There's Only One Jimmy Grimble (2000)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

John Hay

Writers:

Rik Carmichael (writer)
John Hay (writer)

Release Date:

25 August 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

and no substitute for life

Plot:

Jimmy Grimble is a shy Manchester school boy. At school he is constantly being bullied by the other kids...

Plot Keywords:

Profanity | Coming Of Age | Tombstone | Harley Davidson | Locker Room

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Lewis McKenzie	...	Jimmy Grimble
Jane Lapotaire	...	Alice Brewer
Gina McKee	...	Donna
Ben Miller	...	Johnny Two Dogs
Wayne Galtrey	...	Walkway Kid
Ciaran Griffiths	...	Psycho
Bobby Power	...	'Gorgeous' Gordon Burley
Robert Carlyle	...	Eric Wirral
Samia Smith	...	Sara (as Samia Ghadie)
Antony Marsh	...	Crane (as Anthony Marsh)
Sean Delaney	...	Brick
Charles Denton	...	The Cat
Azmier Ahmed	...	Elvis
John McArdle	...	Headmaster
Ann Aris	...	Governor 1

Also Known As:

Jimmy Grimble (France)

Runtime:

106 min | Germany:98 min (TV version)

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:LH | Norway:11 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company:

Arts Council of England

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)

Soundtrack:

The Only One I Know

Excellent - more than just a sports film

The film is, by and large, absorbing. It is not simply a film about football although it is similar in some ways to the comic strip "Billy's Boots" that was in a now defunct football comic called the Scorcher.

It does however, go beyond this. It becomes clear that the boots themselves have no inherent power but simply act as a mental focus for the title character. Jimmys life in general is pretty grim and his football dreams provide something of a release. The film in this way provides an element of social commentary.

The only slight fault is one that occurs in most films about football (soccer)and that is the depiction of the game itself. How does one choreograph a football game? Passes, shots and even fouls seem artificial. Sometimes, as for example in "When Saturday Comes", actual game footage is spliced in, albeit not very well at others it is simply staged. This film appears to leave it all to choreography. I have yet to see a soccer film with a satisfactory depiction of the actual match action.

This is however, a relatively small matter in the context of the film. All in all it is an absorbing film and something of a modern day fairytale.