I'm a huge fan of British films and was so looking forward to Once Upon a Time in the Midlands when I first read about it. It sounded like a sure thing: fun storyline, fabulous cast (Ricky Tomlinson, Kathy Burke, Rhys Ifans, Shirley Henderson Robert Carlyle), all actors I love. There are a few good moments with Tomlinson and Burke, as well as Jimmy's bumbling Glaswegian gang. The standout actor is Finn Atkins, who plays Henderson's daughter. Also worth noting is the soundtrack, which, alas, is apparently unavailable for purchase.
And somehow, all of these promising components resulted in something I would've thought an impossibility: a British comedy that lacks charm. Try as I might, I could not care about any of the characters. Henderson's Shirley is whiny and childish, and we're not given nearly enough information on why she's torn between her two equally-immature suitors. Her current boyfriend, Dek (Ifans) is a sweet sad sack, a milquetoast who had me bouncing between wanting to turn away from his relentless pathos to wondering why on earth he's still interested in Shirley after she turns down his marriage proposal on TV, lies to him about where she's going so she can see Jimmy, lets Jimmy move into her house, etc.
Jimmy is depressingly hopeless, with none of the entertaining qualities that keep you watching Robert Carlyle's usual dodgy-boy portrayals (e.g., Jo Jo, Begbie, Gaz). There's nothing like that here, not even a hint of the boyish charm that often reels naive or insecure women into relationships with guys like this. He's the consummate unlovable loser who refuses to grow up. He's not particularly dangerous, he has no depth. Like the rest of the characters in OUTM, I never feel I'm given a reason to care about what happens to him. It is to Carlyle's immense credit that he insisted they remove a rape scene from the script. (A rape scene, can you imagine?? This movie was depressing enough without adding that.) Jimmy may be a lot of things, but he never strikes me as a rapist.
Finally -- aside from the soundtrack, barren streets and a few long shots -- why oh why didn't the writers expand more on the "spaghetti western" theme? What fun they could've had with that. My disappointment with OUTM may sound a little strident. I guess I feel the impatience of a parent with a gifted child who's not doing his best; with all that potential, I expected more.
And somehow, all of these promising components resulted in something I would've thought an impossibility: a British comedy that lacks charm. Try as I might, I could not care about any of the characters. Henderson's Shirley is whiny and childish, and we're not given nearly enough information on why she's torn between her two equally-immature suitors. Her current boyfriend, Dek (Ifans) is a sweet sad sack, a milquetoast who had me bouncing between wanting to turn away from his relentless pathos to wondering why on earth he's still interested in Shirley after she turns down his marriage proposal on TV, lies to him about where she's going so she can see Jimmy, lets Jimmy move into her house, etc.
Jimmy is depressingly hopeless, with none of the entertaining qualities that keep you watching Robert Carlyle's usual dodgy-boy portrayals (e.g., Jo Jo, Begbie, Gaz). There's nothing like that here, not even a hint of the boyish charm that often reels naive or insecure women into relationships with guys like this. He's the consummate unlovable loser who refuses to grow up. He's not particularly dangerous, he has no depth. Like the rest of the characters in OUTM, I never feel I'm given a reason to care about what happens to him. It is to Carlyle's immense credit that he insisted they remove a rape scene from the script. (A rape scene, can you imagine?? This movie was depressing enough without adding that.) Jimmy may be a lot of things, but he never strikes me as a rapist.
Finally -- aside from the soundtrack, barren streets and a few long shots -- why oh why didn't the writers expand more on the "spaghetti western" theme? What fun they could've had with that. My disappointment with OUTM may sound a little strident. I guess I feel the impatience of a parent with a gifted child who's not doing his best; with all that potential, I expected more.