London Town

I really enjoyed this movie, it's a light drama about a complex subject and era and a kid living a difficult time in it. It's true that it feels a bit naive and unrealistic in many ways, but the good acting, likeable characters, bit of humour and the music (I'm not even a fan of punk music or The Clash, but it was a plus for me) made me forgive the lack of realism and enjoy a light-hearted adventure. Also, as I've been living in London for the last 8 years, I really enjoy watching movies portraying the city as it was before I got here, so this is an interesting aspect of the movie for me. Great movie, not as serious as some may wanted it to be, but very enjoyable.

Greetings again from the darkness. The late 1970's in London were filled with political, social and labor discontent. Director Derrick Borte (The Joneses, 2009) and writer Matt Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity, 2015) use this backdrop, along with some cutting edge music of the era, to tell a coming-of-age story that is enjoyable despite its predictability.

Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods) plays 15 year old Shay (not Che) who carries the burden of babysitting for his sister Alice (Anya McKenna-Bruce) and cooking for his two-job dad Nick (Dougray Scott), as he dreams of meeting up with his free-spirited mom Sandrine (Natascha McElhone) who lives a bohemian lifestyle in London. Things start to change for Shay once he receives a package from his mom … his first taste of music from The Clash.

Soon enough, Shay finds himself chatting it up on a commuter train with wild girl Vivian (Nell Williams), who generously shares her own music from The Clash, as well as some insight into the band, and even a ticket to their next concert. After the best night of Shay's life, a work accident puts his dad in the hospital, requiring the son to take on even more responsibility.

More than a coming of age story, this is what I call "the teenage awakening". Once the world starts opening up to Shay, he begins to question everything. A serendipitous night in the clink with Joe Strummer (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) brings some surprisingly grounded philosophy and guidance. "Some people just burn bright" is a spot-on description of Shay's mom and a lesson to Shay that parents are people too.

The movie belongs to Huttlestone, who bounces between responsible young man, bullied teen, and anti-establishment rebel. Ms. Williams is delightful in her role, and JRM brings the necessary hard edge to Strummer. Director Borte has a really nice eye for scenes, but probably was a bit too stingy with Clash tunes. The timing for the film is a bit unfortunate, as it's released in the same year as the similar but superior Sing Street. Still it's an enjoyable little film with enough philosophy sprinkled in that we don't even mind the predictable ending with "I Fought the Law" carrying us to closing credits.

I like low-budget British films, I like films based around the working-class, I like movies based around the British music scene and I like era based movies such as the 60s, 70s and 80s. London Town ticks all the above boxes, but does it deliver? Not so much.

London Town is based in 1970s London, its a sort of coming of age movie which follows a teenage boy trying to find himself in a world which is moving fast and he simply has to grow up quick in order to keep up. His mother has left to pursue her own music career and he is left with his younger sister and father, when he father is injured and hospitalised, he is forced to become the man of the house and provide for the family. He meets a girl on a trip into London and along with some help from his Mother, he is introduced to The Clash and the lifestyle that goes along with following such a band. The Clash are a plot and marketing point, they aren't a primary focus. They aren't all that important in the end, similar to the Spike Island movie in which The Stone Roses are used in a similar way.

A big problem I had with London Town is that it really fails to deliver on any level of realism and in failing to do so you feel very detached from the characters and story lines. We are introduced to many different characters from many different backgrounds and everyone seems to be the ultimate stereotype of their character. Every character is portrayed as the extreme. It tries for emotion, really hard at times but ultimately doesn't reach the levels it tries to and feels quite poorly finished in the end. The main actor does a pretty decent job but the supporting cast don't offer too much in terms of quality, everything just feels a little wooden and the script is lacking, resulting in no real stand out scenes.

It isn't all doom and gloom though, some of the settings are very nicely done and you do feel transported back to 1970's England. The story, while clichéd, watered down and predictable, is a feel good, coming of age drama and there were moments which I enjoyed, it's just a shame they were few and far between.

I won't be watching London Town again and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as it is quite a forgettable movie. IT has a decent run-time though which helps keep the pacing solid and there will be people out there who will appreciate it more than myself.

5/10

I really liked Jonathan Rhys Meyers in it as Joe Strummer. It was fun to see him play a real lively character as the front man of The Clash.

The movie itself is more about how a boy named Shay is influenced by the music of the Clash while going through some hard times. His really hot mom (played by Natascha McElhone) left the family to live the life she wanted, while his father (Played by Dougray Scott), plays the classic stereotype of an adult who forgot what it was like to be young and is shifting too much responsibility on his son.

London Town is greatly similar to another Coming-of-Age film, Sing Street (which is a little better), as Shay allows a crush on a punk rock girl to greatly influence his walk down the path of punk, which leads him to meeting Joe Strummer.

The film's formula is very direct, and it's focus on punk rock makes it a perfect persona of the early days of the genre. It's a love letter to The Clash any fan would enjoy.

This is a fabulous coming of age story, set against the back drop of London in the 70's and the music of The Clash. The film is cleverly put together with a great mix of humour, emotion, gritty reality and music of The Clash.

The acting is superb particularly Daniel Huttlestone as Shay, although little Alice steals the show more than once! Jonathan Rhys Meyers could be Joe Strummer, with his attitude and great voice. It's a movie that makes you think, laugh and cry.

A real British film, I have already seen this twice and will happily watch again!