London schafft alle

I watched this movie when it came out and I really loved it. I loved the characters because they reminded me of myself or of my friends I either had or wished I had. Granted, the story has no grand significance nor does it attempt to. It's simply a tale of a few delinquents living their weird lives in London trying to get something out of life, whether it's a fix, a job, or a pair of shoes.

I picked it up at the video store about 10 years ago, because the title caught my eye. I was very surprised to find that the movie was very entertaining; with serious bits, but oh such funny bits too. I loved the wittiness of it. It took me a year before I was able to locate a place to purchase it. I have it in my library now and watch it every so often. I LOVE "Clint Eastwood! Justin Chadwick is perfect as Clint Eastwood.

The characters are very real, and you truly begin to feel for each one of them. Even the supporting cast gives such life to their characters. Of course Steve McIntosh is great as Muff Diver, McIntosh never disappoints with his acting.

See this movie! Sure, the lives of the characters in it are terribly sad, but the only grim sort of sadness I felt, watching this, was due to the overwhelming lack of such richness in most American films. We're talking actors who throw themselves into their parts, rather than ride the oily wave of celebrity. We're talking a script that tackles, with only minute concessions to gimmickry (at times the playfulness crosses over into winsomeness), the true complexity of human beings. Clint, Muffdiver, and Sylvie are multi-faceted, unfolding (but only so far--no easy answers here) characters. The end's a bit tidy, but this remains a minor qualm in light of the film's rewards.

I really like this film! Of course the apparent main story of the shoes is nonsense, but I see this as a kind of a modern fairy tale. A very likable, light hearted story of a group of misfits & druggies going on with their life. I could relate to the characters quite well and many of them reminded me of people I know so even though basically they are obvious caricatures, IMO they are based enough on reality to make them fit for a film. The pace of the film is very loose & relaxed, and it has that special kind of... (sorry I'm not a native speaker) serendipity? Surprising beauty of very ordinary things that emerge from the everyday noise & chaos. The scene where the posse visits the countryside is very bitterly beautiful in so many ways.

It's not a documentary, so I won't really go into the subject of it giving a realistic image of the early 90s England or not.

I'm a big fan of Hanif Kureishi -- I think his screenplays for "My Beautiful Laundrette" and "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid" are brilliant. In both of those movies, the worlds he creates are so complete: friends, families, sex, money, expectations and loss all add up to real people doing interesting things in unique situations. The same goes for the book and miniseries "The Buddha of Suburbia," a great exploration of an extended family in 1970's London.

This movie, however, shoots for the same heights but misses badly. Characters are unlikeable. Situations ridiculous. Language is relentlessly coarse but doesn't further the characterizations. Perhaps the hero's quest for a decent pair of shoes is meant as a parable -- if so, it was a rough little story that didn't teach me anything.

Kureishi's other works remain some of my favorites, but after this movie was over I needed a shower. Looking for a good rental? Try "Sammy and Rosie" or "Laundrette." If you have two or three nights to watch the tape, find a video store with "Buddha."