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 Lethal Weapon (1987)

Soundtrack:

Kinky Afro

Average sports drama that shines in parts

Young, bullied, unconfident, Manchester teenager Jimmy Grimble (Lewis Mckenzie)is all of these. However, when he is given a pair of old football boots his luck changes and he is transformed into a football boy wonder.

This is worth a watch, it has many of the familiar sports film clichés but is still a somewhat touching tale with a fine cast and fairly good cinematography. Typical sports films usually follow the same type of formula as far as I can see:

1.A team or person are lousy at the sport they play.

2.Along comes a factor in the equation to start to change this. For example an excellent or determined coach to change their fortunes.

3.The team still are'nt winning at first but they have more spirit and are improving. Eventually they win their first game or achieve something in the sport they have'nt before.

4. The coach has a love interest with a players Mum or teacher in Disney sports films. Or a player finds a love interest or struggles in his or her love life.

5. The team enter a competition and win their first game.

6.There are personal problems along the way with players, the coach etc.

7. Eventually the team gets to the final stage of the competition and after a terrible start to the game they look like losing. However, there is a determined fight back and they end up winning, shock horror, who could have predicted that!!

OK, so perhaps this is not the formula for all sports films but some or all of the factors are involved in most. Jimmy Grimble is no exception but I still enjoyed it more than others. The lead performs his part well and the coach is played well by Robert Carlyle who is in a rather subdued role for a change. Overall, this is watchable, even if you don't like football you should get some enjoyment out of it.

Average effort but entertaining enough