The Singing Club

This story lost all credibility for me when Crooks saluted the Brigadier using his left hand! What an incredible stuff-up, and apparently not one of the dozens and dozens of people involved noticed it. As an ex-squaddie, I certainly did.

Sharon and Kirsten are superb. It's a moving story of friendship under pressure of military life, war and pain, with a lovely musical backing track.

Funny, witty, poignant and for me very emotional.

I definitely would 👌👍

This had everything going for it, concept, actors and a good story.

Badly let down by relatively minor details and poor delivery.

One jarring thing I found was a lack of attention to detail. A British captain saluting without a hat on (we don't do that) saluting American style (not Britsh salute) saluting with the wrong hand etc etc. All minor points. But if you can't get minor points right then you won't get the main story across.

Particularly jarring was using technology for the singing and very obviously. Could they not have made a cast of accomplished singers ?

Military accomodation was on the button (from my experience)

The dedication of the military and their families 'to the job' was missing. As was quite a rigid hierarchy/class structure.

Bumbling military stereo types and 'pork pie' berets were annoying.

If they had gone with a 'real' documentary style film it would have been a classic. Instead it was some weird military themed version of sister act meets calendar girls.

Missed the mark totally about real people , real families, real feelings.

Instead turned them into cardboard cutouts, 'Hollywood' impressions of the military and their families.

Very dissappointed - it was ok, watch once.

It could have been so much better and could have been a classic instead another addition to the huge and growing stack of mediocre films.

We all know the story. This should have been amazing. But it was very weak. It failed to find the real magic. It cut out Gareth. It didn't use the music. Instead it went for awful beret wearing, saluting with the wrong arm and cringing stereotypes.

I was annoyingly disappointed with this. A tiny bit of humour but that was it. I felt nothing. And the climax was woeful.

Watch it on a damp Sunday (or pandemic) but don't expect too much. Sorry.

Inspired by the real life Military Wives Choirs network (consisting of 75 choirs throughout the UK and overseas), Military Wives follows a group of women who're left behind on the home front while their partners serve in Afghanistan. Using the catharsis of music to help them cope with the absence of their partners, they found the very first military wives choir. Managed by Kate (Thomas) and Lisa (Horgan), two women who possess extremely conflicting personalities and objectives, the choir steadily acquires widespread media attention that will result in the formation of an influential movement. Cattaneo's film focuses on the kinship shared between these women, each of whom have their own burdens to bear in the face of such uncertain adversity. Much of the films strength comes from the sincerity of the performances, particularly leads Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan, who clash repeatedly throughout the film. Tunnard and Flynn's screenplay strikes a perfect balance in tone, too. It accomplishes a combination of both humour and tragedy (which is perhaps one of the most difficult dichotomies to nail in screenwriting) in a way that never feels superficial, and although it is clear to see the echoes of where it is all going to go, it's difficult not to become invested in the journey. Military Wives is a heartfelt film that is both uplifting and emotional, with standout performances and a truly brilliant final song that brings the whole piece together wonderfully.