London Town

Not strictly terrible, but low grade and forgettable. It aims at being intense, but didn't arrive there, in my opinion.

I was drawn in to borrowing it from the Library, because I mistook it to be a film about Joe Strummer, who I'm a fan of. I didn"t realize that it was a family drama, with Joe Strummers character, coming in as a sort of punk angel.

Whike watching it, I found myself distracted over and over again, and checking my Facebook. Which is a sort of red flag as far as a movie, and whether I find it interesting.

I gave it 4/10, which is my way of saying, not horrible but not worth watching either.

England in the late 1970s was not a pleasant time for much of the country. Unemployment began to rise, and the government didn't do much to respond (this probably contributed to Margaret Thatcher's rise to power). Derrick Borte's "London Town" focuses on a working class boy who gets into The Clash while his father is in the hospital.

The movie is both about hope for the future, and about love of music. One scene features people debating The Sex Pistols vs. The Clash. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Joe Strummer, who enters the boy's life. It's not a masterpiece, but worth seeing. The rest of the cast includes Dougray Scott and Natascha McElhone (of "The Truman Show").

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.

Every once in a while a little film, with a tiny budget and a whole lot of heart, comes along and knocks you off your feet. London Town fulfills all the aspects of that category.

I won't bother to give you a blow by blow description of the story, that's easily found elsewhere. I will tell you I was more than thoroughly entertained and, since it was a 48 hour rental via my VOD system, I took the opportunity to watch it three times because it was just that good! The film is endearing, funny and the performances are stellar, especially the youngsters. Huttlestone is already on his way as a multi-talent, but Nell Williams was a new revelation for me and she shines here.

If for no other reason, you need to see this film for the incredibly brilliant work of Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Joe Strummer. He is simply mesmerizing and delivers a musical performance equal to that of any contemporary or historical rock star. (As a veteran of 7 Stones and 14 WHO concerts, I feel justified in that statement.) Derrick Borte managed to assemble a superb group of musicians to portray the rest of the band and the results are magical.

London Town is a special film, with something for everyone to love. Don't miss it!

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