This is definitely something that wouldn't have gotten over on a big screen in the USA. The film is the story of a Colliery band, at a time when the coal mine that feeds all of them is shutting down. The deep part of the mine is never shown, however there are several shower scenes of all of the male actors bare-arsed to the camera. (finally, a movie with male nudity but not naked women!)

A former local girl named Gloria Mullins (Tara Fitzgerald) comes back from the South, aka the London area, for employment. She's the granddaughter of a former band leader, and still plays a flugelhorn herself. She ends up joining the colliery band, a brass band that is traditional in British mining areas. There she meets her junior high sweetheart (Ewan McGregor) who is playing trumpet in the band. Sparks, of course, fly.

But all is not well in Grimley, the name alone of which should give you a clue. The coal mine is facing shutdown, even though it is still a profitable concern. This means the band's survival is threatened as well.

Just to stir the pot, we meet the bandleader, Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) whose entire life is the band. He is dying from miner's lung, and is trying to hide it as long as possible from everyone. His son Phil, played by Stephen Tompkinson, is in debt up to his eyebrows or higher and has a wife, four kids, and a worn-out trombone. The home situation, needless to say, is not good.

Pete's desire to get to the finals in London proves infectious enough that even those who want to quit the band keep coming back to practice. They muff one competition, but win their next one. After the bus ride back, Danny collapses and ends up in the ICU. In the meantime, Phil's furniture is repossessed by some loansharks, his electricity is cut off, and his wife takes the kids and leaves him.

Gloria, it turns out, is being paid to do a viability study by the coal company. It will be used, she finds out, for nothing whatsoever since it was decided to close the place down two years before she was even hired. This gets her kicked out of the band, and out of Ewan McGregor's bed. For the time being, anyway....

Meanwhile, Phil has been doing turns as a birthday party clown. He's a bumbler at this too, although the kids don't seem to mind. He takes on one show too many, however, and breaks into a political rant that gets him shown the door. Later on, he more or less tries to hang himself from a high piece of equipment at the mine. He doesn't manage that either, and ends up on a bench at the same hospital taking care of his father.

The band decides to play one last gig, and plays "Danny Boy" under the Danny's window at the hospital. The movie should have ended there, but the directors wanted a happier ending, I guess.

To make a long story short, they end up winning the national competition in London, complete with Gloria. Danny breaks himself out of the hospital in time to be backstage for the final performance. Phil's wife and children are in the audience, and they reunite. The miners, however are still laid off as the mine is staying closed. Andy and Gloria end up together, at least for now.

The best performance in this, in my not so humble opinion, was Stephen Tompkinson's. McGregor got top billing, but the character of Phil was the most believable of the lot.
He had the accent dead on, for one, and the sad sack mannerisms for another. The rest of the cast were good, but he was special. [feel free to disagree of course]


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older