Starring Michaela Coel, Arinze Kene, George MacKay, and Joe Dempsie
Directed by Tinge Krishnan
Music and Lyrics by Arthur Darvill
We celebrate the most romantic of all holidays with one of the sweetest recent musicals. This one was based on a 1998 play and apparently debuted in a West End fringe house in 2009. Netflix bought the US rights when it debuted in its single-biggest acquisition of an English movie at that point. Were they right to spend all that money on this, or should it be dumped in a bar? Let's start at a festival in Camden Town, London, as single mother Simone (Coel) navigates through the eager crowds with her wheelchair-bound daughter Mandy (Mya Lewis) and find out...
The Story: Simone is a hard worker who rarely has time for meals, let alone going out with her friend Yvonne (Ronke Adekoluejo). Yvonne finally talks her into a night out on the town, which she eventually spends playing checkers with handsome and mysterious Raymond (Kene). Raymond has his own problems. He's on parole from prison and is being stalked by the insane knife-wielding Gil (MacKay). Simone, meanwhile, is still smarting from her divorce with Kestrel (Dempsie), Mandy's father, and is afraid to open her heart again. It'll take Gil openly attacking Raymond and seeing their friends come together for the duo to finally understand the healing power of relationships.
The Song and Dance: This is such a sweet movie. Kene and Coel walk away with the movie as the lovers trying to navigate the dating waters again, and both have gorgeous voices to boot. Adekoluejo is a hoot as Simone's party-loving girlfriend Yvonne who gets the ball started by taking her out and encourages her romance, and MacKay is a genuinely scary Gil. Beautiful location shooting in the real London adds to the feeling of intimacy. It's almost more like looking in on people's lives than a typical musical.
Favorite Number: We open with Kene performing "Love Is" as Simone wanders through a local fair with Mandy, pulling her away from sweets and ignoring all the dancers and merriment around her. "What U Sayin'" is Yvonne's big rap number as she talks Simone into going out with her. She sings "I Want a Fella" while at the bar. Raymond gets "Primus Humanus (Man of Steel)" after he meets Simone. Gil's "Smile" is a more terrifying look at why he's after Raymond. "Thunder and Gold" and "Fire" are duets for Raymond and Simone before and after their meeting on the bench in the park. "Closing Time" is the big finale as everyone, including the back up singers seen in numbers throughout the film, meet in the bar again...except Simone and Raymond, who are content to quietly walk off in each other's arms.
What I Don't Like: If you're looking for a stronger plot or a darker take on romance, you won't get that here. This is just a sweet, simple series of love stories. It comes off more like a BBC soap opera than a movie at times. To be honest, not a whole lot happens besides the musical numbers until Gil attacks Raymond near the end. It's slow-moving and can be wordy, especially in the second half when the romances get more melodramatic.
The Big Finale: This charming romance is one of the better musical offerings currently on Netflix. Give it a whirl this Valentine's Day or when you feel the need for a little love in your life.
Home Media: It's a Netflix exclusive at the moment.
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