The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films (2014)

The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films is special because it lets you feel the pulse of a scrappy, swaggering era of independent cinema through the voices of the two men who lived it, not through distant talking heads. Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus come off as larger-than-life dreamers, and the film treats them with a surprisingly heartfelt intimacy while still giving you the nuts-and-bolts business insight of how movies actually get willed into existence. The vibe is part nostalgic showbiz yarn, part cautionary boardroom tale—energetic, candid, and often moving in the way ambition leaves bruises. If you’re looking for a glossy, gossipy takedown this isn’t quite that, but if you want a solid, personal, inside look at how a film empire can rise on sheer nerve and then wobble under its own momentum, it’s a deeply satisfying watch.

The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films clearly wants to be a lively, nostalgic victory lap through Cannon’s wild rise and inevitable crash, with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus steering the story. The problem is it often feels like a glossy highlight reel rather than a properly probing documentary—light on context, selective about which films and controversies matter, and not always as candid as the subject demands. If you’re hoping for a comprehensive, hard-hitting autopsy of Cannon’s business decisions and cultural impact, this may leave you shrugging. But if you just want an easy, personable tour with a few fun anecdotes and that unmistakable Cannon energy, it’s a breezy enough watch.