Hunky Dory

I actually do not like Glee. It's just impossible for any high school to achieve that sound. But this one is indeed believable and it involved everyone, the band not just the divas. Of course I am in love with Minnie Driver. What a unique face but man she can sing. I knew she sang and played guitar. She definitely carried the movie but the supporting cast specially the teenage actors.

The drama is definitely thick but again not over the top and again believable.

The music selection is also refreshing. I know this review is not so cerebral but sometime it does not have to be. In terms of filmography. I love the Fuji Velvia look of the 70's.

Set in 1976 Swansea, "Hunky Dory" follows charismatic drama teacher Viv (Minnie Driver) as she attempts to stage a rock-opera version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", set on Mars. Predictably, the play serves as a catalyst to examine and solve some of the students' problems, such as broken families and burgeoning homosexuality, and as a point of confrontation between liberal Viv and other sterner and more classically minded teachers.

What the "Freedom Writers", cum "Glee", cum "School of Rock" plot lacks in originality is more than made up for by the stellar ensemble cast. Driver provides a strong, believable lead performance, supported by the frankly superb rising star Aneurin Barnard, as troubled student Davey, and backed by a surprisingly good cast of relatively unknown young actors.

Without a doubt, the best thing about "Hunky Dory" is the great soundtrack, which is performed entirely by the talented, young cast. The film features a staggering selection of classic 1970s rock artists, such as Pink Floyd, The Who, The Beach Boys, with an emphasis on David Bowie, whose album the film takes its title from.

Overall, "Hunky Dory" is a film that would appeal to the younger "Glee-generation", had it not been awkwardly clashing with a classic rock soundtrack, and a more adult storyline. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining, if schmaltzy and clichéd, film.

A half decent film in terms of plot and a good film in terms of acting. The only thing that annoyed me slightly with the acting was Kristian Gwilliam who I thought was awful. Interesting to see how many actors from this film have now gone on to appear in Stella, I think that shows how well the cast worked as a unit.

The pace did feel a little off at times where you get a sudden change of direction before reverting to the original pace of the film almost as if a scene had been cut out.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more of some of the characters back stories in the first half of the film and I think the film should have been made a bit longer to accommodate that. The character of Lewis in particular who was well played by Adam Byard seemed to feature a lot more prominently in the second half of the film compared to the first. I also thought that some of the cast were a bit under used with Di Botcher particularly taking a very minor role and given her past experience in Twin Town and that she has since gone on to be in Stella I was surprised to see her in such a minor role. Overall a decent film which im giving 6 out of 10 which isn't a bad rating off me considering I don't usually go for musicals.

I defy anyone who grew up in the 70's, especially those who remember the long hot summer of 76, not to love this film. Maybe its just me but it seems to capture perfectly the mood and music of the time. Minnie Driver is superb (and gorgeous, and Welsh) as the drama teacher of a typical 70's comprehensive struggling to direct the end of term school performance, a musical version of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'. It is a beautiful, gentle film with great performances, great characters and great music. I recommend watching late night with a few beers.

People have complained that this film is too formulaic, it's too glossy and sugar-coated and that it's so steeped in saccharine sentimentality that it will make the overpriced, syrupy Coke that you bought from the multiplex foyer seem sour and flat.

While there is definitely truth in the above statement, I think enjoyment of this (and any) film depends on your attitude. If you go into this film expecting to see some gritty socio-political drama focussing on the oppression of Welsh mining classes, you will be sorely disappointed. You will come out complaining about how populist it is, how it's so conventionally structured and emotionally sensationalist etc, etc.

The poster is a lovely snapshot of a group of idyllic young friends having fun in the blistering summer of 1976. It's all orange and glowing. The trailer gives a taste of how packed the film is with poppy love songs of the era, how predictable the premise makes the plot, how familiar the angsty teenage characters are, how petty the conflicts seem in this hazy summer utopia of a bygone Britain and how indulgently reminiscent it is.

It's called Hunky Dory.

The signs are there - everything about the design screams out feel-good mainstream movie. It is unashamedly populist, unashamedly sensational and is obviously going to be as conventional as any piece of popular cinema. There's nothing subtle about the way the film advertises this sense of style.

To know all this, watch the film then criticize it for the glaringly obvious is lazy criticism, at best. Don't go and see the film if you know you're going to suffer an adverse reaction to the sheer amount of light-heartedness going on. That's like going into a screening of Shrek with your arms folded for the entire movie then coming out in a huff saying to your bemused/horrified children "the guy's an ogre but not once did I see a man's skin being peeled off while he was still alive."

For those more willing to accept this film for what it so blatantly is, I'd say it's an easy, feel-good film with and great 70's soundtrack (from the likes of Bowie and ELO) and superb Welsh accents throughout. A coming-of-age film set in a specific place and moment in British history, it shares an obvious affinity to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Mechant's Cemetery Junction as well as Billy Elliot (a couple of the producers made this film too).

There are a lot of characters so the attempt to squeeze in all of their individual stories is overly ambitious, but the cast are great. Minnie Driver is easily lovable and I get the feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of Aneurin Barnard's face in the future. The ending is a little bit vague and they try and remedy this by giving a 'where are they now' sequence during the end credits – which is a bit half-baked (no reference to the recreational activities of the time intended).

Overall, a likable film with some nice messages (namely Karl Marx's sentiment "don't let the b*st*rds grind you down") and a well-polished style that makes for easy watching.

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