There's Only One Jimmy Grimble

There's Only One Jimmy Grimble is a very simple film of whimsy and football, a tale of a young 15 year old Manchester misfit who learns some life lessons when he encounters a strange old homeless dear who gives him a pair of magical old football boots. So yes, boys own fanciful stuff for sure, but it has such a warm heart, is loaded with dry Lancastrian wit, and threaded together with such an affection for the sport and teenage growing pains, that's it's impossible to dislike. The cast list is impressive, with Ray Winstone, Robert Carlyle, Gina McKee, Ben Miller and Jane Lapotaire keeping the ball up for the adults, while in the youngsters half we have Lewis McKenzie as Jimmy scoring well by being naturally uneasy in front of the camera, and Samia Smith has the required charm and feistiness to make the tricky "girlfriend" role work very well.

Jimmy Grimble versus The Psychopaths!

There's good football action for the footie loving fan, with serious tension filled sequences sitting next to some truly funny ones - anyone who played for their school football team will identify with the "different" sort of teams Jimmy and co have to play against. Some of the young characterisations will definitely strike a chord with most British folk who played sport at school. The drama is well played, with director John Hay letting his actors imbue the narrative with the right amount of emotional weight, the soundtrack is contains ideal poundings from bands up North and John De Boorman's cinematography is suitably bleak and beautiful at the requisite junctures.

It has flaws for sure, any film fan could pick holes in this without really trying, and familiarity of the sub-genre undoubtedly stops it blooming with freshness. But why gripe? Film achieves its aims, it wants to leave you with a feel good glow and delivers on that promise. High art it's not, perfect British footie pick me up? Indeed. All together now, "there's only one Jimmy Grimble, one Jimmy Grimble". 7/10

Buying a ticket to a sports movie is like buying a train ticket to, say, Manchester. It's pretty obvious that at the end of the journey you will get to Manchester, in fact you would be annoyed if you didn't get that ending. But the trick is to make sure the journey has some surprises along the way and keeps interesting. Jimmy Grimble manages that fairly successfully.

This isn't a good film in relation to other recent British films released recently, it is a good film full stop.

One main reason it succeeds is the screenplay. The plotting, characterisation and dialogue are basic but well done. The direction, however, is very well done. Football has never looked so good on film.

I saw the last British football film When Saturday Comes on television for free and still demanded my money back, everything about it was awful. Jimmy Grimble has a lower profile and a low-key release but is infinitely superior on every level.

While it is the young that will derive the most pleasure out of this, adults will also get something out of it.

Young, bullied, unconfident, Manchester teenager Jimmy Grimble (Lewis Mckenzie)is all of these. However, when he is given a pair of old football boots his luck changes and he is transformed into a football boy wonder.

This is worth a watch, it has many of the familiar sports film clichés but is still a somewhat touching tale with a fine cast and fairly good cinematography. Typical sports films usually follow the same type of formula as far as I can see:

1.A team or person are lousy at the sport they play.

2.Along comes a factor in the equation to start to change this. For example an excellent or determined coach to change their fortunes.

3.The team still are'nt winning at first but they have more spirit and are improving. Eventually they win their first game or achieve something in the sport they have'nt before.

4. The coach has a love interest with a players Mum or teacher in Disney sports films. Or a player finds a love interest or struggles in his or her love life.

5. The team enter a competition and win their first game.

6.There are personal problems along the way with players, the coach etc.

7. Eventually the team gets to the final stage of the competition and after a terrible start to the game they look like losing. However, there is a determined fight back and they end up winning, shock horror, who could have predicted that!!

OK, so perhaps this is not the formula for all sports films but some or all of the factors are involved in most. Jimmy Grimble is no exception but I still enjoyed it more than others. The lead performs his part well and the coach is played well by Robert Carlyle who is in a rather subdued role for a change. Overall, this is watchable, even if you don't like football you should get some enjoyment out of it.

Average effort but entertaining enough

When I got this film out , I thought Ray Winstone & Robert Carlyle in the same film , must be good (memories of Face). Well instinct and a little knowledge can be a great thing. Both actors were great in this film. Set in Manchester and in area where social and community decline is evident. The story begins with a boy , like millions of British lads , playing football.

Football is the means in which he escapes from decay and bullying. A Man City fan in a school filled with Man Utd supporters.This is the hard luck kid of the ages. His mum is a single parent and he is not impressed with the new boyfriend.

The story is probably from a Scorcher cartoon , Billy's boots.The usual rivalry with a lad whose Dad is rich and uses his wealth and importance to further the prospects of his spoilt bully of a son who is Jimmy's chief tormenter and probably every boys nightmare at school, because he pulls the girls and is considered the best footballer in the school.

The story is one of imagination and inspires belief. Misfortune and mistakes may hold people back , but in this film , it is that which makes the characters human. Achieving a dream which is against the odds (appearing at Man City) and finding love as well. Both Jimmy and Ma.

The musical score in the film was superb. Happy Mondays , The Charlatans and Stone Roses tracks keep the story and background flowing.

This was a great film , I even rate this film, better than Billy Elliot. The acting , subject and the music made this film unforgetable. Sadly , I saw this film on video not on the big screen. Again the British Film Industry is let down in the marketing department.

Great film 10/10

'There's Only One Jimmy Grimble' is a film I used to love watching as a kid. Seeing it here on IMDb with only 3,000 ratings, a handful of reviews and a score of only 6.6 really baffles me. How is this film not better known, especially in the UK? In my opinion, 'Jimmy Grimble' is one of the best British films of the 2000s and on a par with older classics like 'Kes'.

While football is very much the central theme, this is much more than just a sports film. It's a story with a big heart. A story with a wide range of emotions and themes. It's sad in parts, funny in others. Depressing yet inspirational, and all round hugely enjoyable. 'Jimmy Grimble' is everything that a film should be. Unappreciated and very underrated, this is a film I would recommend to anyone.