Been So Long

I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of musicals in general, but there is some great ones out there. This is not one them. The acting, storyline, songs and characters were all cringe. Couldn't find myself caring about the main characters. Also George MacKay is seriously wasted here as an actor. I can't believe he agreed to this project. I know he's done a musical before with Hunky Dory but that film had lot of charm, this one was a hot mess.

We nearly gave up on this film after some of the horrendous songs at the start, but we soldiered on. Things improved when the two main characters were allowed to act somewhat naturally, they weren't perfect, but they worked well enough to move things along... until the next awful song. The seemingly random moments that popped up from time to time did add up to a very small something in the end, but not enough to warrant their inclusion - they just stole time from the only slightly interesting part of the story. Anyway, don't give up too quickly, it does improve - just not by much. Without the songs, this may have managed 6/10... as it is, it's an awkward 4.

With such a great cast it's a shame three couldn't get away from really cheesy lyrics and a trite plot line and random uninteresting plot devices

Really brilliant acting from the whole cast, had some excellent sections in the film but overall it dragged and was a bit directionless.

This is the first work I have seen from director Tinge Krishnan. I will be looking out for more from her.

Based on Ché Walker's stage musical, the film's script does meander a bit, but that's not all bad. The star power of Michaela Coel and Arinzé Kene in the main roles support the core story line, but the sub-plots embellish it, providing depth and context. Love, loss, diversity and community. Great stuff from Ms Krishnan.