James: Getting Away With It
Feature | United Kingdom | 97 Minutes | English

JAMES: GETTING AWAY WITH IT is the story of James, one of Britain’s most iconic and unlikely bands, told for the first time. Formed in Manchester in the early 1980s, a group of awkward misfits stumbled through a decade of false starts, bad decisions, and infamous missteps, joining a cult, turning down the chance to tour with The Smiths, and rejecting the legendary Factory Records before finally breaking through with their hit song, “Sit Down.” Fueled by an improvisational and chaotic approach to music, James went on to sell more than 25 million albums worldwide and build a remarkable catalog spanning more than 40 years, with 13 UK Top 10 albums, 19 Top 40 singles, and two UK number-one albums. “Sit Down” became one of Britain’s defining alternative-rock anthems, while albums including Laid, Gold Mother, Seven and Millionaires established James as far more than a one-hit band. Yet success only deepened the band’s internal dysfunction, leading to its collapse at the turn of the millennium. But the fans refused to let James fade away, and after mending their differences, the band reunited in 2007, finding new life, larger audiences, and, remarkably, a number-one album with Yummy in 2024 — 42 years after the band’s formation. Their enduring songwriting legacy was further recognized with the prestigious Ivor Novello Icon Award in 2023. The film features interviews with current and former members of James, along with Chris Martin, the frontman of Coldplay, whose generation of musicians has acknowledged the band’s profound influence. Director: Chris Atkins.  Theater A