{{Short description|1999 film by Doug Liman}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Infobox film | name = Go | image = Go 1999 film.jpg | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Doug Liman | writer = John August | producer = {{Plainlist| * Paul Rosenberg * Mickey Liddell * Matt Freeman }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * William Fichtner * Katie Holmes * Jay Mohr * Sarah Polley * Scott Wolf * J. E. Freeman * Breckin Meyer * Timothy Olyphant }} | cinematography = Doug Liman | editing = Stephen Mirrione | music = BT | studio = {{Plainlist| * Banner Entertainment * Saratoga Entertainment }} | distributor = Columbia Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing) | released = {{Film date|1999|4|9}} | runtime = 102 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 101:47--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/go-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtq1nzm | title=''Go'' (18) | work=British Board of Film Classification | date=April 21, 1999 | access-date=October 15, 2016 | archive-date=November 21, 2023 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20231121195338/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/go-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtq1nzm | url-status=live}}</ref> | country = United States | language = English | budget = $20{{nbsp}}million | gross = $28.5{{nbsp}}million }} '''''Go''''' is a 1999 American crime comedy film written by John August and directed by Doug Liman, with intertwining plots involving three sets of characters. The film stars William Fichtner, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, Sarah Polley, Scott Wolf, J. E. Freeman, Breckin Meyer and Timothy Olyphant.
The film is set around Christmas. Ronna (Sarah Polley), a clerk at a grocery store, is facing eviction if she doesn't come up with "more money than she has." While at work, Ronna is propositioned by two actors (Scott Wolf and Jay Mohr) for drugs, Ronna comes up with an idea to score drugs from dealer Todd Gaines (Timothy Olyphant) and sell them at a higher price in order to pay her rent. Ronna's plan goes awry when she realizes that she is caught up in a sting. Disposing of the drugs in order to avoid arrest, Ronna finds herself in an even worse financial situation. To recoup her losses, Ronna makes the decision to return allergy pills to Todd and say that her deal fell through. From here, three wild and amusing stories intertwine.
The film underperformed at the box office but was critically acclaimed.
==Plot== <!-- UNCONVENTIONAL STRUCTURE and TIMELINE qualify this film for plot size exceptions as noted at WP:FILMPLOT - see talk page-->
Around Christmas, Ronna, working overtime at her supermarket job to avoid being evicted, is approached by Adam and Zack to buy 20 ecstasy pills, which they had hoped to buy from her absent co-worker, Simon.
After work, Ronna visits Simon's dealer, Todd, for the pills. Unable to pay the full amount, she leaves her friend Claire with Todd as collateral. Ronna meets with Adam and Zack but grows suspicious of Burke, a stranger accompanying them who presses her for the ecstasy. She flushes the drugs down the toilet and leaves, then steals over-the-counter pills to replace them, helped by Manny, who had covertly swallowed two of the ecstasy pills, unaware of their strength. Ronna gives 20 of the fake pills to Todd. She, Claire, and Manny then attend a rave where she sells the rest of the fake pills as ecstasy.
Todd realizes the pills are fake and pursues Ronna to the rave. Ronna flees, hiding the now incapacitated Manny in an alley and promising to return with her car. Todd confronts her with a gun in the parking lot when she is hit by a car that speeds away, leaving her motionless in a ditch.
The story restarts from the perspective of Simon, who is on a trip to Las Vegas with Marcus, Tiny, and Singh. Simon crashes a wedding and has sex with two of the bridesmaids before they accidentally set their hotel room on fire. Simon and Marcus leave the hotel, stealing a Ferrari whose owner mistakes Marcus for a parking valet.
The two go to a strip club where Simon enrages the bouncer, Victor Jr., by groping one of the strippers. Simon shoots Victor Jr. in the arm with a gun that he found in the car. He and Marcus flee to the hotel, rousing Tiny and Singh. A car chase ensues and the four barely escape the bouncer and his father, Victor Sr., but Victor Sr. traces Todd's address from his credit card, which Simon had borrowed.
The story changes perspective to Adam and Zack, actors in a soap opera who are in a relationship with one another. Having been busted for drug possession, they are coerced into working for Burke, a police detective, to entrap their dealer. Adam is fitted with a wire. As Simon is absent, the two arrange to buy drugs from Ronna. When Ronna arrives later to make the deal, Zack secretly warns her, so she flushes the drugs down the toilet and leaves.
After the unsuccessful bust, Burke invites Adam and Zack to Christmas dinner, where they observe strange behavior from Burke and his wife, Irene. Over dinner, Burke and Irene pitch a multi-level marketing company to Adam and Zack. Discussing their mutual infidelities, Adam and Zack realize they both cheated with the same person, Jimmy, and confront him at the rave.
Leaving the rave, they accidentally run over Ronna, panic, and drive away when they see Todd with a gun. Zack tries to reassure Adam that, even if Ronna had survived, Todd would have shot her. Adam realizes to his horror that he is still wearing his wire. Fearing they have been recorded, the two return to the scene to remove Ronna's body but discover she is just unconscious. They prop her up on a car, setting off its alarm, and watch from a distance as other partygoers call an ambulance.
As morning breaks, Claire goes to a restaurant to meet with Ronna and Manny but encounters Todd instead. The two end up going to Todd's apartment building. While making out on the stairs, they are confronted by the two Victors. Simon arrives, having hoped to hide for a few days. The ensuing scuffle is stopped by Claire, who refuses to witness a murder.
Simon agrees to be shot in the arm by Victor Jr. as Claire leaves in disgust. Meanwhile, Ronna wakes up in a hospital and hobbles to the supermarket to start work. Realizing she left Manny at the rave, she and Claire return to the venue to find Manny pale and shaking in the alley. The three go to Ronna's car where Ronna muses that she can now pay her rent and Manny asks what their plans are for New Year's.
==Cast== {{Cast listing| <!-- Order per opening credits --> * Desmond Askew as Simon Baines * Taye Diggs as Marcus * William Fichtner as Burke Halverson * J. E. Freeman as Victor Sr. * Katie Holmes as Claire Montgomery * Jane Krakowski as Irene Halverson * Breckin Meyer as "Tiny" * Jay Mohr as Zack * Timothy Olyphant as Todd Gaines * Sarah Polley as Ronna Martin * Scott Wolf as Adam * James Duval as Singh * Nathan Bexton as Manny * Jimmy Shubert as Victor Jr. <!-- Order per closing credits scroll --> * Suzanne Krull as Stringy Haired Woman * Robert Peters as Switterman * Tony Denman as Track Suit Guy * Natasha Melnick as Anorexic Girl * Manu Intiraymi as Skate Punk Guy * Nikki Fritz as Noelle * Tané McClure as Holly * Melissa McCarthy as Sandra }}
==Production== ===Development=== After director Doug Liman's 1996 film ''Swingers'' had been a success, he was asked to direct the film ''Heartbreakers'' (later directed instead by David Mirkin). After watching ''Swingers'', screenwriter John August felt Liman would be the perfect fit for ''Go'', and producer Mickey Liddell pitched it to him. Liman felt ''Heartbreakers'' was too big-budget for a comedy, though his agent urged him to take the bigger studio film.<ref name="gq">{{cite web |last=Schrodt |first=Paul |title=How 'Go,' the Wildest, Druggiest, Horniest Cult Movie of 1999 Got Made (And Almost Didn't) |date=April 30, 2024 |website=GQ |url=https://www.gq.com/story/how-the-craziest-cult-movie-of-1999-got-made |access-date=May 2, 2024 |quote=[Limon's agent said], 'You hit the jackpot with ''Swinger''s. Don't do it again. Go make a studio film while the doors are open because the doors can swing shut very quickly.'}}</ref> ''Go'' had a proposed budget of around one-fifth of ''Heartbreakers''<nowiki/>', but he liked what he considered a more difficult indie film and chose to sign on to ''Go''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ducker |first=Eric |title=Don't Let It 'Go' Away: The Frantic, Furious Making of a Cult Movie Classic |date=March 29, 2019 |website=The Ringer |url= https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/3/29/18283794/go-making-of-doug-liman-john-august-sarah-polley-katie-holmes-no-doubt |access-date=May 1, 2024 |quote=His agent cautioned that if Liman did another indie and things went down in flames, he wouldn't get the opportunity to work with a major studio again. On the other hand, if he completed ''Heartbreakers'' now, regardless of how well it did, his career would be set... It was the ethos driving ''Go''{{'}}s script that convinced him to pick the project.}}</ref>
===Writing=== August originally wrote the portion of the story involving Ronna as a short film titled ''X'', inspired by the "Rock 'n' Roll Ralphs" grocery store on Sunset Boulevard.<ref name="distracted">{{cite web|title=Go (1999)|url=http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/06/14/go-1999/|access-date=April 18, 2017|website=thisdistractedglobe.com|date=June 14, 2008|archive-date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419102043/http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/06/14/go-1999/|url-status=dead}}</ref> After friends asked about Simon's trip to Vegas, and what was going on with Adam and Zack, he wrote two more parts, accounting for the nature of the film.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lessons Learned: John August on Screenwriting|url=http://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/microsites/johnaugustlessons/|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=April 18, 2017|archive-date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419104923/http://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/microsites/johnaugustlessons/|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1998, August had been hired only as a script doctor: "I was really fortunate to be getting those jobs, but I was only being considered for movies involving gnomes, elves, dwarves, and Christmas."<ref name="ducker">{{cite web |last=Ducker |first=Eric |title=Don't Let It 'Go' Away: The Frantic, Furious Making of a Cult Movie Classic |date=March 29, 2019 |website=The Ringer |url= https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/3/29/18283794/go-making-of-doug-liman-john-august-sarah-polley-katie-holmes-no-doubt |access-date=May 1, 2024}}</ref>
When August began shopping ''Go'', big film studios were still buying spec scripts. He wanted to show them a versatile script, which would display what he was capable of. They could sell it as an action movie, a black comedy, a thriller, or however they wanted to market it.<ref name="ducker" />
In 1989 and 1994, Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train'' and Quentin Tarantino's ''Pulp Fiction'' popularized the concept of shooting one story from various points of view. August explained, "The idea of restarting your movie was fine; it wasn't just an experimental art-film kind of thing. It was a thing that people could have said, 'Oh, it's like ''that''.' The 'Oh, it's like ''that''{{'}} has sort of been a blessing and a curse. It made it possible to make [''Go''], but also made it really easy to dismiss the film or to dismiss that gimmick as {{'}}''Pulp Fiction'' did it first'."<ref name="ducker" /> Switching from the working title ''X'', August integrated the command "Go!" several times (as well as "Stop!") into the script's dialogue, each time in a different context, to create urgency as a suspenseful night worsens into a violent day. The characters' dialogue is laden with sarcastic rhetorical questions, casual profanities, and pop-cultural references.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
===Filming=== To save time and prevent continuity issues, the screenplay was fixed so that each segment begins with Ronna's job at the supermarket.<ref name="ducker" /> Liman committed to guerrilla filmmaking, holding a handheld camera on his shoulder to shoot while dashing from location to location, and occasionally used public places where he did not have filming permits.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Anne |title=A Look at Liman's Filmmaking Process |date=Feb 22, 2008 |magazine=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/columns/a-look-at-liman-s-filmmaking-process-1117981300/ |access-date=May 2, 2024}}</ref> Often improvising, Liman demanded overtime from cast and crew, which he provided.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
===Casting=== Joseph Middleton was hired as the casting director. No actor had been attached to the film yet, so Middleton was free to contact the actors he wanted and the script was passed around among agents. Breckin Meyer stated the competition among young actors was fierce. "'We all like this thing. I wonder who's going to get it?' With ''Go'', everyone knew it was a very cool script."<ref name="ducker" /> Scott Wolf said, "The script was incredibly good. There was a lot of conversation about it."<ref name="gq" />
Originally, August pictured Ronna as African American, but Sarah Polley's performance in Atom Egoyan's film ''The Sweet Hereafter'' convinced Liman that she was right for the part. Polley, who resides in Canada, was offered the role directly, without auditioning; Christina Ricci was also considered in case Polley was not available. Polley declined the role several times before accepting it, as she was interested in more "serious" dramas, but was ultimately won over by Liman's vision.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ducker |first=Eric |date=2019-03-29 |title=The Frantic, Furious Making of the Late-'90s Cult Movie Classic 'Go' |url=https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/3/29/18283794/go-making-of-doug-liman-john-august-sarah-polley-katie-holmes-no-doubt |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=The Ringer |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201032130/https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/3/29/18283794/go-making-of-doug-liman-john-august-sarah-polley-katie-holmes-no-doubt |url-status=live}}</ref>
Middleton had seen Taye Diggs in the musical ''Rent'', so Liman flew to New York to meet him and discuss the part of Simon's friend. Katie Holmes had shot only the pilot for ''Dawson's Creek'', which would become her big break, but she had appeared in ''The Ice Storm'' and Middleton asked her to play Ronna's less confident coworker, Claire. Timothy Olyphant auditioned for the role of either Zack or Adam and ended up with the role of drug dealer Todd Gaines. Olyphant was a late addition; he was about to shoot the film ''Practical Magic'' but was fired from his role and replaced by Aidan Quinn, enabling him to join the cast as Todd.<ref name="YouTube">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI2eBF4F2j |first1=Timothy |last1=Olyphant |first2=Jimmy |last2=Fallon |author-link1=Timothy Olyphant |author-link2=Jimmy Fallon |title=Timothy Olyphant March 2013 |work=Late Night with Jimmy Fallon |time=1:42 |medium=YouTube |location=New York City |date=2013-03-11 |access-date=2024-07-23}}</ref>
Actress Jennifer Coolidge urged Middleton to cast Melissa McCarthy in her first film role as Sandra. McCarthy said she was a student at the time, while Coolidge was a member of the Groundlings. "I didn't know she knew I was alive — and [Coolidge] said, 'I think you should see this girl.'" Middleton told McCarthy, "She doesn't do that, ever."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Garner |first=Glenn |title=Melissa McCarthy Says Jennifer Coolidge 'Went Out of Her Way' to Help Her Get Her First Role |date=September 23, 2021 |magazine=People |url= https://people.com/movies/melissa-mccarthy-jennifer-coolidge-helped-her-get-her-first-role/ |access-date=May 1, 2024}}</ref>
Although Liman found the process "grueling," the producers felt lucky to find a new generation of young actors transitioning from teen films to more adult material. ''Go'' launched several big careers, actors, crew, and studio executives .<ref name="ducker" /> Polley credits ''Go'' for later becoming a director, saying it happened as a result of a lunch meeting with Liman. She wasn't yet sure she wanted to act, and Liman hadn't even read the script. As a result of watching August and Liman collaborating, she was convinced to become a filmmaker.<ref>{{cite web |last=August |first=John |author-link=John August |title=Scriptnotes, Episode 583: The One with Sarah Polley, Transcript |website=johnaugust.com |date=February 12, 2023 |url= https://johnaugust.com/2023/scriptnotes-episode-583-the-one-with-sarah-polley-transcript |access-date=May 1, 2024}}</ref>
===Financing=== Banner Entertainment decided to package ''Go'' as an independent feature with a $3.5 million budget and to bring August on as a co-producer who would be on set every day.<ref name="ducker" />
When ''Go'' was about to start shooting, its foreign financing fell through because the film lacked a "bankable white male star." Columbia Pictures stepped in and financed the film. As most of the plot takes place at night, August recalled being "outside in the dark from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. for 25 days" during filming.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rosen|first1=Christopher|title=15 Years Later, John August Looks Back On 'Go'|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/go-15th-anniversary_n_5107394.html|access-date=April 18, 2017|work=Huffington Post|date=April 9, 2014|archive-date=January 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131000956/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/go-15th-anniversary_n_5107394.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The producers told Liman that the car chase on the Las Vegas Strip in the second act would have to be cut for budgetary reasons. He instead dedicated almost a third of his budget to the scene and scrimped in other ways for the rest of the film. With Sony involved, the budget was raised to about $5 million. Liman sped up the production until everyone was exhausted and acted as his own cinematographer.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
==Soundtrack== {{Track listing|extra_column=Artist(s)| title1 = New | extra1 = No Doubt<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/go-1999-original-soundtrack-mw0000231222|title=''Go'' [1999 Original Soundtrack]|website=AllMusic|access-date=November 30, 2014|archive-date=March 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302180756/http://www.allmusic.com/album/go-1999-original-soundtrack-mw0000231222|url-status=live}}</ref> | length1 = 4:13 | title2 = Steal My Sunshine | extra2 = Len | length2 = 4:08 | title3 = Magic Carpet Ride | note3 = Steir's mix | extra3 = Philip Steir featuring Steppenwolf | length3 = 3:25 | title4 = Troubled by the Way We Came Together | extra4 = Natalie Imbruglia | length4 = 3:50 | title5 = Gangster Trippin{{'-}} | extra5 = Fatboy Slim | length5 = 5:19 | title6 = Cha Cha Cha | note6 = ''Go'' remix | extra6 = Jimmy Luxury & The Tommy Rome Orchestra | length6 = 3:27 | title7 = Song for Holly | extra7 = Esthero with Danny Saber | length7 = 4:06 | title8 = Fire Up the Shoesaw | note8 = LP version | extra8 = Lionrock | length8 = 5:43 | title9 = To All the Lovely Ladies | note9 = radio mix | extra9 = Goldo | length9 = 3:14 | title10 = Good to Be Alive | extra10 = DJ Rap | length10 = 4:15 | title11 = Believer | extra11 = BT | length11 = 5:11 | title12 = Shooting Up in Vain | note12 = T-Ray remix | extra12 = Eagle-Eye Cherry | length12 = 4:51 | title13 = Talisman | extra13 = Air (credited as Air French Band) | length13 = 4:16 | title14 = Swords | extra14 = Leftfield featuring Nicole Willis | length14 = 7:17 }}
==Reception== ===Box office=== ''Go'' grossed $16.9{{nbsp}}million domestically (United States and Canada), and $11.5{{nbsp}}million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $28.5{{nbsp}}million, against a budget of $20{{nbsp}}million.<ref name=BOM>{{Cite Box Office Mojo |access-date=2024-07-23}}</ref> It spent its first four weeks in the Top{{nbsp}}10 at the domestic box office.<ref name=BOMWeek>{{cite web |title=''Go'' {{!}} Domestic Weekly |website=Box Office Mojo |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1532265985/weekly/?ref_=bo_rl_tab#tabs |access-date=2024-07-23}}</ref>
===Critical response=== {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|With its sharp dialogue and raucous visuals, ''Go'' entertains at an exhilarating pace.|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} {{Metacritic film prose|74|29|ref=yes|access-date=2024-07-23}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= GO (1999) B |work= CinemaScore |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= 2018-12-20 }}</ref>
Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' stated that "''Go'' is an entertaining, clever black comedy that takes place entirely in Tarantino-land.... ''Go'' has energy and wit, and the performances are right for the material – especially Sarah Polley, who thinks fast and survives harrowing experiences, and Fichtner, the cop who is so remarkably open to new experiences."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|title=Go Movie Review & Film Summary (1999)|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/go-1999|access-date=April 18, 2017|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=April 9, 1999|archive-date=April 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407000305/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/go-1999|url-status=live}}</ref> Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' praised the performances of Olyphant and Fichtner, as well as ''Go''{{'}}s energy and Liman's direction: "Artfully executed druggy flights of fancy include a hallucinatory macarena in a supermarket, a mind-reading black cat and a smart visual approximation of how it feels to be on the verge of throwing up. Here and elsewhere, Mr. Liman manipulates speed, light, editing and point of view vigorously and keeps the radio humming. He creates a film that lives up to the momentum of its title and doesn't really need much more."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maslin |first1=Janet |date=April 9, 1999 |title=Pulp Friction, With Drugs, Energy and Attitude |work=The New York Times |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/040999go-film-review.html |access-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121194737/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/040999go-film-review.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
Many of the reviews were mixed. Todd McCarthy stated in ''Variety'', "''Go'' is an overly calculated concoction that nonetheless delivers a pretty good rush."<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |date=1999-02-02 |title=Go |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/go-1200456715/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Variety}}</ref> David Anson wrote in ''Newsweek'', "Clever as the parts are, it doesn't add up to much. ''Go'' has its pleasures, but I didn't really believe a word of it."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ansen |first=David |date=1999-04-11 |title=Dressed Up, Nowhere To 'Go' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/dressed-nowhere-go-164698 |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Newsweek}}</ref> Peter Rainer's review for ''New York Magazine'' wrote, "Liman (''Swingers'') is a virtuoso talent with a knack for locating the pulse of a scene, and he’s good with actors – Sarah Polley, as a chicklet set up by a narc, is especially tart. But finally, there’s nothing much to this movie except a lot of funky attitude.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rainer |first=Peter |date=1999-04-19 |title="Go" - Nymag |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/80/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=New York Magazine}}</ref> Marc Savlov's review for ''The Austin Chronicle'' read "Relentless and mercurial, this new outing by "''Swingers''" director Liman takes off somewhere around Mach 3 and never lets up, leaving you with either a pounding headache or a wicked grin, or perhaps both.<ref>{{cite web | title=Rotten Tomatoes: Movies | TV Shows | Movie Trailers | Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes | website=Rotten Tomatoes | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/source/28 }}</ref>
Jeff Vice wrote in the ''Salt Lake City Journal'', "The idea behind ''Go''—showing the same event through several different perspectives—has been done before, of course—most famously in ''Pulp Fiction''. But there are enough twists and turns this time around to make it worthwhile. But don't mistake this ensemble piece for a feel-good comedy. This is very rough stuff, in terms of story and content, which will put off a lot of audience members. And it's certainly not socially redeeming in any way.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1999-04-09 |title=Film review: Go |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/4/9/20089177/film-review-go/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Deseret News}}</ref> On the online review site ''Reel Views'', James Berardinelli called the film "the latest piece of high-octane eye candy aimed squarely at members of the infamous Generation X. Fast-paced and often witty, but ultimately vapid."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Go |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/go |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews}}</ref>
In 2008, Joe Valdez of ''The Distracted Globe'' wrote, "Few titles have the finesse to sum up a movie as brilliantly as ''Go'', a drug fueled rollercoaster ride that alternates between dark comedy and light suspense with terrific verve. The film's appeal lies in its modest scale and the fact that it was made mostly by starving artist types. ...Nearly everyone involved in the production was a relative unknown or newcomer. With no pressure to supply an entertainment to the masses, the writer, director and most of the actors deliver the best work of their careers."<ref name="distracted"/> In 2014, Joe Reid of ''The Atlantic'' revisited ''Go'' on the 15th anniversary of its release. Reid noted that at the time it came out, it was seen as a "knock-off" of other 1990s films: {{Blockquote|text=The split narrative style, complete with character title cards separating the film into thirds, put ''Go'' at the top of the list when it came to late '90s Tarantino influenced cinema. And then there was director Doug Liman, red hot off of the cult success of ''Swingers'', trading neo swing culture for X and raves. (Both films would give a healthy chunk of attention to Vegas, though.) The thing about ''Go'' that sets it apart, however, is that it's COMPLETELY FANTASTIC. Energetic and quotable and stylish and neither overly enamored with nor overly dismissive of the culture it's inhabiting.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Reid|first1=Joe|title='Go' Cast Power Rankings, Then and Now|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/04/go-power-rankings-then-and-now/360397/|access-date=April 18, 2017|work=The Atlantic|date=April 9, 2014|archive-date=April 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419104327/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/04/go-power-rankings-then-and-now/360397/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
===Accolades=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |+ ! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Recipient(s) ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Ref heading}} |- ! scope="row"| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures | Gregg Diamond for the song "Steal My Sunshine" | {{won}} | {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Pesselnick |first=Jill |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA101 |title=Jewison and Bernstein Scoop ASCAP Film and TV Awards |magazine=Billboard |volume=113 |issue=18 |date=May 5, 2001 |page=101 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row"| Canadian Comedy Awards | Film – Performance – Female | Sarah Polley | {{won}} | {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nominations & Awards Archives |url=https://www.canadiancomedyawards.org/archives.php?year=2000 |access-date=2022-10-15 |publisher=Canadian Comedy Awards |archive-date=August 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180802144645/https://www.canadiancomedyawards.org/archives.php?year=2000}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row"| Casting Society of America Awards | Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama | Joseph Middleton | {{nom}} | {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite web |title=1999 Artios Awards |url=https://www.castingsociety.com/awards/artios/1999 |access-date=2022-10-15 |publisher=Casting Society of America |archive-date=June 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621164815/https://www.castingsociety.com/awards/artios/1999}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row"| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Actress | Sarah Polley | {{nom}} | {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite web |title=2000, 6th Annual Awards |url=https://chlotrudis.org/awards/past-awards/2000-6th-annual-awards/ |access-date=2022-10-15 |publisher=Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109044256/https://chlotrudis.org/awards/past-awards/2000-6th-annual-awards/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row"| Deauville Film Festival | Grand Special Prize | rowspan="2"| Doug Liman | {{nom}} | {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deauville Film Festival 1999 |url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/deauville?year=1999 |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=Mubi |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130024757/https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/deauville?year=1999 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Independent Spirit Awards | Best Director | {{nom}} | rowspan="2"| {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite news |date=2000-01-13 |title="Election," "Limey" Up for Indie Oscars |website=E! Online |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/39253/election-limey-up-for-indie-oscars |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-10-15 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122050804/http://it.eonline.com/news/39253/election-limey-up-for-indie-oscars |archive-date=2013-01-22}}</ref>}} |- | Best Supporting Female | Sarah Polley | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| National Board of Review Awards | Excellence in filmmaking recognition | ''Go'' | {{won}} | {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite web |title=1999 Archives |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1999/ |access-date=2022-10-15 |publisher=National Board of Review |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630134921/https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1999/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout Performance | Sarah Polley | {{nom}} | rowspan="2"| {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite news |date=1999-08-12 |title=Funky Categories Set Teen Choice Awards Apart |newspaper=Hartford Courant |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1999-08-12-9908120634-story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-10-15 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221014105755/https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1999-08-12-9908120634-story.html |archive-date=2022-10-14}}</ref>}} |- | Most Funniest Scene | Jay Mohr and Scott Wolf believe they're being seduced by a police officer who invited them to dinner | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| Young Hollywood Awards | Best Bad Boy | Timothy Olyphant | {{won}} | {{align|center|<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2010-10-20 |title=A Legacy of His Own: A Doug Liman Profile (Part 1) |url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2010/10/legacy-of-his-own-doug-liman-profile/ |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=Flickering Myth |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231121195722/https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2010/10/legacy-of-his-own-doug-liman-profile/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}} |}
== In popular culture == ''The Simpsons'' episode "Trilogy of Error" is, according to the writers' commentary, based on this film.<ref>Selman, Matt (2009). The Simpsons ''The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for "Trilogy of Error"'' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.</ref>
==See also== *''Loved Up (1995 film)'', a BBC TV drama exploring clubbing and drug culture *''Groove'', a US film about rave culture released a year later *''Human Traffic'', a UK film about rave culture released the same year *''Sorted'', a UK film about trance culture released a year later *''South West 9'', a UK drugs comedy * Tarantinoesque film
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{Official website}} * {{IMDb title}}
{{Doug Liman}} {{John August}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Go (1999 Film)}} Category:1999 films Category:1999 crime comedy films Category:1999 crime thriller films Category:1999 independent films Category:1999 LGBTQ-related films Category:1999 American films Category:1990s chase films Category:1990s Christmas comedy-drama films Category:1990s comedy thriller films Category:1990s crime comedy-drama films Category:1999 English-language films Category:American anthology films Category:American chase films Category:American Christmas comedy-drama films Category:American comedy thriller films Category:American crime comedy-drama films Category:American crime thriller films Category:American independent films Category:American LGBTQ-related films Category:American nonlinear narrative films Category:Columbia Pictures films Category:English-language Christmas comedy-drama films Category:English-language comedy thriller films Category:English-language crime comedy-drama films Category:English-language crime thriller films Category:English-language independent films Category:Films about substance abuse Category:Films about the illegal drug trade Category:Films about male bisexuality Category:Films directed by Doug Liman Category:Films scored by BT (musician) Category:Films set in Los Angeles Category:Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Category:Films shot in Los Angeles Category:Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley Category:Films with screenplays by John August Category:Hyperlink films Category:LGBTQ-related comedy thriller films Category:LGBTQ-related crime comedy-drama films Category:LGBTQ-related crime thriller films Category:LGBTQ-related independent films Category:Stoner films