Fast Romance

Saw this at a press screening today at EIFF. While I wanted to like it, and expected great (or at least 'good') things, I was disappointed.

The press kit informs that the film cost only £41,000 to make, and boy does it show. Camera work is amateur, the feeble 'jazz-lite' soundtrack jars in and out of the consciousness (the same guy who wrote the s/t to 'Gregory's Girl' was on board, and appears to have re-recorded his work for consumption here) while a couple of the other incidental tracks were bad, bad, bad.

Plot so thin it verges on the anorexic and that takes us to... the performances. Some good. Some very good, in fact. Some not so good and some others, naming no names, bloody awful.

The constant nods to Scottish films of far more illustrious stock (the aforementioned Gregory's Girl, Trainspotting, Local Hero, Restless Natives, etc.) are extraneous and annoying; it's as if this film wants a little bit of the stardust to rub off here. Not going to happen.

Like I say, I wanted to like this. Despite being English I have spent the majority of my life north of the Border and know what Scottish cinema is capable of. It's capable of much better than this.

My husband and I attended last nights screening of Fast Romance (World premiere!!!) at the Edinburgh International Film Festival not quite sure what we were going to see. We go to the festival every year but were really pleased at last to see a film that had no airs and graces, but that was plain and simply a piece of entertainment and a right good laugh.

We saw the director outside being interviewed and heard how it was made and how positive he was about his cast and crew and how excited he was about making a film like this.

How right he was. We've watched the dreaded "low budget" Scottish movies before at the EIFF and watched some right miserable rubbish but Fast Romance is the exact opposite. Where did this film come from? It's absolutely charming, hits the right tone and although on occasion caught in the headlights of financial restraints is a refreshing and long overdue change for Scottish film.

The film shows the lives of about 7 "twenty and thirty somethings" who are simply looking for love. The situations are instantly recognisable to anyone watching but full of surprising and welcome twists. Glasgow is a great backdrop and the music is totally fantastic it has to be said! Soundtrack release perhaps?? Methinks it has to! Great performances from actors like Derek Munn (who was in River City) William Ruann (sweet sixteen)and new actress Jo Freer drive the film along well but WOW you should see the supporting actors!!!. Its a who's who of Scottish film and a pleasure to see them all together in one place. Dave Anderson Alison Peebles Greg Hemphill Robert Buchanan (That sinking feeling!) with the brilliant Barbara Rafferty and a load more.

Someone out there has seen sense as this film is going into cinemas across Scotland from July and thats a good thing for all. Get out and watch this film! If you are a fan of Gregory's Girl Restless natives (vincent friell is in it too lol) or even of River City or maybe if you just want a laugh then go and see Fast Romance. Feel good movie of the year! Its amazing that something shot for so little looks and feels this good. What on earth can this director do with a real budget? Please make more!

Quite frankly, I loved it. It was a breath of fresh air to get away from the gritty moroseness of recent Glasgow-depicted cinema. The South-side locations were a welcome change from dreich north & east-end poverty shots & repetitive west-end imagery. Fast Romance is a wonderful homage to Bill Forsyth & the attention to detail was brilliant. It was laugh-out-loud funny with all the characters getting a share of the excellent & witty dialog. The female cast sparkled & the character of Kenny was beautifully underplayed & poignant by Derek Munn. It was well worth the second visit as I caught more "Forsythisms". A must for those such as myself who loved his films& the Scottish comedies that came out in the 80s. If this can be pulled off in such a teeny-tiny budget - I'd love to see what they can do with a few quid more. I'll put my order in now for the DVD release.

I was going to start this with 'Carter Ferguson's film', but judging by the number of people to thank on the end credits it's a little bit of everybody's film!

I saw it on Friday, the second of two sold out screenings at Edinburgh International FF, and the momentum gathered so much that a third screening was arranged for prime time Saturday evening.

I've waited for ages to see this film, and had heard only good things about it, so while I thought that the guys at Cineworld (where it opens for a 2 week run in July) couldn't be THAT wrong, I still wanted to judge for myself.

I shouldn't have worried, it does exactly what it set out to do, it's romantic, it's a comedy, it's also got a bit of Drama and a bit of Pathos with good strong characters to carry it along.

My nit-picking? Could only be insignificant things and the film already does a fabulous job for the ridiculously small 50k budget. I would only be nit-picking and James McCreadie & Debbie May would almost certainly say I'm talking rubbish! For a first feature, and a multi-stranded- character romance at that, Jim & Debs have done a fantastic job.

The important thing? Audiences enjoy it, plenty of laughs and smiles in the bar afterwards and, I'm sure, continued success when it hits the really big screens in July.

Fast Romance is both modern and timeless, a genuinely funny, upbeat, uplifting film that engages effortlessly without being overly sentimental. Its stars are ordinary, everyday people - not the airbrushed models who populate most Hollywood offerings - and every character is entirely believable, as are the situations in which they find themselves. Set in Glasgow, Fast Romance does the city proud, full of shots depicting the architecture that helped earned us the City of Culture title and making excellent use of notable local landmarks as backdrops and settings. With some of Scotland's finest actors (Dave Anderson, Barbara Rafferty, Juliet Cadzow, Alison Peebles) and a host of talented newcomers, Fast Romance absolutely deserves to be seen on a grand scale - it is one of THE warmest, endlessly watchable romantic comedies, and it can stand proudly beside such Scottish classics as Gregory's Girl, Orphans, and Trainspotting.

Fast Romance is acutely aware of its heritage, and the film is peppered with references to films that have gone before it - from the opening homage to The Wicker Man, to the cameo of Rab Buchanan (from Gregory's Girl), and the sly nods to Restless Natives and Trainspotting - the film also benefited from an Art Director with a terrific eye for background detail, meaning that it will stand up to repeated viewings to catch all the things you missed first time round.

This is a film of which its makers can be justly proud, but more than that, it is a film that all Scotland can be proud of - it shows a side of our country not often depicted on screen, and illustrates a beautifully-written/acted/directed/shot/edited script of a calibre rarely seen. The fact that this was achieved on such a budget is a remarkable achievement, one which should inspire countless new filmmakers to find their own ways and forge their own paths, now the proof exists that it can be done, and done well. Without shadow of a doubt, I would recommend this film to everyone I know, bar none. People deserve to see this film. My only regret is that, having seen it once, I have a long time to wait until I have the chance to see it again - if I could have, I'd have watched it again the very next day. It's that good.