London Town (2016) Reviews

• A film that is music for the eyes, the ears and the heart!

  katzco-545-814702016-10-12

  Every once in a while a little film, with a tiny budget and a whole lot of heart, comes along and knocks you off your feet. London Town fulfills all the aspects of that category. I won't bother to give you a blow by blow description of the story, that's easily found elsewhere. I will tell you I was more than thoroughly entertained and, since it was a 48 hour rental via my VOD system, I took the opportunity to watch it three times because it was just that good! The film is endearing, funny and the performances are stellar, especially the youngsters. Huttlestone is already on his way as a multi-talent, but Nell Williams was a new revelation for me and she shines here. If for no other reason, you need to see this film for the incredibly brilliant work of Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Joe Strummer. He is simply mesmerizing and delivers a musical performance equal to that of any contemporary or historical rock star. (As a veteran of 7 Stones and 14 WHO concerts, I feel justified in that statement.) Derrick Borte managed to assemble a superb group of musicians to portray the rest of the band and the results are magical. London Town is a special film, with something for everyone to love. Don't miss it!

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• A story of resilience

  Gordon-112016-12-06

  This film tells the story of a teenage boy who faces a series of misfortunes, and ends up having to make a living while taking care of his young sister. He perseveres through the hardship, and meets the famous rock star from The Clash, and his life is changed for the better. People say this film is about music, but I view this film as a film that chronicles how hard life is for people who are not well off. When misfortune strikes, prior don't even lens a hand of support. The boy faces adversity with striking resilience, which I think is a good example to people. I enjoyed watching the film because of this resilient character.

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• Cool first hand story about a kid who gets introduced to The Clash (in more ways than one)

  subxerogravity2016-10-11

  I really liked Jonathan Rhys Meyers in it as Joe Strummer. It was fun to see him play a real lively character as the front man of The Clash. The movie itself is more about how a boy named Shay is influenced by the music of the Clash while going through some hard times. His really hot mom (played by Natascha McElhone) left the family to live the life she wanted, while his father (Played by Dougray Scott), plays the classic stereotype of an adult who forgot what it was like to be young and is shifting too much responsibility on his son. London Town is greatly similar to another Coming-of-Age film, Sing Street (which is a little better), as Shay allows a crush on a punk rock girl to greatly influence his walk down the path of punk, which leads him to meeting Joe Strummer. The film's formula is very direct, and it's focus on punk rock makes it a perfect persona of the early days of the genre. It's a love letter to The Clash any fan would enjoy.

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• Fabulous, humorous, emotional, real.....

  lisajking2016-10-13

  This is a fabulous coming of age story, set against the back drop of London in the 70's and the music of The Clash. The film is cleverly put together with a great mix of humour, emotion, gritty reality and music of The Clash. The acting is superb particularly Daniel Huttlestone as Shay, although little Alice steals the show more than once! Jonathan Rhys Meyers could be Joe Strummer, with his attitude and great voice. It's a movie that makes you think, laugh and cry. A real British film, I have already seen this twice and will happily watch again!

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• Clash of the teenager

  ferguson-62016-10-06

  Greetings again from the darkness. The late 1970's in London were filled with political, social and labor discontent. Director Derrick Borte (The Joneses, 2009) and writer Matt Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity, 2015) use this backdrop, along with some cutting edge music of the era, to tell a coming-of-age story that is enjoyable despite its predictability. Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods) plays 15 year old Shay (not Che) who carries the burden of babysitting for his sister Alice (Anya McKenna-Bruce) and cooking for his two-job dad Nick (Dougray Scott), as he dreams of meeting up with his free-spirited mom Sandrine (Natascha McElhone) who lives a bohemian lifestyle in London. Things start to change for Shay once he receives a package from his mom … his first taste of music from The Clash. Soon enough, Shay finds himself chatting it up on a commuter train with wild girl Vivian (Nell Williams), who generously shares her own music from The Clash, as well as some insight into the band, and even a ticket to their next concert. After the best night of Shay's life, a work accident puts his dad in the hospital, requiring the son to take on even more responsibility. More than a coming of age story, this is what I call "the teenage awakening". Once the world starts opening up to Shay, he begins to question everything. A serendipitous night in the clink with Joe Strummer (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) brings some surprisingly grounded philosophy and guidance. "Some people just burn bright" is a spot-on description of Shay's mom and a lesson to Shay that parents are people too. The movie belongs to Huttlestone, who bounces between responsible young man, bullied teen, and anti-establishment rebel. Ms. Williams is delightful in her role, and JRM brings the necessary hard edge to Strummer. Director Borte has a really nice eye for scenes, but probably was a bit too stingy with Clash tunes. The timing for the film is a bit unfortunate, as it's released in the same year as the similar but superior Sing Street. Still it's an enjoyable little film with enough philosophy sprinkled in that we don't even mind the predictable ending with "I Fought the Law" carrying us to closing credits.

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