Bonus Track

I have been waiting excitedly to see this movie for so many months. As a Gay Young Adult I was looking forward to a new Coming of Age Story that seemed sweet from the promotional pictures I had seen. Yes it was Sweet, but there was not much going on other than knowing that both Characters "George and Max" Liked each other. The Story was cute "fluffy type of movie" but there was a lack of exploration regarding George's first relationship and the growing feelings between the two characters was a fail. This was more like a "Hallmark" movie rather than the comparison that some have made to "Heartstopper (which this movie should not in any way be compared to it)" it was cute but it ends there. This movie has no re-watch potential IMO as the storyline is too simplistic.

I liked the second half better, The first half I was suffering from second hand embarrassment so bad. George and his mom and his dad, all of them embarrassing to varying degrees, sometimes all at the same time.

Mark is more like a unicorn and this entire romance is a little idealized, well I suppose it's a teen romance of sorts, just like a lot of the straight ones are, where the cool guy notices the nerdy awkward girl and brings her out of her shell when nobody else saw the beauty and the potential in her. Only now it's with boys. There's some humour in there as well.

And good god I was confusing Jeffrey's actor with Steve Coogan. I was wondering how come he looks so young all of a sudden. Damn, it's Jack Davenport. I never noticed Josh O'Connor in there, I have no idea what character he played.

Best lgbtq+ film I have seen in a long time. If you love Heartstopper you will adore Bonus Track.

I think this film is the perfect example of how to make a gay romance not about being gay. Of course it being set in 2006 and having both teenagers fail to conform to the relationship norms of that time, the romance itself I would describe as a friends to lovers, coming of age movie dedicated to the exploration of the struggles of school and exams and of course crushes. Both the leads acted their asses off in this film, making it even more re-watchable every time. I would 100% recommend to anyone wanting to have a cozy night in with some friends, soaking up the queer energy delivered in this beautiful film.

Bonus Tracks (2024) Having gone into the film blind, there was no IMDb reviews at that point. I found a teen film based around two 16 year old boys, meeting with the pretext of helping the awkward and academically failing George, fall for the much cooler son of a musician Marvin.

George wants to leave school with something for his peers to remember him by, and he hopes that that will come at the school leavers show.

George enlists Marvin to help him with his keyboard ditty turning it into a upbeat pop singalong.

Think of Hugh Grant helping the socially awkward Marcus in "About A Boy" and you get the idea.

Its a strange film very badly cast with all of the 16 years kids, looking so much older, I'd guess the average age must be about 25 years old. Even Marvin wears a brace to make him look younger. It is an embarrassing mess of a film. Saying that if you were a teenager in 2006 the music will connect.

A poor 4/10

PS What was more annoying was my cinema treat of buying Cadbury's Crunchie Rocks only to discover that it only contained 15% honeycomb delight and 15% corn flakes, why call if Crunchie if it only contains 15% , Cadbury's hang your head in shame.

It was a well-produced film. The two protagonists had understanding and loving families. The school was supportive of its students. The cast did well. I would not criticise anyone who may have looked older than the school-leaving students they portray. It is the message behind the setup that is vital, not their appearance. I can't imagine the audience boycotting Grease because the stars were much older than high school students. This film encourages an introverted child to respect and accept himself and his feelings. A new friend he met by chance, who made him feel that it was all right to be yourself, Shouldn't life allow us to meet compassionate friends who might bring us some happiness? My wife and I brought up our three kids with respect for their feelings and views. This film truly does that. The two main stars portrayed their roles with passion. The entire production team is worthy of praise for their efforts.