Stereotypically, this is one of those made-in-the-’90s, made-for-TV films with before-they-were-famous actors, and not worth your while. And, mostly, it is. Ewan McGregor fans should enjoy this about as much as I enjoyed LA Without a Map (David Tennant), and Starter For Ten (James McAvoy) – time killers with eye candy (Johnny Depp’s also in LAWAM, looking particularly gorgeous, I must say. Second scene shown there explains the whole plot… I know).
Yet, I wouldn’t be writing this review if I thought it was only a time killer. Perhaps I’m biased because the plot is centred around music, maybe it’s because it’s got that Life On Mars-like northern charm (or lack of it), or maybe it’s because Ewan McGregor is so darn CUTE in it, but Brassed Off was pretty good. Set in the north, it tells a story (or many stories, really) of the time when Margaret Thatcher started closing down the mines in England, causing hundreds of thousands of jobs to be lost. Although the undercurrent is very political, the film instead focuses on the miners’ brass band. With the mine’s imminent closure, most of the members are set on pulling out of the band, until Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald), who grew up in the town, returns for her job, and joins the band. Of course, most of the band choose to stay on temporarily because she has legs and tits, but when she first plays her flugelhorn (it’s an instrument, trust me), it turns out she’s amazing, and they decide to take part in various competitions with money prizes – a huge incentive when you see how poor all the characters are. Being childhood sweethearts, Gloria and Andy (Ewan McGregor) have to fall in love again, but rather predictably things get more than a little complicated when it turns out that she works for the council, who are closing the mines down.
Yet the ever-so-slightly crap storyline is made up for by the wonderful use of music. There are great, funny, and heartbreaking scenes where the music of the brass band plays a huge part. The best scenes are when important performances are interspersed with shots of climactic decisions being made, as in this scene, my favourite. Gloria has just joined the band and agrees to play for them, as the council decide to put the offer of a huge redundancy sum to the miners, if they vote for pit closure – something they’d find hard to refuse.
So, I wouldn’t say that you had to go out and buy this movie immediately. I wouldn’t even say rent it, but if it comes on TV or you see it on the internet, then watch it. It’s a great insight into life in Britain at that time, a pretty good story, and very well made.
Tags: brassed off, David Tennant, Ewan McGregor, James McAvoy, movie, Music, Pete Postlethwaite, Review, Tara Fitzgerald