I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Really Surprised!

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Some might say the British equivalent of "American Graffiti", but actually released earlier, this is an altogether grittier and to these British eyes and ears superior take on the teenage experience at the birth of rock and roll, covering a time span from the bleak post-war period to the arrival of the nascent 60's beat boom, from where of course the sequel "Stardust" takes up. Written by the well-known UK music journalist Ray Connolly, one of John Lennon's many biographers, it's obvious to see reference points taken and adapted from the Beatle's early life, from his early abandonment by his father, to his predilection for writing and sketching, harmonica-playing and most obviously his casual marriage to his young blonde "safe" local sweetheart, whom he selfishly abandons at the end leaving behind his new-born child to boot (although Lennon of course didn't get round to that until he was at the height of his celebrity). The story is episodic and as with most rock-music films unavoidably clichéd at times, resembling an abridged beat-version of "Tom Jones" as Essex, here playing his first lead role as the anti-hero Jim McLaine, influenced sub-consciously by his wandering absent-father and naturally rebellious of conformity (personified here by his friendship with his best friend, an ever-so-straight, trad-jazz loving university student, played by a young Robert Lindsay) drops out to a life of debauchery on the fairground, where he learns the ropes and soon outstrips his older, more experienced chum on the Waltzers, Ringo Starr. The evocation of place is very well conveyed, from the bleak two-up, two-down post-war accommodation, the downbeat charm of an off-season holiday resort and of course all the fun (and seediness) of the fair, which Essex the recording artist later revisited in probably his best known album, called, in fact "All The Fun Of The Fair". The performances are uniformly good although the less experienced acting abilities of Essex and Starr take a little time to become properly natural as the film develops. Essex's playing is pivotal naturally and he bears up very well, using his good-looking "Romany"-type features to advantage as the lovable rogue with whom we naturally identify, although latter day viewers might be offended by his casual approach to women, demonstrated not only by his easy stag-night seduction of his fiancée's best friend and his ingratitude to his admittedly strict and chiding mother but particularly an at least mildly offensive scene where he gloats about his forced conquest of a presumably underage schoolgirl to a censorious Starr. The young Essex around this time was firing artistically on all cylinders with success on the West End ("Godspell") as well as early blossoming acting and musical careers. It's rather a pity that all three of these strands appear to have fizzled out for him after some early high-spots (especially his acting, from this evidence), although he still does the rounds profitably enough as an establishment-type entertainer. The support playing is solidly characterised and I also enjoyed the cameos played effectively by the late Billy Fury and Keith Moon. Beatles addicts will cotton onto the in-joke reference to Starr's pre-Beatles band "Rory Storm and The Tempests", here inverted to Fury's character "Stormy Tempest". It's a much quoted truism that US rock and roll from the late 50's and early 60's beats its British equivalent hands down and while there is some truth in that, here at least on the cinematic front, is a British riposte which definitely cuts the mustard, although it probably helps if you're from this island to relate to the background places and sounds on display here.

David Essex takes on the lead role of Jimmy McLaine, a young man living in working class Britain during the late 1950s, when American rock 'n' roll was King of England. Growing up with a good deal of angst after his dad walked out on the family when Jimmy was still only a boy, McLaine finds himself fed up with school and the more conventional way of life and decides to abandon his struggling mother, striking out on his own. Settling for odd jobs here and there, Jim finds a sidekick in the humorous and more experienced Mike (played by ex-Beatle Ringo Starr) and the pair of delinquents engage in petty crime in between bedding down as many local ladies as they can get their hands on. When Jimmy begins to have a change of heart he returns home to mom and settles down, only to find that he must make the ultimate decision on whether to confront his responsibilities or indulge his passion for being a rock and roll star.David Essex is good as Jim, and Ringo Starr gives maybe the finest performance of his occasional acting career as Mike, who becomes Jimmy's mentor and room mate. It's amazing how well the 33-year-old former Beatle pulls off the role of a young kid, and the same may be said for an over-aged Essex. The film perfectly captures the climate of England in the late 1950s and benefits from a huge array of classic American oldies on the music soundtrack, from artists like Ritchie Valens, Del Shannon, The Big Bopper, Bobby Darin and others.After I saw this I read that it's been said that this story was patterned after a young John Lennon, and while I can agree (with the benefit of hindsight) that there are some similarities between John's life and the Essex character here, even as a die-hard Beatles fan I didn't pick up on this during my actual viewing of the film. It is loosely based on Lennon at best (John's dad also left him, he loved rock music, and he had a wreckless nature as a youth). *** out of ****

David Essex got the lead role, through two films, in this story of a wanabee pop star who leaves his family and home life for a shot at the big time. Abandoned by his father as a child, Jim lets history repeat itself simply for his ambition - through 'That'll Be The Day', which establishes him as a musical talent with room to grow, through to the bleak 'Stardust' which focuses on the ups and downs of fame.Ray Connolly's script for TBTD is ironic and clever, and gives scope to a large number of characters you remember - Rosemary Leach and Rosalind Ayres good as Jim's mother and girlfriend, Ringo Starr much better than expected as Mike who works on the fairground and takes the impressionable and cocky Jim under his wing. Mike would develop into Jim's manager in 'Stardust', where he was played by Adam Faith.Billy Fury plays TBTD's biggest concession to a 'real pop star' as the unlikeable Stormy Tempest, while Keith Moon and Karl Howman, both in the 'Stardust' band appear briefly. Also involved in the film was the great Bonzo vocalist Viv Stanshall.'That'll Be The Day' is often cited as the better film of the two Jim MacLaine feature, but I personally prefer the overblown, stoned, egotistical character we see in the sequel. David Essex is excellent throughout the two movies, though. The soundtrack album - a huge four-sider groaning with 50s period hits and pastiches - is still well worth a listen, although precious little of it appears in this film.

Striving hard for the authentic feel of the late 1950s scene in working class England and the realistic films of the period That'll be the day is unfortunately weighed down by the double burden of an unimaginative script and David Essex. He tries to be deep and meaningful but emerges as a tedious bore. The eyes of his fellow actors seem to glaze over whenever he recites his lines and because his character and performance are so lifeless you are left with the overwhelming desire to give him a good slap. The one redeeming thing about this whole misguided venture is that - much like during his recording career - he does hardly any real singing. Dull.