England Is Mine (2017) User Reviews

This Film Isn't A Morrissey Biopic; So Cool Your Heals Mozza-Manics

[LouieInLove · 6/10 · 20 September 2017]

I can encapsulate working class Manchester of this time in one sentence: Cigarette burns in bus seats with the smell of stale urine in the air.

I like what's been done here. The Smiths (& Morrissey himself) create such devotion in fans (especially those who were there at the time) that any conceived wrong foot in a film relating to that band would be gnawed upon by a multitude of bedroom martyrs; especially in this internet age.

Nevertheless, what the film makers have done with England Is Mine sidesteps this problem, for they've made a film not about MORRISSEY, but rather Stephen (Steve) Morrissey - a young Mancunian man suffering from depression within in a time & area of depression; The Smiths aren't even a whiff away.

It's hard to emphasis to those who didn't experience it, how gray Manchester of the 70s & early 80s was. It was stuck in a polluted puddle of red brick decay, unsure & struggling to break free from its own shadow. In many ways this film (consciously or not) reflects young Steven Morrissey against Manchester of that time. No cliché in sight.

P.S. It is slighting disconcerting how much the lead looks like the English comedy actor Alan Davies in the first half of the film.

An interesting character study of a pre-Smiths Morrissey.

[torrascotia · 5/10 · 2 July 2017]

I was lucky enough to attend the world premier of this at the Edinburgh Film festival closing gala. Now to the actual movie. The story is focused on Morrissey towards the end of the 70s and the struggles he had trying to get his first foot on the ladder as a performer while at the same time being paralyzed with fear of being on stage and dealing with his everyday struggles. In the movie he comes across as a hyper sensitive and shy person but with an underlying streak of arrogance in his own belief in his abilities,despite his lack of confidence in social situations. However the acerbic one liners you would expect from Morrissey are there and when they arrive they are genuine laugh out loud funny. If Smiths fans were hoping to see a film which has a lot of Smiths music in it they will be disappointed. Its similar to the James Brown biopic there's none of the music you may have anticipated being part of the story, which may be a problem for some fans. What we do hear is mostly pop music from the charts from that time. The cast do a great job however without dropping any spoilers for me the film ended almost at the point it was about to get even more interesting, though I doubt there will be any sequel. The film is an interesting character study of one the UKs greatest ever front men from one of the best bands the country has produced, however I am not sure that this film is something either he or his fans will take to their heart. I feel there is a better film on this subject yet to be made. Interesting from as a psychological study but fans may feel shortchanged.

Good start

[kristupasmisutis · 7/10 · 11 October 2019]

It is a good start i tell you that. Let's make it a trilogy: right after this its the smiths and the third is the solo. I wonder which One will be highest rating...

The negative of what could've been............

[Clipster12 · 7 January 2018]

A film/docudrama about the early days of The Smiths/Morrissey. When this is set, in the late 70's, if you took a photograph and had it developed you would have got a photo and a negative copy. This film is like the negative of the events. It's like the uninteresting part of something special...... and don't get me wrong . The Smiths were special, in every sense of the word. Shame, what could have been..........

Morrissey prequel

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 29 August 2018]

Steven Patrick Morrissey (Jack Lowden) is a painfully introverted, self-important genius in working class Manchester. His parents are fighting and eventually his father leaves the family. His girlfriend Anji pushes him to start a band but he's too picky to even meet with perspective bandmates. After she breaks up with him, he is taken with outgoing art student Linder Sterling (Jessica Brown Findlay). The other person breaking down his walls is guitarist Billy Duffy. Steven works in a stuffy office with clingy co-worker Christine (Jodie Comer). With much cajoling, Steven performs with Billy and they are invited to London. After the gig falls through and Billy joins another band, Steven falls into a deep depression. Eventually, he follows Billy's recommendation to join guitarist Johnny Marr with whom he would go on to form The Smiths.

Morrissey is a depressed, painfully introverted, self-delusional, emo teen and not the fun kind. This may be real or it may be fiction. I'm not too concerned about that. I would give more importance to Anji especially if the movie proposes her to be his catalyst in one of the most pivotal scenes. "Call me when you grow a pair" is not good enough for their breakup. She needs to have a hint of her medical issue. Her breakup speech needs to be bigger. Christine may be real or not. Again I don't care. Other than some comedic turns, she's a nothing character who threatens to be something and thankfully turns out to be nothing. I have an idea. Let Comer play Anji, expend her role, and eliminate Christine. I suspect that this movie would be better received without the biopic aspect. In the end, it is biopic and critics will ding it for misinterpretations.

Interesting examination of a fascinating subject

[grantss · 7/10 · 29 May 2019]

Manchester, 1976. Steven Patrick Morrissey is unemployed and depressed. He eventually finds work but it doesn't interest him. His only interest appears to be writing down his observations on life and people in a journal. We see his life over the next six years and how this period would have a bearing on his later life for, in 1982, he was to form The Smiths, one of the most influential bands of the 80s.

A fascinating subject. But then I am a Smiths fan and therein lies what will probably make or break the movie for most people: knowing Morrissey's subsequent history, spotting all the watershed moments, sensing how things that happen in the movie might influence his music - only Smiths fans would know it. The ending, especially, would seem rather cryptic to anyone who isn't one.

So, really only for Smiths fans, and even if you are one it takes a bit of patience. Can be slow-moving at times.

However, it is quite interesting and edifying and reasonably engaging. Performances are top-notch.

What would have made it really interesting is showing the formation of The Smiths and their initial struggles. But that would be a whole new movie in itself, I suppose. I'll wait for the sequel...

Very Dull

[carlospresents · 4/10 · 23 April 2019]

I came away depressed after watching this. Perhaps that's what they wanted? It's very slow. Dull. Very dull. I hope someone does a Smiths or Morrisey story properly one day. This film is just too dull.

Should've been a much better film!

[pynerb · 7/10 · 26 August 2022]

I was looking forward to watching this movie on one of my favorite all time bands the Smiths featuring the great Morrissey! But unfortunately there's hardly any music in this movie, either being played by the band in the studio or live in concert! What a poor choice by these movie makers! While the back stories on the main characters are very interesting, this film could've used a lot more music in it!

Brad in Cleveland.

I'd rather listen to their music than watching that movie again

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 7 April 2018]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought this movie was boring. You would think that a biography movie of the life of Morrissey, frontman of the Smiths, would be something interesting to watch but it's the exact opposite. Even if Morrissey was a shy young boy it doesn't mean you have to make a boring movie about it. If they told Jack Lowden to play as boring as possible then he did a good job, because that was spot on. If at least they would have played some decent music from The Smiths as the soundtrack it could have been a bit lesser boring, but even that was too much asking. There are some good biographies/movies about famous musicians but this one is for sure not one of them.

Greasy spoon cafes, crackly record players, drab wallpaper and tank tops.

[garethcrook · 7/10 · 18 May 2018]

Biopics are often tricky, do you cast someone in the lead who doesn't look or sound like the subject, but can deliver the perfect character, or do you cast a lookalike, but one that struggles in their portrayal? Jack Lowden lands somewhere in between, which might well be a good thing and he does sound a bit like Morrissey. Katherine Pearce as Angie is very good too, one of many smaller roles who really helps drive this film. Style wise it's gloriously bleak, overly poetic. Greasy spoon cafes, crackly record players, drab wallpaper and tank tops. Little details like rain drumming on single paned windows and remembering how wonderfully bloody loud that was. Depicting the young singers life, this covers the bedroom years of the late 70s, attacking the NME letters page, daydreaming and not fitting in with the humdrum of when Britain was great (it wasn't). The details are stylised caricatures though, there's no grit, it could almost pass for a comedy, albeit a dark one. The Pistols Free Trade Hall gig is one of the details that tries to anchor this in reality, but really this could be about any young aspiring writer or wannabe band member going about their lives as an exercise in awkwardness. One thing that certainly is great is the music, not Smiths of course, it predates that, but glam and scuzzy punk in scuzzy flats and 50s doo-wop... still in scuzzy flats. Every scene bathed in smoke and the haze of daylight dust. By in large it's very enjoyable, Lowden is very watchable, the story shuffles along. As for accuracy... frankly who cares. A good yardstick with films like this is would you like to be in that world. The answer is emphatically yes!

Wellllllllllllllllll

[deanrichards_dean · 3/10 · 15 March 2018]

Found it very Boring was expecting the Smiths thing to come alive & around......But But .....there was a Few musical Moments from the Early Days .Maybe the film didn't want the Build up to the Morrissey gets up there Bit....But that pissed me Off to not see him and the johnny mar etc. Smiths Charting the top of the pops .and stardom.....wish the film would of been longer.where Gary day Boz boorer appeared ( Rockabilly's) All tho I moan......still Morrissey and the Smiths were a big influence to many and a great performer and artist....sorry just found it boring needed a kick up the eighties...still my opinion

One for the fans

[T_Side · 8/10 · 5 August 2017]

At last, a musical biopic that doesn't throw in cheap references, nor equally cheap laughs, and instead gives us a sober, realistic and not always warm character study of the formative years of one of Britain's best loved singer-songwriters. But be warned - if you have no interest in Steven Patrick Morrissey, indeed if you have a passing love for the band and aren't too bothered in learning how he came up with the lyrics that he did, then much of ENGLAND IS MINE might not do a lot for you. This film is definitely one for the proper fans, and for those of us in that position it's a real treat.

Lots to love about this one. Jack Lowden might not look a lot like Morrissey but he gets across very well the sense of alienation and perpetual disappointment that surrounds our hero. He's bored and unfulfilled with every aspect of his life, feeling like there's something more out there and yet too shy and not forthcoming enough to go after it. That lack of belonging is something many young people experience - I know I did - and Morrissey is kind of the Dean of that time in life, and Lowden nails it. His friendship with Linder (fantastic Jessica Brown Findlay) shows him finding a rare kindred spirit, and he reacts to the lost chance of success he arrives at briefly with Adam Lawrence's Billy Duffy by doing what we would all like to and retreating to his bedroom.

The period detail is excellent - you get the vision of late 70s/early 80s Manchester as a bit of a dive, crammed with lost souls and angry voices, from which Morrissey feels entirely apart. Lovely touches, like the cracked, single pane windows upon which rain hammers, add to to reality.

The choice of musical numbers is another bonus. There are no Smiths tracks, given the tale essayed here takes place before the band was formed. Instead we get the 1960s songs that heavily influenced the group's sound, and that's a real bonus. The era before the Smiths existed really feels like another place, another time, bereft of something that they ended up filling. One nice bit of detail, the local venue that exhibits posters for an upcoming Duran Duran concert while Morrissey and Marr (Laurie Kynaston, not in it much) start hammering out the more localised and altogether grittier music and lyrics that would eventually form the Smiths, a great snatch of visual storytelling that the film stuffs in.

And if you aren't interested in that, there's the gallows humour of young Mozzer to enjoy, an acerbic wit that would put people off and yet find expression in his words put to Marr's tunes.

Morrissey Before Morrissey

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 6/10 · 19 December 2017]

Fans of popular music know that the tunes change with the times and so do the tastes of those listening. What was once popular suddenly falls out of grace and the next big thing is introduced. Over the years a person can alter their preferences and that's fine, never leaving behind completely what they once enjoyed. That being said exposure to new music is a must for the real music lover.

The 60s had brought us the pop sound as delivered by the Beatles. The 70s had two genres, disco which is now hated (yet still exists) and punk which while influential really wasn't around all that long. Then in the 80s we had the synthesized music of power pop. So those bands would be the ones considered most influential right? Wrong. Read any blog, book or article and what many consider to be the most influential band of the time is The Smiths.

For myself I never heard much by the band until decades later. So to read they were considered the most influential band in polls and their albums were among the top 500 in Rolling Stone Magazines poll kind of surprised me. Though since it was RS perhaps it shouldn't have since they rarely choose the most popular music to promote. But in reading about the bad after watching ENGLAND IS MINE it brought a better understanding of the film to me.

Steven Morrissey (Jack Lowden) is a young man growing up in Manchester, England in the 70s. Withdrawn and a loner, he goes out to listen to music at night and then posts his reviews in the local music newspapers. His father wants him to get a job, his mother wants him to follow his passion for writing and he...well he doesn't quite know what he wants to do.

A friend eggs him on to pursue his passion for writing, especially the poetry he puts forth. He writes constantly in booklets that he carries with him everywhere. But he can't seem to figure out the outlet to let lose his words. Instead he takes an office job where he continues to be picked on by co-workers and is bullied by his boss. He hates it but has to make a living.

On his nights out he meets Linder Sterling (Jessica Brown Findlay), a college student and aspiring artist who thinks he's one of the more insightful writers when it comes to his views on music. They strike up a friendship and are inseparable. Until Linder has the opportunity to move to London to pursue her dreams. She encourages Steven to do the same and he finally breaks down and joins with local guitarist Billy Duffy (Adam Lawrence) to start writing songs.

His shyness and inability to be comfortable in social situations continues to plague Steven preventing him from performing. But a final push results in his finally taking the stage and discovering he actually enjoys it. But things happen that throw his life into another downward spiral. Yes, we viewers know what became of Steven Morrissey but the film allows us a behind the scenes glimpse of how he got there.

Fans of The Smiths won't be thrilled with this film. The movie offers little to none of their music and barely touches on their existence. Instead its focus is on Morrissey himself and what brought about his journey to live performing and how his life experiences were what were the basis of the words he brought to the table. One almost feels as if there could be a trilogy of films about his life beginning with this one, moving to his time with The Smiths and ending with his solo career.

The controversies, the legal battles and the popularity of Morrissey's life are not even touched on in this film. Instead we remain in those formative years. While watching I kept wondering about the film. All biopics tend to play it fast and loose with the facts. Here we see his mother supporting him in every way imaginable. If that was the reality then the woman should be hailed for being one of the best mothers out there.

The performances by all are well done and leave you hoping to see more from all of the cast members here, none standing out above the rest. While Lowden may be the star and center of attention he leaves room for the other actors to play with and off of his character. He does a great job of changing his physical appearance from the start to the finish and with each new incarnation his mannerisms change as well. But to offer that sort of performance while still being generous to your co-stars is something worth noting.

Filled with plenty of music from the 60s and 70s that influenced Morrissey the only thing lacking are those Smith's tunes. But since his formation of the group is only glimpsed in the final scene it is not to be.

One thing I found interesting and will note is the montage at the end of the film. Director Mark Gill takes us shot by shot to the various sets and location scenes where the entire story took place, unoccupied by characters or people at all. It makes you focus on all that has come before, each place having a special meaning in the life of the character. It was a nice touch that brings the entire thing around and helps the viewer to focus. All in all a good movie and one fans of Morrissey will enjoy.

Garbage, waste of time

[dd-oliver · 2/10 · 19 April 2019]

I can't believe they made this film. What a pathetic bunch of crap. Nothing interesting cinematically and absolutely nothing to add to anyway even remotely interested in this artist. Complete trash!

Just watched "England Is Mine": heaven knows I'm miserable now

[Retsenzent · 8 January 2018]

"England Is Mine" isn't a movie about Morrissey (the actor doesn't even look like him) or The Smiths. If you're looking for a film about them, you won't find it here (besides, like many other movies about real musicians, this one wasn't allowed to use real music either).

Who has not looked for a job and, at the same time, was afraid to find it? Who has not preferred to do anything instead of risking doing something for fear of succeeding? These, among a few others, seem to be the main questions of this film. It doesn't offer any answer, however.

If you want to see a guy rejecting all the women that are given to him, this is a movie for you.

The film could've been better.

Underwhleming but pleasant

[clogsclogs · 7/10 · 16 June 2019]

Perhaps this film was severely curtailed by not being authorized, or perhaps my expectations were misplaced? As prodgeny of 'The North', a Smith's fan and recently returned from Manchester, the film lacked something? That gritty Northern realism starkly contrasted by that peculiar Northern style of humor that is playful, astute and at time sardonic was there but? Because it was so interior (buildings and people wise) the film lacked a real sense of place. The end should have felt more like a beginning but it didn't.

A film with Blinders on

[parrisjim · 6/10 · 14 August 2018]

The thought of a Morrissey film sounded good,but after the film ended very open ended and lacked any Smiths music..I was disappointed,There is always more to any persons life then being one dimentional and this film shows him that way..flat paper thin...there was much to how scenes were presented or framed..shot straight forwardly and simple....It wasenrt very introspective on the workings of a young artists mind..his sexuality, his place wintin the world he was born...i hope someone comes along has a sense of art and makes a film with more smiths music...Not focus on fame or money or sucess the artist mind his place in the world..

After watching this film, I now understand entirely why JPEGMAFIA cannot wait until Morrissey dies.

[notmypresident-74886 · 3/10 · 10 July 2019]

The film isn't badly made, and the cast is pretty good, but the characters (especially Morrissey) are so annoying and unlikeable I can't ever imagine someone willingly watching and enjoying this.

Worst Biopic

[davadc · 2/10 · 7 October 2020]

I gave this a go as I thought Morrisey was boring and depressing like every body else, I wanted to see why and also if this film could change my mind about him and his music. Dont get me wrong the music the Smiths made was good, some very good. This is probably the worst biographical film I have seen, no smiths songs in it, no uprising from where they came from, absolute rubbish. Very dissapointed if this was in Blockbusters it would be in the bargain bin and you would get a free bag of popcorn, 1kg of Dairy Milk, a blue slush puppie and a poster of Marky Mark and hopefully a free film when you returned this rubbish. All for a £1.

Young Morrissey Is A Boring Twit

[neburgess · 1/10 · 2 August 2020]

This film follows a young Stephen Morrissey around Manchester, while he mopes and pouts for 6 years before he decides to slick his hair up and front The Smiths.

The movie ends where is really should have begun, that is the birth of the band he is well know for. Instead the filmmakers decided the pre-Smiths years were more interesting to focus on. I wanted to slap young Moz more times than I could count. He is depressed and takes no interest in doing a thing except moping about.

I really hope his real life wasn't as boring and tedious to live through as this film. Please don't waste your time, listen to the records instead.

a film for the fans!!!

[gamedogluke · 8/10 · 8 August 2017]

to start off with, if you're going into this film hoping to see plenty of smiths songs and smiths related stuff, you're going to be disappointed. however this film is a realistic, enlightening and well made insight into a young, socially awkward yet likable Stephen Patrick Morrissey, trying to get his voice heard in the cramped music scene of the 1970/80s. Jack Lowden (Morrissey) who may not really look a lot like Morrissey, does a excellent job of portraying all of his unique characteristics and making him likable in the processes.

as a massive smiths fan I was of course disappointed at the absence of any smiths songs, however the music was still very good, using a lot of mid 70s tracks, which is sure to give a lot of older fans nostalgia. the only problem I found was that I originally knew this would obviously be a dramatization like most film biographies, but I then found out later that this is an unauthorized film, meaning that all of this could of possibly been false information, which is a bit of a waste of an hour and a half if it is.

altogether though it was a very well made film with lots of style and memorable performances. hopefully a follow-up will be made in the future which focuses more on the smiths and their road to becoming one of the most recognizable bands ever made.

I started something I couldn't finish

[elaineh-09286 · 5/10 · 23 January 2023]

I will start by saying I am a huge Smiths and Morrissey fan but have very mixed feelings about this film. I get it was about Morrissey and his trail to stardom but it just did not grab me, I kept pausing to see how long was left and if there was enough time for some kind of big event to still happen but it never did. It was very humdrum, some parts were ok, the acting was on the whole good but the story just lacked that something and dragged on and on. Given the rights to songs are refused it does make you wonder what the purpose of the film was. All other music biopics bring the story to life with relative music and brings you into the era with life and meaning. This film does not. The best (and one of very few) musical parts to the film was where he rides the filing trolley down the corridor to Waltz 2. Thank goodness the real Smiths were outstanding or I would not have even given this airtime.

A Wikipedia Page in Film

[simon-75049 · 12 January 2018]

What a disappointing pile of garbage. This film could have been so much more but all it did was take a few key events from wikipedia and make a movie. "If you have five seconds to spare, then I'll tell you the story of my life / Sixteen, clumsy and shy / That's the story of my life." The film was Clumsy in the making, shy in the facts and was a waste of more than 5 seconds of my life.

Barbarism Begins Before the Opening credits.

[edwarddavenport-45274 · 5/10 · 11 December 2023]

As a die hard Smiths fan, I was really looking forward to this. The trailer was promising, good cast and seemed to have all the makings of a classic.

However....

This is a VERY difficult film to engage with. It's more a pre-Smiths Morrisey biopic than anything to do with The Smiths as a band. It gives a slight nod to Johnny Marr but that's about it. It does capture the period well but the whole thing just feels languid and a bit pointless.

The actors do a fine job and while one can't lay the blame at Jack Lowden's door, the single biggest problem this film has is that Morrisey is such an unlikeable, irritating **** that you almost don't want him to succeed, even though he does.

If you're a Smiths/Morrisey super fan you'll get through it without turning it off but it does leave a lot to be desired.

Side note, it also contains the single most disgusting and downright odd compliment to a female I've ever heard. It involves the word "toothpaste". You've been warned.

I would be amazed if Morrisey sanctioned any of this. He's not known for being super agreeable (and he would probably be the first to admit that) but this doesn't show him in a good light at all.

And Heaven knows I'm Miserable Now

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 5/10 · 6 October 2018]

Yes it was only a matter of time before the life of Stephen Morrissey was brought to the 'big screen' and here it is. Now this is ostensibly about how crud his life was before he started The Smiths with Jonny Marr. Played by a handsome devil in the shape of Jack Lowden - he was in 'Dunkirk'.

It centres around his life in Manchester and his struggles with depression and issues of friendship, trust angst and writing critical letters on the Manc music scene to the NME. All the actors do a good job in their respective roles but is does have a staged quality in places - probably due to the cheap wigs that are sadly a part of period films these days.

It started off quite well and I was hooked then it starts to meander and spends soo much time on how he was miserable and working in jobs he hated - well we have all done that so as a vehicle for escapism it sort of fails. Then just as it was starting to show a glimmer of hope.... The end credits roll or is it reel? Anyway I had that - how soon is now feeling and just said of Director Mark Gill - don't take a bow - sorry not recommended at all.