You may think a biopic based on the disgraced 80s pop duo Milli Vanilli would have very limited appeal, but writer / director Simon Verhoeven‘s “Girl You Know It’s True” turns out to be a riveting exploration of fame, greed, and deception. It’s the type of movie that tells an interesting story regardless if you were a fan of the group or not, capturing the spectacle of the 1980s music scene as well as the extraordinary rise and catastrophic fall of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan.
When unknown dancers Rob (Tijan Njie) and Fab (Elan Ben Ali) cross paths with hit music producer Frank Farian (Matthias Schweighöfer), he recruits them for his next big project. In an industry where looks are just as important (if not even more so) than raw talent, Farian found precisely what he was looking for in Rob and Fab: stars, not singers.
Performing as a hot new group called Milli Vanilli, Fab and Rob enjoyed huge success on the international music charts before recording three number one hits in the United States. Throughout the height of their popularity, only a small circle of insiders knew their darkest secret: Rob and Fab never once sang one note themselves. Once their charade was exposed after a lip syncing tape malfunctioned, their career trajectory turned from riding on top of the world to being two of the most hated men in the music industry. It was a scandal from which the pair would never recover.
Verhoeven tells the story by allowing Rob and Fab narrate their own truths themselves (Ali and Njie constantly break the fourth wall and address the audience directly), allowing for different perspectives and perceptions while still including the documented facts of their lives. By showcasing the film’s real-life subjects in a creative, personal way, the biopic handles this style of storytelling extremely well. At times their realities seem to contrast, but both of their dreams were built and shattered by the same industry that was so quick to take away all it had given.
The film offers an honest portrayal of the darker side of the music industry, unflinching in its criticisms of their well-documented obsession with image over substance. Rob and Fab were swept up in a system that has long prioritized marketability over talent, and the industry’s complicity is not glossed over. Farian is portrayed as an opportunistic visionary who also serves as the story’s villain, orchestrating an elaborate facade that turned two dancers into bonafide global superstars while hiding the real voices and musicians behind their hit songs because they weren’t “MTV material.” The most shocking thing about all of this is that they were able to get away with it for so long.
Since the duo was quickly dismissed as a joke once the scandal broke, it’s easy to forget how legitimately solid the duo’s songs were. The film offers lively recreations of Milli Vanilli’s most iconic music videos and high-energy dance numbers, delivering a short burst of nostalgia that many of us haven’t felt in years. I can’t remember the last time I heard one of their hits, but I caught myself tapping my foot to the beat of songs I once blasted on the car radio as a teenager.
At its core, “Girl You Know It’s True” is a story about the fleeting nature of fame and the devastating consequences of living a lie. It’s a tale of friendship tested by trickery, a cautionary lens into the seductive allure of stardom, and ultimately, a sobering reflection on the pitfalls of fame.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 