Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Steineded How sad is this?

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Prismark10 There are a lot of white blues musicians heavily influenced by black blues legends and yet ironically display racists views. Cough, Eric Clapton for example although he claims he was drunk at the time.In the same vein, Wigan is one of the most racists town in Britain. I went there once with an Asian friend and it was eye popping the blatant racism on display and the people of Wigan seemed to be rather proud of this. Then again what do you expect when the town's rugby supporters would throw bananas on the pitch for one of their own highly paid black rugby players.This kind of prejudice is always conveniently overlooked when programme makers examine the history of the Wigan Casino. Still the Wigan Casino has attained legendary status as the dance mecca for 1960s American soul music, daring dance moves and later on giving a new lease of life to the soul legends of yesteryear.SoulBoy gives a slice of life in the 1970s when a young lad, Joe (Martin Compston) from Stoke discovers the joys of Soul music, dancing, Wigan Casino, getting girls and popping pills. He falls for a blonde but its a brunette who is his true soul mate. Along the way he crosses swords with a nasty ace dancer who is the boyfriend of the blonde one and Joe's fellow work mate has a thing for the wife from the local chip shop whose husband is the jealous and violent type.There are several cast members who have ended up later in the BBC TV series Line of Duty, so you have here a few familiar faces if you watch Line of Duty.SoulBoy is a low budget movie, filmed in Stoke. It has a slight storyline but there is a lot of heart in the acting. It does try to be a Staffordshire version of Saturday Night Fever although the final dance off does look a little weak.The film did miss a nice humorous twist where it should have had a present day scene when all the now aged dancers from the Wigan Casino days are lining up at the local hospitals waiting for their hip and knee replacement surgery!

trpuk1968 I remember the buzz around this film a few years ago because it was shot in Stoke and part financed by the now disbanded Screen West Midlands. With whom I had some professional involvement. I can't add anything to the already excellent user comments about this film but will say what I would do differently were I making it. As other users say its a coming of age story set against the northern soul scene of the mid seventies. I've got interested enough in northern soul to have researched it and Wigan Casino was one of umpteen clubs across the midlands and north of England. My strongest criticism of this film is it doesn't work within its constraints of a low budget and the attempts to re create the Wigan Casino don't convince. They needed a bigger budget, a bigger cast of extras and so on. If I was making the film I'd have thought a lot smaller and set it in a fictional soul club or maybe even a youth club in Stoke on Trent. Stoke had a major Northern soul venue in any case I can t remember the name, as did places like Droitwich and Wolverhampton. When Hollywood do period films they have the budget to chuck at it that it convinces. We can't do it. There's all of three period vehicles that appear in the film. Some of the costumes and detailing are wrong. Did digital watches have alarms in 1974? I doubt it. But this is nonetheless entertaining and worth a watch, especially if you like retro drama. I've seen clips from the forthcoming NORTHERN SOUL film which looks a lot more convincing. I was six years old in 1974 so too young to be part of any scene but I still remember the decade and certain things can transport me back. There's a certain 'look' to the seventies and it needs a budget to achieve a convincing rendition in a film. What I saw of NORTHERN SOUL seemed to have it. SOULBOY is 2/3 of the way there, a commendable effort, worth seeing but in my opinion it would have been better if it had been a little more modest in it's ambitions.

pomeroy-nick Northern Soul is back, it's being pumped into bars and clubs with rising regularity. Understandably with every resurrected craze, it had been converted into a film last year. The story is bland at best, with a predictable and formulaic path. The saving grace is a good performance by Martin Compston and the great soundtrack.Soulboy is branded as a comedy drama, the comedy it speaks of is provided by various cheap jokes throughout, nothing showing real wit or craftsmanship. Cringe worthy dialogue and scenes abound with fairly wooden character acting providing the backdrop for see through storytelling.Joe, as the likely lad, gets mixed up in drugs and the plot takes a dark turn. As it's a light hearted drama, no real harm comes of the actions. I don't want to bash the director and producers of the film as it is brilliantly shot, the dance scenes are a real treat to watch (except for the painful dance off) and everything is set up perfectly for the 70's from the platforms to the flares and the god awful red tank top. Regarding the dance off, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that in Wigan in the 70's it would've been a fight not a dance. The film didn't need that scene but obviously someone had the bright idea of a big Hollywood style ending. This isn't what the audience wanted from a Northern Soul tribute.Despite all of the problems with this film, it is enjoyable, mainly because of the music, some of which I've now added to my collection. If you enjoy Northern Soul then this film will get you yearning for the Casino Club, if you don't then there isn't a great deal else to draw you in as the script and predictability make it a no brainer of a watch. Without the music, this is a poor man's An Education.

nsoul-liz Funny, nostalgic, some good tunes. Boy wants girl, other girl loves boy, boy makes right choice!!!!Just watched this on DVD. I moved away from Lancs to Kent and there isn't the opportunity down here to still go dancing or be involved with the die hard scene.The music was good, some real classics, but it could have been better. The attention to retro clothing, bags, badges and the all important photocopied fliers was good. They got the Casino sign spot on and the bin on Mavis's counter was a touch. They even managed to get in the stairs, although these actually ended at the cloakroom or in the main hall the balcony and next door Mr M's.I cried after some of the documentary footage (which you would only identify if you had been there. Very cleverly done but obvious if you observe the balcony closely.) Two good friends deceased long ago through drugs, lovely people, misguided and sadly missed.Shame it didn't mention post Casino swimming and the obligatory fry up!!! Coaches were good, they did the same to Blackpool Mecca. I don't think that you can actually walk to Stoke from Wigan????..................although it has probably been tried.The dance offs at the end..........tacky. Would never happen,,,,,,,, I often danced in front of the stage!!!!!!!!!!