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  Matt
  
Willis
There's Only One Jimmy Grimble
UK, 2000
[John Hay]
Lewis McKenzie, Robert Carlyle, Gina McKee, Ray Winstone, John Henshaw
Drama / Sports
  
Good British films are a rare breed indeed, my opposition to the utter rubbish that constitutes the vast majority of our output is well documented, and good British films that don�t include either Danny Boyle or Guy Ritchie are practically unheard of in the past 10 years. There�s Only One Jimmy Grimble therefore is an amazing exception as it manages to combine child actors, the usual sporting guff of the loser kid becoming the best player on the team, and some kind of ridiculous magical football boots idea, into an enjoyable and worthwhile film. Digging deeper than the title and plot suggest you find a deep and surprisingly original movie, and the quality of the cast backs up this unusual revelation. Not content with casting Robert Carlyle as the put-upon football coach of the fictional Manchester school, you can also find the shockingly sexy Gina McKee as Jimmy�s mother, Ray Winstone as her one-time boyfriend and that fat bloke from �The Cops�, John Henshaw, as the local businessman and former Crewe Alexandria player who is putting up the money for the schools new sports hall on the condition that the team reach the schools cup final.

So, really, you have all the makings of the usual fairytale kiddie fair. The boy who goes from zero to hero, the coach struggling to come to terms with the demons from his past, the single mother (with the annoying new boyfriend), the old flame who may or may not be the answer to her problems, the old lady with the seemingly supernatural boots, and the dodgy businessman whose generous offer comes with more than a few strings attached. On the face of it, not too promising is it. However, what isn�t revealed until you start watching, is that the film mostly revolves around Jimmy himself, quite excellently played by the small and nervous looking Lewis McKenzie. Perennially a substitute for the football team, despite being a good footballer, he complains dejectedly about not being able to perform in front of people, �I'm just cack, it�s me neurones�. Bullied by the team�s best player, �Gorgeous� Gordon Burley for being small, wimpy and a Manchester City supporter he retreats back into his shell until after one perilously close encounter he escapes into a run-down house and meets up with a strange old lady (Lapotaire), who gives him some boots she claims were once worn by Man City legend Robbie Brewer. After his new boots are, er, lost he is forced to use these enchanted 50�s throwbacks and, well, you can figure it out I�m sure.

It�s the films setting and characters that are its most valuable asset. London is eschewed in favour of the more gritty setting of Manchester and the rivalry of its two teams, United and City, and it pays off. Jimmy�s choosing of City to support is mocked by his classmates and contributes to his unpopularity, but it�s all part of the underlying strength he has and which he needs to succeed once he is given his chance. The triangular relationship of McKee, Winstone and Ben Miller as her worthless boyfriend is surprising and the film pulls no punches. Normally it would be the football coach that would woo the single mother, but in this case it is Winstone�s character, Harry, a man who is already married, albeit unhappily. That his impact on the families lives is immense, and that he brings both Jimmy and his mother great happiness, does little to cover his marital transgressions. Yet the film lets you make up your own mind as to the decency of his choices. Carlyle�s character, Eric Wirral, is also quite surprising as despite his top billing he�s little more than a fringe character, at least at first. The revelations of who he is, or was, lead to as great a transformation of his fortunes as those of Jimmy, and we are naturally left waiting till the final act to find out the reasons why what happened to him happened.

There�s Only One Jimmy Grimble is a film that surprises, that draws the viewer in with its combination of the expected and the revealing. That it is British is also a shock as I may well have to rethink my views on this countries output should more films like this be uncovered. It is surely only a matter of time before some lazy Hollywood hack snaps it up and transforms it into a teen rights of passage movie about Baseball, or some such other ludicrous non-sport.
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