Too much of everything

Fresh and Exciting

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Some good people in it.There is hope out there, somewhere.....I remember Dennis from Cider House Rules, but I don't think I've seen him elsewhere? Cricket doesn't have the movies made about it, like Baseball, or American Football (or even soccer). There were some feature length films made back in the 1950's, I think, but nothing since..... I wonder why that is? Maybe something to do with the English themselves and how they see Sport? Maybe.......... but Australians, don't see Sport in a similar way at all........... they're fiercely competitive, about ANY sport, and they don't make Sporting films either..... Any ideas out there?

I hadn't been back to this site since I posted my original comment, which was a while ago. Now I return and find my post has been removed and IMDb didn't even bother to notify me.No doubt my comment was "flagged" as "inappropriate" or somesuch. If so, then what nonsense. It's clear that the pompous people using terms such as "narrow-minded" and "bigoted" are afflicted with these traits themselves. It seems that an already near-complete monopoly of the old media by the political "left" is not enough, they have to censor the internet as well.No matter. I'm experience with left-wing hypocrisy and the fact that they are guilty of what they accuse; also that they don't have the self-awareness to realise this about themselves - or perhaps they're just arrogant.If my initial comment on this film was removed due to anyone labelling it "racist" than that's not only pathetic but the opposite of the truth - my comments were ANTI-racist as I was criticising the constant depiction of white people and only white people as "evil racists". It's racial stigmatisation. Are the worlds' white peoples supposed to meekly accept being constantly singled out for demonisation by Big Media? Apparently so.On a final note, the left's media monopoly and active censorship is not only hypocrisy but an admission of failure. Failure to hold audience interest by merit and an admission that the (potential and suppressed) competition is better.0/1? I bet the user who did that is the one who reported my initial comment and it didn't take me long to work out the why and who. All I'll say at this juncture is that is typical of your kind. How the world was conned by the left's "free speech/expression" stance in the 1960's. Now they are in charge and applying the very thing they feigned to protest against.

I missed this film on its release.Not surprising given the nature of the theme and its awful title.This film disappeared from view almost immediately but resurfaced on Channel 4 over Christmas. The film has its heart in the right place and it is a charming story but it has nothing to do with the reality of the period,assuming this to be around the late 50s or early 60s.What i find to be so disappointing about this film is how little the Producers seem to have researched orthodox Judaism.The family are shown praying in an orthodox synagogue,yet the wife is wearing fairly bright colours and is not wearing a wig.The likelihood of a woman from an Orthodox family committing adultery was unthinkable.Also it would be unthinkable to allow a child to go out to any sport or entertainment on a Saturday.In short it is just totally implausible.

This is a delightful and very entertaining movie. You do not have to be mad on cricket to love it (my partner Janie proves that point) but I suspect it helps.My own background is quite similar to that of the young lad (not quite so long ago, not quite so poor, not quite so bad at cricket without coaching, not quite so good with coaching......) so my own views on the films charms and resonances are probably unrepresentative. Suffice it to say that the film touched almost all of the right buttons.There are some lovely, amusing bits. For example, one sequence shows several short shots of the characters playing "yard cricket", including one shot of them trying to practice catching in their sowesters in the pouring rain. Hilarious and delightful.The racism theme is handled with great sensitivity, but without the complexity that might otherwise make the film profound rather than obvious. The film is sentimental, at the end especially so, to the point of being cheesy. But then quattro formaggio with extra cheese and parmesan on top tastes pretty good. There are one or two historical anomalies. Most reports of the film I have seen refer to the date as 1960. West Indies toured England with Worrell and Sobers in 1957 & 1963. Worrell was finished by 1966. I think it must therefore be 1963. But there's a lovely scene where the Jewish mother and West Indian father dance to "I'm in a Dancing Mood" by Delroy Wilson - published 1966. In fact most of the Ska (or should I describe some of it as Rock Steady) would have been post 1963 I think. But I suppose I should get a life rather than fret about these things - the music was wonderful. And juxtaposing Ska with "Micky Katz and his Kosher Jammers" and yard cricket worked surprisingly well.It is a lovely film and well worth the investment of 106 minutes to smile, laugh and be moved.