group faded into obscurity until a tragedy befell one of the members. Girl You Know It’s True catalogs the incredible rise and fall of the group. Featuring a wrap-around narration from Elan Ben Ali and Tijan Njie as the titular group, Girl You Know It’s True finds incredible nuance in the shocking tale.
Girl You Know It’s True Plot
Fabrice Morvan (Ali) and Robert Pilatus (Njie) dream of superstardom. Both find work as background dancers in the German music industry, but their talent quickly draws eyes. Fabrice moved to Germany to showcase his unique talents in a world and find appreciation. Robert’s white parents adopted him, in part to show how progressive they were in Post-War Germany. One day, Ingrid “Milli” Segieth (Bella Dayne) discovers them and immediately connects the duo with super-producer Frank Farian (Matthias Schweighöfer). With Farian’s guidance, the duo’s pre-recorded tracks play through the roof, gaining international superstardom. However, tensions rise as Fabrice and Robert use drugs, pick music industry fights, and demand more control. Farian pushes back, resulting in a worldwide scandal.
The intrigue behind the scenes of Milli Vanilli
Written and directed by Simon Verhoeven – grandson of the legendary Paul Verhoeven – Girl You Know It’s True could settle for easy music biopic tropes. After all, Bohemian Rhapsody and Judy have done so to great success. However, Verhoeven instead attacks the material with gusto. Girl You Know It’s True leans into some tropes – especially in the narration and direct-to-camera dialogue. However, Verhoven layers on incredible backstory for Fab and Rob. Both actors take to the material with brilliant performances and allow for the casual racism they experienced as black men in Germany to feel honest. The microaggressions and anger in their direction allow for audiences to root for them to overcome their station – even if it means embracing the lie.
Additionally, Verhoeven digs into the ways Milli Vanilli’s success affected everyone – from Fabrice and Robert to the band Numarx (who wrote the song “Girl You Know It’s True”). For Fabrice and Robert, the power and fame go to their heads. At the same time, Girl You Know It’s True never alleges they are untalented. They are not pop singers, but the dancing wows and highlights their showmanship qualities.
Meanwhile, checking in with the band Numarx highlights the reach of MTV at the time and revives the stereotype of a black band recording a great song only to have it packaged for consumption by a more palatable group. Their struggle and resolution behind the scenes might be one of the most satisfying aspects of Girl You Know It’s True, highlighting the music industry’s villainy from top to bottom. Whether you’re in Milli Vanilli or Numarx, you remain underpaid and overworked, so the top brass at record companies dilute the product and earn the big bucks.
The arrogance of record executives destroyed music
This attitude courses through the veins of Girl You Know It’s True, adding to the movie’s anti-establishment and anti-capitalist ideas. For all the fame and money gained, it’s the power to destroy or make someone overnight that highlights the industry’s terrifying practices. In this regard, Schweighöfer (Army of the Dead) plays an excellent antagonist.
Schweighöfer dives into the role, disappearing behind the makeup and hairpieces. However, he’s at his best when he plays the monomania of a creative executive. In one scene, he turns a phone conversation in the aftermath of an affair into a hit record. We watch Schweighöfer compute each element of the song and bring together its signature beat. Rarely do movies communicate the near-virtuosic ideas correctly, but Girl You Know It’s True does with Schweighöfer in the role.
Additionally, he’s just villainous enough for us to hate him. Girl You Know It’s True turns over the narration to him at one point, allowing him to make his case for creating Milli Vanilli. In the process, he extols the virtues of the real musicians – which, of course, includes himself – but places the blame on their nom-de-plume success on audiences. After all, video killed the radio star. Yet these are the lies people in power tell to stay in control. It’s arrogance that suggests they know better than the world around them. Verhoeven and Schweighöfer deliver these concepts and make Girl You Know It’s True far more compelling than many of its music biopic brethren.
Is Girl You Know It’s True worth watching?
Music biopics rarely rise above mediocrity. They’re often confined to retelling an artist’s Wikipedia entry and sanding off their characters’ edges. Girl You Know It’s True leans into the muck, forcing the audience to engage with the triumphs and tragedy of Milli Vanilli. At times, the tropes become too much, but with enough self-awareness to call itself out for those flaws, Girl You Know It’s True shows a deeper understanding of its subjects. With excellent production design and incredible athleticism from the dancers, Verhoeven creates a unique spectacle with real insight.
7/10
Girl You Know It’s True hits VOD on August 9, 2024.
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