Written by Piers Ashworth, Meg Leonard and Nick Moorcroft
Directed by Chris Foggin
Starring James Purefoy, Meadow Nobrega and David Hayman
Running time: 1 hour and 52 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 for some strong language, and suggestive references.

by Fiona Underhill

The UK has a fine tradition of heart-warming ensemble comedy-dramas based on true stories. They come in two main categories – The first category is groups of people who are struggling or dissatisfied with life come together to do something good for themselves and others; The Full Monty (1997), Calendar Girls (2003), Kinky Boots (2005), Swimming with Men (2018) and Military Wives (2019). The other category is more political and therefore usually has a bit more bite; Brassed Off (1996), Made in Dagenham (2010), Pride (2014) and Misbehaviour (2020). At least five of these have also been adapted into West-End musicals. As you can see, there has been something of a resurgence of this genre in recent years, perhaps because we currently need heart-warming underdog stories.

The opening two minutes of Fisherman’s Friends replicates the experience of sliding into a warm bath – a beautifully harmonized sea shanty plays, there are stunning aerial shots of a Cornish fishing village, we then hear the Shipping Forecast (very much its own brand of soothing ASMR) and we’re introduced to James Purefoy in a chunky knit and salt-and-pepper beard being referred to as “granfer” (Cornish dialect for grandfather). It immediately relaxes the viewer – which is something we could surely all do with at the moment. Admittedly, I am very susceptible to the particular dish we are being served here because it invokes nostalgia (I grew up with my parents listening to BBC Radio 4 in the car, which played the shipping forecast regularly) and homesickness (my mother lives in a small coastal town in Devon, the neighboring county to Cornwall). So, I was weak and vulnerable to an attack from this calmly cozy cuddle of a film - your mood may vary.

Daniel Mays plays Danny – a record executive who goes to Port Isaac, Cornwall for a “stag” (bachelor) weekend with a group of friends including Troy (Noel Clarke). While there, their car almost crashes into Alwyn (Tuppence Middleton) and she and the rest of the locals do not react kindly to being invaded by a bunch of Londoners. During the weekend, they stumble across ten local fishermen including Alwyn’s father Jim (Purefoy), her grandfather Jago (David Hayman), Leadville (I Daniel Blake’s Dave Johns) and Rowan (Sam Swainsbury) singing traditional folk-songs and sea shanties on the harbor. Troy and the others head back to London and tell Danny to sign the group up to their record label. There is a sub-plot surrounding that most central and crucial of fixtures in an English village – the pub. In this case, The Golden Lion, where Alwyn’s Mother Maggie is a barmaid and Rowan and his wife Sally (Mae Voogd) are the owners. They are in financial trouble and risk losing the pub to someone who will turn it into a gourmet restaurant or boutique hotel. There are many elements that are reminiscent of Bill Forsyth’s sublime Local Hero (as discussed in a recent episode of I Saw it in a Movie).

Daniel Mays is an excellent British actor who has appeared in two of the other films in this genre (Made in Dagenham and Swimming with Men) as well as small roles in Hollywood films such as The Adventures of Tintin, Rogue One and 1917. He’s very good at walking the line between comedy and drama. Tuppence Middleton has appeared in Black Mirror, Disappearance at Clifton Hill and in the upcoming Sundance hit Possessor. She does a good job here of showing a journey from being reluctant to trust an outsider to a burgeoning romance with Danny. The one bum-note in the whole film is making Noel Clarke (a good actor and filmmaker) American for some reason (complete with shaky accent) and there is an uncomfortable moment when he sees the group for the first time that will probably not play well with an American audience.

There is, over-all, much to be enjoyed about a mostly low-stakes drama in which humble, simple “country folk” get their fifteen minutes of fame and success. The British film industry does enjoy exploiting feel-good yarns of working class underdogs and there is possibly a lot to unpack there that we don’t have time for in a review. They are the “on a lighter note” fluff-pieces that come at the end of a news bulletin or to pad out a newspaper and obviously are a shiny veneer that hide the actual problems underneath. However, as I said at the start - with the way the world is at the moment, there is something to be said for a heartwarming story which is as light-as-a-feather and a distraction from the real world. It’s worth remembering the bright spots of humanity at the moment, especially if they come with songs, sea and just the right amount of sentimentality.

Available on demand July 24.