Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Bea Swanson
This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
nicholls_les
One of the best films I have ever seen. It is beautiful in it's simplicity and although it deals with some serious issues, namely the racism that exists in Britain, it also has a good mix of pathos and humour. And of course you have to love the music, I dare anyone to try not to tap their feet at least. Delroy Lindo does a great job as a strong immigrant father experiencing the shock of discovering what England was really like, not the one his parents probably told him that it would be. Sam Smith plays his role with realism and balances the mixture of emotions well. I don't know if he really loves Cricket but he looked like he really did. Leonie Elliott is a delight and I can't understand why she has not done more, I saw her recently in the Lenny Henry semi-biopic, 'Danny and the human zoo' but as a young immigrant girl in this she is perfectly cast. I won't say to much but the Birthday party scene is very emotional.It is hard for me to find anything negative to say about this film and I recommend it to anyone, especially if you have had experience of moving to a different country, feeling the effects of racism or living among immigrants and experiencing the joy that they bring despite difficult circumstances. By the way you don't need to like Cricket to enjoy this film, this is not a sports film but more about community and family. One for the DVD collection for sure.
brewsterlewster
This is a gem of a film which was the opener for the Maine Jewish Film Festival. But it is not about just one of these topics. It is a wondrous story which could take place anywhere in the world. The film succeeds because it uses tired themes ("there goes the neighborhood") and puts a fresh slant on them with terrific acting and cinematography. You do not have to know anything about any of the subjects, Jamaica, Judiasm or cricket, but you will learn something about humanity when seeing this film. Sure, it is not perfect but it is rare to see a bigger budget film handle these themes so well. This film is definitely worth seeking out.
Philby-3
I've not a lot to add to what's already been said (it's nice how movies like this attract intelligent and insightful comments). I didn't think it owed a lot to `Billy Elliot' but there certainly parallels with `Bend it Like Beckham' - sport as a way to acceptance in a new society. The wrinkle here is that young David Wiseman has desire, but no apparent talent. The suspension of our disbelief is severely strained when his new West Indian neighbour Dennis coaches him to competence in his tiny back yard. As coach Ian Holm put it to aspiring Olympian Ben Cross in `Chariots of Fire' `an athlete does not find a coach, the coach finds the athlete'. Well, I suppose Dennis must have seen something in David. And David certainly has dreams of success via his talking cricket card collection. Otherwise this is a perfectly delightful movie about growing up and fitting in. Even David's mother's flirtation with Dennis does not end in disaster. The reactionaries fail to drive away the newcomers and it doesn't even rain at the final cricket match (this can't be England!). Gary Sobers and Frank Worrall (played by actors) turn up. Pretty fanciful but utterly charming.
ian_harris
This is a delightful and very entertaining movie. You do not have to be mad on cricket to love it (my partner Janie proves that point) but I suspect it helps.My own background is quite similar to that of the young lad (not quite so long ago, not quite so poor, not quite so bad at cricket without coaching, not quite so good with coaching......) so my own views on the films charms and resonances are probably unrepresentative. Suffice it to say that the film touched almost all of the right buttons.There are some lovely, amusing bits. For example, one sequence shows several short shots of the characters playing "yard cricket", including one shot of them trying to practice catching in their sowesters in the pouring rain. Hilarious and delightful.The racism theme is handled with great sensitivity, but without the complexity that might otherwise make the film profound rather than obvious. The film is sentimental, at the end especially so, to the point of being cheesy. But then quattro formaggio with extra cheese and parmesan on top tastes pretty good. There are one or two historical anomalies. Most reports of the film I have seen refer to the date as 1960. West Indies toured England with Worrell and Sobers in 1957 & 1963. Worrell was finished by 1966. I think it must therefore be 1963. But there's a lovely scene where the Jewish mother and West Indian father dance to "I'm in a Dancing Mood" by Delroy Wilson - published 1966. In fact most of the Ska (or should I describe some of it as Rock Steady) would have been post 1963 I think. But I suppose I should get a life rather than fret about these things - the music was wonderful. And juxtaposing Ska with "Micky Katz and his Kosher Jammers" and yard cricket worked surprisingly well.It is a lovely film and well worth the investment of 106 minutes to smile, laugh and be moved.
