Jamie Johnson (2016– ) User Reviews

Can't criticize it too much since it's a kid's show but it's very decent and enjoyable

[officialsouravc · 6/10 · 26 June 2020]

Firstly the characters are great. Each of them have depth. Some however are discarded: Indira had great potential; Nancy; Hansard; Harry; Wozza. The acting is decent, they are kids so it's a bit unfair but they do definitely improve. Characters like Dillon and Jack were great throughout, the main character though is a bit timid, he can play annoyed but anything otherwise is a bit lacking in emotion. Once again they are kids so I can't punish them for their performances but it would be nice for some of them to be able to get emotional in certain moments or emphasize their actions, for example: when Jack leaves Jamie does nothing other than say goodbye, no hug, no affection at least - of course he isn't going to go on a mad one but still, it's evident he cares and misses Jack so much later on (dreams about her presence, uses her as motivation, desires for her advice) I'm not suggesting something romantic but it would have been nice to show that care in a deep hug; When Dillon gets kicked out of the academy, he struggles to express his anger and grief - the actor did as well as he could but it would have been nice if they pushed it go over the top. Of course what I said can be considered too much but with these characters that grow to be so close and change as the seasons go on it would make sense for us to see the hard faced Dillon start tearing up at being dropped by Hawkstone or to see Jamie do any other emotion than grumpy and angry and hug his best friend who had helped and stuck by his side through so much.

Anyway. The soundtrack is a bit generic, I mean they basically took a couple of songs of popular songs and played them wherever appropriate, it's not going to have an original score fair but I don't think I'm wrong when I say it is a bit generic. The editing is very good. Especially with the dream sequences, they are creative and set the tone of the episode and foreshadows what's going to happen and how each character feels. However, I don't think foreshadowing is needed since the show is quite predictable, it's a kid show so it's obviously not going to be the most brilliant of writing but you can guess some of the stuff. However it is still enjoyable, partially due to the characters and how invested you get with them. Also the football is spectacular, a lot of it is real and that (I think) hasn't been done before, especially not at the magnitude that they do when they go to a professional tournament, and do remarkably well. Some of the shots of the football especially in bigger and longer games are a bit hard to follow. This show can be a bit ridiculous at times however, it can have you punching the air at how stupid these characters can be and how a slight issue can be blown out of proportion. This show definitely deals with lots of issues from anger management, father neglect, medical problems, gender equality, etc: but not in a condescending way.

Overall it's enjoyable (mostly because of the characters and how great they are) it has faults but it is a kid's show so it isn't going to be perfect. But I can enjoy watching it, and I don't even have much of a major interest in football and now I do really like it, can't play though but I can enjoy watching. Definitely one of the best kids shows out now.

It would be a 5 but I gave it the benefit of a doubt and made it 6. Would recommend. It's majorly enjoyable (except for a few annoying hiccups) and you will fall in love with the characters

Game effort that falls slightly flat

[alex239-545-53158 · 6/10 · 14 April 2017]

Given the obsession most young British kids have with the national sport, it is surprising that more programs like this don't exist. The BBC have certainly gone all out here, securing cameos by the likes of Carl Froch and Steven Gerrard and giving the show more mainstream advertising than perhaps any CBBC show has had before.

The premise is fairly simple - hot headed football mad young boy from a broken home learns about the trials and tribulations of life and growing up while playing for his school team. This does mean a lot of this is pretty contrived, with social plots dominating the first season and in the second the usual moral parables about 'getting too big for your boots but coming out of it stronger with more humility'. As you can imagine, many 'lessons are learned' and most story lines seem to exist for this purpose only, so the lead character can search within himself and become a better person.

The kid playing Jamie is merely adequate - he does a good line in looking sulky but is pretty wooden and monotone when delivering his lines, and not in a practised 'apathetic teenager' sort of way. He isn't helped by being handed some truly dreadful lines that an eight year old could have written - "no one bad mouths my Granddad and gets away with it" is one that springs to mind but is far from the worst. Some of the adult actors are appalling as well - whoever plays footballer "Theo Baines" manages to put in one of the most woeful performances you could hope to see, and he's only on the screen for about two minutes!

The supporting cast are a bit better, with the two antagonist bully types being well acted and believable, if utterly one dimensional - although there were signs that might change during the second season, with them becoming characters in their own right rather than nasty plot devices to put hurdles in front of the hero. Jamie's friends are reasonable enough, although his closeness with the ginger nerdy kid (who is of course unrealistically kitted out in NHS glasses and only here for 'laugh at the socially awkward geek' comedy relief) stretches the credulity of the viewer a bit too far. Not sure you will find many posh, awkward, chess enthusiast swots hanging out with angry, working class kids on the football team in most schools.

There are definitely some positive things to be said about this. It is certainly as well meaning as you might expect from the militantly left wing BBC, and in a way that doesn't feel too corny or weigh the story down. The setting and subject matter are refreshing, and the quality of filming is excellent, even if they do get bogged down by the usual football movie clichés - slow motion, zooming in, internal monologues, cheap ways of amping up tension etc. It manages to highlight issues like absent fatherhood, anger management and jealousy in a way that most idealistically sunshine filled kids television does not. It even manages to be genuinely humorous at times, especially with the character of Indira, played with a lot of spark by the promising Millie Gibbons.

On the whole, though, it just feels too predictable and wooden at times for me to rate it really highly. I have a feeling this will be most enjoyable for kids aged 5 to 11 - which I'm not sure was the target audience. Older kids will cringe at parts and see through the average script and acting, and the lack of any really engrossing, exciting story lines - this is 2017 and they have anything they want at their fingertips, usually things with more edge and creativity than this.

On a sidenote, you can be almost certain that the soundtrack was put together by a white guy in his early 30s - football matches are soundtracked by the new Radiohead album, and just about every song used on the program (and there are a lot) is by a UK indie/rock band from 1995 to 2010. Not exactly reflective of what estate kids are listening to these days, but hey ho, it seems to work pretty well.

Better than shrek 2

[thallmcfc · 10/10 · 24 January 2021]

Yes I know that's something hard to beat but it does, really good

Well...

[joebb-40878 · 10/10 · 21 June 2018]

I didn't think it was that great, to be honest, and watching it was a bit of an OOOOOOOF moment. Luckily, that great GinGEr kid made up for it, because he was SpoiiiiCy at acting, and his moves were SreNG.

Brilliant

[olivr-87626 · 10/10 · 16 November 2020]

Amazing show. Acting top drawer- would definitely recommend!