In 1979 Clive Sinclair, British inventor of the pocket calculator, frustrated by the lack of home investment in his project,the electric car, also opposes former assistant Chris Curry's beli... Read allIn 1979 Clive Sinclair, British inventor of the pocket calculator, frustrated by the lack of home investment in his project,the electric car, also opposes former assistant Chris Curry's belief that he can successfully market a micro-chip for a home computer. A parting of the ways... Read allIn 1979 Clive Sinclair, British inventor of the pocket calculator, frustrated by the lack of home investment in his project,the electric car, also opposes former assistant Chris Curry's belief that he can successfully market a micro-chip for a home computer. A parting of the ways sees Curry, in partnership with the Austrian Hermann Hauser and using whizz kid Cambridge... Read all
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
There were lots of funny bits in this film, largely due to the acting of Sinclair.
It was also light-hearted with a feel good factor at the end with people making up to each other and with Sinclairs quotes about life - "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?".
Some great 80's music as well.
Even if you were'nt into home computers at the time, then this is still a good drama.
The plot centres on the rivalry between Clive Sinclair (Alexander Armstrong), an inventor and entrepreneur with a passion for designing miniature electronics and electric vehicles, and Chris Curry (Martin Freeman), a colleague of his who goes on to start his own business. It is their tense competition that drives the adoption of personal computers in British schools, homes and offices. Most of the film's story is based on the actual events, with a few scenes invented. Numerous cuts to the relevant contemporary TV programmes and commercials (a wonderful touch, in my view) add to the "documentary" feeling.
Despite being set primarily in mundane office spaces, the story manages to keep the viewers' attention thanks to Armstong's expressive acting. His portrayal of Sinclair as an eccentric, self-assured and self-centred individual, short-tempered to the point of being laughable, yet insanely committed to his ideas, may seem overblown and unconvincing to some. However, it undoubtedly shifts the production in the even more comedic direction. Freeman gets overshadowed quite a bit, but still delivers a solid performance of a comparatively down-to-earth businessman, countering his overly exuberant co-star.
Micro Men features a totally fitting soundtrack of mostly electronic music, which was booming in the times depicted in the film. The screenwriters do not overwhelm the audience with technical details of any sort, but if you dig this kind of thing, I bet you won't be disappointed, too. Overall, though by no means a masterpiece, this production deserves the attention of tech lovers and everybody looking for a well-screened real-life story to watch.
It is Sinclair versus Acorn. Although you would not realise from this film that Clive Sinclair was better known as Uncle Clive, the genial, nerdy 1970s whiz kid who built cheap home computers with dead flesh keyboards.
The Acorn boys on the other hand built more stylish computers with proper keyboards and they even won the contract for the BBC computer.
In this drama, Clive Sinclair (Alexander Armstrong) is seen as a bad tempered bully (he was never regarded as such a person at the time.) Although he was later revealed to be a bit of ladies man, loved a flutter at the Vegas casinos and voted Tory.
Chris Curry (Martin Freeman) of Acorn Computers is the more lovable one. The nice, genial one with his more business headed Austrian partner.
The early 1980s British companies led the world of home computing, although Microsoft had plans for a uniform operating system.
Pitching Acorn v Sinclair is a great history lesson and drama. Unfortunately, both companies were also left picking up the pieces afterwards as Microsoft surpassed them a few years later.
Did you know
- TriviaSophie Wilson has a cameo role as the landlady of the pub.
- GoofsThe archive footage used just before Chris is presenting the Acorn Atom to the press in 1980, shows a Commodore 1701 monitor, 2 Amstrad CPC464s and glimpse of a BBC Micro, all of which did not exist in the year where the scene takes place.
- Quotes
Clive Sinclair: Games! Games! Everywhere I go, games! This is what my lifetime of achievement has been reduced to! Clive Sinclair, the man who brought you Jet Set fucking Willy! Apparently there's even a game now about me trying to get a knighthood, for Christ's sake!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Grierson 2010: The British Documentary Awards (2010)
- SoundtracksPulstar
Composed by Vangelis
Details
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color