Still Pushing Pineapples

12A

What happens when you’ve created the worst hit song ever – at least according to the music press?

What comes after fleeting fame, and what does it mean to grow old still chasing a dream?

Kim Hopkins’ follow-up to her hugely loved documentary A Bunch of Amateurs features former pop star Dene Michael as he clings to the remnants of fame he once had as a member of 1980s novelty pop group Black Lace.

The band’s universally known hit Agadoo, both beloved and hated by many and the high or low point of any party, is what Dene’s best known for. Now, performing for a dwindling, ageing audience in some of the UK’s most deprived seaside towns and cities, he’s eager to press on with his music career and get out from under the legacy of the Black Lace songbook.

The film follows Dene, his spirited 89-year-old mum Anne, and his sassy girlfriend Hayley across Britain and the Costa del Sol in this unmistakably British road movie. En route they navigate love, family duty, and the relentless pursuit of one last chart success. But who needs an ’80s throwback in a loud pineapple shirt and oversized red specs, singing a tired earworm?

Apparently, many do (doo doo).