A quick trip to the cinema mid-week to chill out towards the end of term. I picked two random movies and ended up with:
“You made the worst decision of my life!”
Plot-in-a-nutshell: Some schoolfriends in Ireland form a band and completely fail to become U2
I didn’t realise until the opening titles appeared that this was written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, a great writing partnership with an excellent pedigree. I also didn’t twig until he appeared that Pete Postlethwaite was in it, and that this was his last film.
While not a classic, it’s a decent enough high to go out on for him. He plays a small, but highly entertaining part amongst the predominantly younger cast. Said cast is headed by Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan who play brothers Neil and Ivan McCormick. Back in the day, they went to school with a bunch of kids who decided to make a band and became U2. This is the story of the also-rans.
The chemistry between the brothers is superb, especially as Neil carries a couple of secrets that Ivan doesn’t know about. We pass through their late school years to financial problems and a move to get an album published. It’s all told with the usual pace we’ve come to expect from a Clement/La Frenais script with quite a few laughs and some unexpected yet still believable scenarios.
It’s not a classic by any stretch, but I’ve seen far, far worse films. I certainly didn’t begrudge my time watching it, though I’d not rush out and get a copy to keep when it comes out on DVD as I did with Still Crazy which the pair also wrote.
Rock and roll.
Plot-in-a-nutshell: Social worker uncovers government plot… and it’s all true. Based on a biography.
You know how social workers get a bad rep these days? Well, back in the 80’s, one very industrious one stumbled up on a government-run scheme whereby “unwanted” children in care were ferried from the UK to Australia. It gets worse, but I’ll save that for when you go and see the film. Which you should.
That social worker was Margaret Humphreys and she’s played by Emily Watson in this directorial debut from Jim Loach (yes, he is related). The film flits between the UK and Australia as Humphreys attempts to reunite these now-grown children with their pasts while experiencing disbelief and outright threats from some of the bodies involved.
The film is suitable gritty, particularly in the UK scenes, and covers a lot of the story as it takes place over a couple of years. Hugo Weaving gives probably the best performance I’ve ever seen from him as one of the so-called “child migrants”. In fact, there’s not a bad performance in the whole thing. Don’t expect all the events unfolding to have a happy ending, either. It’s just not that kind of story.
The pick of the performances, in my opinion, are from some of the incidental characters – the now-adult children specifically. I swear there are a couple of scenes which look more like they’ve come from a documentary than a scripted film.
A great (if that’s the word) story that only loses out by focussing a little too much on a couple of the characters. I’d have liked more detail on the government angle, though the small number of scenes featuring government officials do manage to get across what a bunch of inept, corrupt ******** they were.
Related articles
- Killing Bono – review (guardian.co.uk)
- Killing Bono – review (guardian.co.uk)
- Oranges and Sunshine, Jim Loach, 105 Mins (15) Killing Bono, Nick Hamm, 110 Mins (15) Hop, Tim Hill, 102 Mins (U) (independent.co.uk)
- Oranges and Sunshine – review (guardian.co.uk)
- Oranges and Sunshine is powerful but not as moving as expected (mirror.co.uk)
Still Crazy is a superb film. I liked it so much I bought the soundtrack. You’re the only other person I know who has even heard of it.
I bought the soundtrack and the DVD when they came out, back in the day. Mentioned the film to my boss the other day and he loves is at well, though he’s not seen The Boat That Rocked which is every bit as good.