London Town

This film tells the story of a teenage boy who faces a series of misfortunes, and ends up having to make a living while taking care of his young sister. He perseveres through the hardship, and meets the famous rock star from The Clash, and his life is changed for the better.

People say this film is about music, but I view this film as a film that chronicles how hard life is for people who are not well off. When misfortune strikes, prior don't even lens a hand of support. The boy faces adversity with striking resilience, which I think is a good example to people. I enjoyed watching the film because of this resilient character.

Not strictly terrible, but low grade and forgettable. It aims at being intense, but didn't arrive there, in my opinion.

I was drawn in to borrowing it from the Library, because I mistook it to be a film about Joe Strummer, who I'm a fan of. I didn"t realize that it was a family drama, with Joe Strummers character, coming in as a sort of punk angel.

Whike watching it, I found myself distracted over and over again, and checking my Facebook. Which is a sort of red flag as far as a movie, and whether I find it interesting.

I gave it 4/10, which is my way of saying, not horrible but not worth watching either.

I really enjoyed this movie, it's a light drama about a complex subject and era and a kid living a difficult time in it. It's true that it feels a bit naive and unrealistic in many ways, but the good acting, likeable characters, bit of humour and the music (I'm not even a fan of punk music or The Clash, but it was a plus for me) made me forgive the lack of realism and enjoy a light-hearted adventure. Also, as I've been living in London for the last 8 years, I really enjoy watching movies portraying the city as it was before I got here, so this is an interesting aspect of the movie for me. Great movie, not as serious as some may wanted it to be, but very enjoyable.

England in the late 1970s was not a pleasant time for much of the country. Unemployment began to rise, and the government didn't do much to respond (this probably contributed to Margaret Thatcher's rise to power). Derrick Borte's "London Town" focuses on a working class boy who gets into The Clash while his father is in the hospital.

The movie is both about hope for the future, and about love of music. One scene features people debating The Sex Pistols vs. The Clash. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Joe Strummer, who enters the boy's life. It's not a masterpiece, but worth seeing. The rest of the cast includes Dougray Scott and Natascha McElhone (of "The Truman Show").

Greetings again from the darkness. The late 1970's in London were filled with political, social and labor discontent. Director Derrick Borte (The Joneses, 2009) and writer Matt Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity, 2015) use this backdrop, along with some cutting edge music of the era, to tell a coming-of-age story that is enjoyable despite its predictability.

Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods) plays 15 year old Shay (not Che) who carries the burden of babysitting for his sister Alice (Anya McKenna-Bruce) and cooking for his two-job dad Nick (Dougray Scott), as he dreams of meeting up with his free-spirited mom Sandrine (Natascha McElhone) who lives a bohemian lifestyle in London. Things start to change for Shay once he receives a package from his mom … his first taste of music from The Clash.

Soon enough, Shay finds himself chatting it up on a commuter train with wild girl Vivian (Nell Williams), who generously shares her own music from The Clash, as well as some insight into the band, and even a ticket to their next concert. After the best night of Shay's life, a work accident puts his dad in the hospital, requiring the son to take on even more responsibility.

More than a coming of age story, this is what I call "the teenage awakening". Once the world starts opening up to Shay, he begins to question everything. A serendipitous night in the clink with Joe Strummer (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) brings some surprisingly grounded philosophy and guidance. "Some people just burn bright" is a spot-on description of Shay's mom and a lesson to Shay that parents are people too.

The movie belongs to Huttlestone, who bounces between responsible young man, bullied teen, and anti-establishment rebel. Ms. Williams is delightful in her role, and JRM brings the necessary hard edge to Strummer. Director Borte has a really nice eye for scenes, but probably was a bit too stingy with Clash tunes. The timing for the film is a bit unfortunate, as it's released in the same year as the similar but superior Sing Street. Still it's an enjoyable little film with enough philosophy sprinkled in that we don't even mind the predictable ending with "I Fought the Law" carrying us to closing credits.