That Sinking Feeling (1979) User Reviews

Probably best viewed by Scots of a "certain" age!

[Rocksterious · 8/10 · 15 April 2006]

WARNING: My comments should be regarded as - a sad old sod's musings on a movie remembered fondly from his youth! I'm not going to dissect the movie scene by scene. I won't compare Forsyth's earlier works with his best known or "finest" moments. I'm not even going to discuss any particular aspect of the film! Not the setting, the story, the dialogue, not even the individual performances! I'm simply going to say that I remember watching this movie (with my family) on TV back in the early eighties and laughing so hard it actually hurt! I have no idea if it has aged well or not because I haven't seen it in over 20 years but I will say this in it's favour/defence, "That Sinking Feeling" gave Glasgow a voice and a character that's rarely been heard before nor since! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Glaswegian so I have no personal axe to grind in that respect, I just feel that the human face of Glasgow (or Scotland for that matter) hasn't been depicted quite so sympathetically as in this movie. It seems to me that, when contemporary filmmakers try to present an "honest" depiction of the Glaswegian he tends to go for the "gritty realism" of the drunk or the druggie or the wife beating hard-man! That Sinking Feeling took a different tack and demonstrated the dry Scottish humour we all recognise (even more-so, we natives of Scotland) and perhaps that's why we seem to remember it so fondly. Anyway, if you can find a copy, watch it! Just don't expect any cool CG effects or Seinfeldesque banter, just good clean working class urban banality and the comedic observations you'd expect from a good clean working class director feeling his way!

Incidentally, sometime back in 1992/3 I met the redheaded actor (shamefully I can't recall his name right now) from "That Sinking Feeling" working in Stirling castle, conducting tours and the like! Not only does he star in one of my favourite productions, he is also an all round, really nice guy!

Bonus!

Dubbing is an insult.

[txswanie · 7/10 · 10 March 2007]

I actually love this film but perhaps thats because I grew up in Scotland in the 70's and it does have a lot of "in" jokes which foreign audiences could easily pass by. Sadly, this film was ruined by the completely hideous dubbing. It saddens me that the director allowed this to happen. I know that people say "but we cant understand the accent" well thats their fault, not the films. No one would have dreamed of dubbing Trainspotting so why ruin what is actually a charming and funny movie. Subtitles would have been insulting enough but at least you can turn them off. Yes, the editing is bad and the film quality is grainy but I think that represents the depressed times and the amateurish robbery plot. Perhaps I am over thinking that, maybe they were just being cheap. I don't care, I still love it. Do yourself a favour and watch the original.

There must be more to life than commiting suicide!

[thecargreencowboy · 8/10 · 9 May 2003]

I love this film, and it is such a shame that anything he did post local hero didn't capture any of this. How many films have a character trying to drown himself in a bowl of cornflakes, a police radio only used for ordering cream buns, a lad pretending to buy a television just to scav a ciggies. Lines like 'multiple social deprivation' actually make you laugh. Kids selling ciggies. A youngster boasting of his o-levels in front of a statue. A car which is not a car. It is funny without being patronising. Watch it, it is shown now and then on Channel five in the daytime.

Delightfully absurd

[escoles · 4 July 2000]

You know you're in for something a little unusual when, early on, a character starts vehemently lecturing a war-hero's statue about the importance of good exam scores....

This movie succeeds because even at its most absurd, it never loses balance on the fine line between taking itself too seriously and not seriously enough.

"The Killing" As Directed by Monty Python

[Sturgeon54 · 7/10 · 28 August 2005]

This debut film from Scottish film comedian Bill Forsyth is decent non-think entertainment. It has the low-budget charm of a student film, which can be its asset or liability, depending on how you look at it. Really, it's hard to envision this same low-key robbery story filmed in a bigger budget studio style. However, it's flaws are quite evident. It has a very choppy editing style, with each scene encompassing a different joke - similar to Monty Python short sketches. The storyline never really jells together, and unlike Forsyth's more polished later films, there's not much character development to speak of. The script has plenty of sharp one-liners, but few really great shakes.

As a gestation of the kind of stellar comedic talent Forsyth was to become in a few years, this movie is worth taking a look at. I did find myself laughing quite a few times, and am sure you will find some reasons to enjoy this, also.

All it needs is the taps.

[fostrhod · 6/10 · 27 December 2020]

What's not to like. Film making at its most pure. The first first feature by Bill Forsyth and starring kids from the local Glasgow youth theatre.

Hilarious farce about a gang of unemployed misfits trying to escape their dull, boring and pointless lives in Glasgow, through robbing.

[albaaquarian · 9/10 · 26 February 2007]

Excellent! Some of the scenes/dialogue in this film are side-splitting! They are so ridiculous, pathetic and stupid - that it's comedy genius! - The 'Boss' trying to get the the gangs attention at a meeting ("Will ye shut-up and geez yer attention!"); one of the gang members is arguing with a young girl who's hanging up her washing ("Where's Australia?"); The Baker/Van Driver in the baker's shop picking up his order ("Cream Puffs?" - "Twelve." ...) etc. The film doesn't paint a very nice picture of Glasgow (dull, drab, raining), but the characters are full of colour. I 'think' the film wains a bit towards the end, but it's still brilliant viewing!!

there is a smile lurking somewhere and despite the constant rain a feeling of warmth for the whole enterprise

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 5 March 2021]

I found this very difficult at first with unfunny jokes and a rather embarrassing ineptitude on display. Gradually, however, things got not so bad. Most likely shot in sequence it was probably asking too much of young and inexperienced Robert Buchanan to perform those somewhat dodgy early soliloquays and it is evident that as the film progresses, so does his confidence and quality of performance. Similarly as the plot unfolds we get to find the various youngsters more appealing and able to adjust to both the situation and the strong accents. Such a culture shock at first it is only afterwards one can fully appreciate the many endearing and amusing touches. The young girl bouncing a ball is on hand to lend a cigarette and provide a light between bounces. A seemingly weird sequence to an electrical shop to listen to some sales pitch only makes sense when viewed as a way to get a free cigarette and so on. By the end, although still stunned at the audacity of much of this uncompromising and in your face 'naturalism' there is a smile lurking somewhere and despite the constant rain a feeling of warmth for the whole enterprise. Added bonus for anyone who knows Glasgow is that this is mostly filmed on location in and around the city and shows much of the old industrial buildings and canal as it was in the late 70s.

Weirdly funny surreal comedy

[almagill · 9/10 · 4 December 1999]

Full of (then) unknown actors TSF is a great big cuddly romp of a film.

The idea of a bunch of bored teenagers ripping off the local sink factory is odd enough, but add in the black humour that Forsyth & Co are so good at and your in for a real treat.

The comatose van driver by itself worth seeing, and the canal side chase is just too real to be anything but funny.

And for anyone who lived in Glasgow it's a great "Oh I know where that is" film.

Silly And Episodic Comedy

[Theo Robertson · 3/10 · 5 January 2005]

I remember the Monday morning after THAT SINKING FEELING received its first broadcast on British television in 1982 , all my classmates were discussing it: " Did you see that bit where the guy said ... " and I remember thinking that my peers had been watching another film because I recalled distinctly hating it .

The problem I had was the very episodic nature of the movie . THAT SINKING FEELING feels like 90 minutes of self contained sketches rather than a feature length comedy , and maybe this is why everyone was discussing " That bit where .... " it's really not the most cohesive screenplay you'll see . Secondly as a comedy it's made the cardinal sin of being silly rather than funny . The plot revolves around a group of Glasgow teenagers wanting to commit a heist but we see them getting beaten up by children and not having enough money to buy a cup of tea in a cafe , the point is spelled out in far too bold letters that these are pathetic criminals as if we didn't know this . There's also a joke where two characters are discussing the robbery they're going to pull when one exclaims " Let's get out of here , it's like a public park " The camera then pulls away to indeed show the conversation was taking place in a public park . If the joke was lame it was rendered even lamer still by the fact the camera isn't locked on the actors close enough before the joke was revealed , we knew they were sitting on a park bench long before the punch line !

Maybe I shouldn't be too hard since Bill Forsyth has made a successful guerilla film , but I should point out to people reading this page before seeing the movie that Bill Forsyth is a very idiosyncratic film maker whose movies lack a universal appeal , that's probably why we hear so little from him these days

Really funny, if you love Scottish based comedy.

[hamfast · 8/10 · 8 May 2000]

Great comedy for those who like the Scottish spirit and sense of humor. Fairly low budget look doesn't hinder the film except for the sound track. Lot's of memorable scenes and quotes. I enjoyed it for the characters and not so much for the look or the sound.

What a waste of celluloid!

[susanxx-76-348573 · 1/10 · 4 July 2021]

I am struggling to find anything remotely positive or interesting about this film.

Its cheap, its nasty, its hard to understand half of the dialogue and obviously, by now, its extremely dated. The characters are plain stupid, as is the storyline.

Do not waste your time on this absolute drivel.

A Jolly Good Time! (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 8/10 · 5 May 2005]

Mistakenly lured by the cast listing of John Hughes who turned out not to be the one I was expecting, I'm glad I had an opportunity to see this forgotten, low budget British comedy.

This was a great absurdist comedy about a bunch of working class (and some unemployed) young British (and Scottish) lads who decide that a good way out of their persistent daily slump is to break into a warehouse and steal its stock of stainless steel sinks, for which they could make a killing on. The entire movie is pretty much introducing you to their misery (in a humorous manner, no less) and then the planning (which is quite amusing). For an extremely low budget with a sometimes difficult to discern dialog (poor audio, though there is some noticeable re-dubbing), I was pleasantly surprised, especially after being disappointed with director Bill Forsyth's American comedy, "Breaking In." Here, you have a pleasant cast of assorted (and somewhat clueless, but well-meaning) young guys and their rather innocuous, but desperate attempt, to make some money. Check it out if you can find it.

a little gem of a movie

[mw1561 · 4 December 2009]

I saw this film a few weeks ago on television. Not expecting much, I was completely taken with it. It is a charming, poignant and funny story that takes place in working-class Glascow. What could have been a story about despair, unemployment, bleak prospects and rage against the system turned into a delightful caper film. The director obviously has a lot of love for the city of Glascow, and it shows itself at every turn I won't give the plot away except to say that this film is proof that you don't need a big budget, special effects, gratuitous violence and drawn-out car chases to make a wonderful film.

Two little things stand out in my mind. The 2 youths who break into an impromptu singing of the Sex Pistols' "Holiday in the Sun" when asked they they were planning to go after the caper, and the doctor, who when predicting life in 2069 remarks that "Partick Thistle" will have won the European Cup". You have to know a little about football (soccer) to appreciate the humor in that. Speaking of football, we never did find out if the characters in the film were from the "green half" or "blue half" of Glascow. Pity that, but it does not detract from a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. I highly recommend this film.

Down The Drain

[Lejink · 8/10 · 11 September 2020]

A film well remembered from my youth, the first full feature from writer / director Bill Forsyth who later achieved greater success with films like "Gregory's Girl", "Comfort And Joy" and especially "Local Hero" before he "went Hollywood" and paradoxically lost his way.

Here, on a miniscule budget and working with young fledgling actors, he delivers a refreshing and often very funny comedy, set in and around a Glasgow I remember very well from the late 1970's, rainy, run-down and awaiting regeneration while its own young generation struggled to find jobs and earn money in Jim Callaghan's "Crisis What Crisis" Britain. I wouldn't say it was absolutely essential to be Scots or in particular Glasgow-born to get the situations and humour but it probably helps, particularly with the everyday Glasgow accents uttered by every character here.

The plot is a simple one, unemployed teenager Ronnie, after a failed attempt at suicide with cornflakes and milk, concocts a foolproof plan to make money for him and his small coterie of like-minded on-the-dolers. It simply involves relieving a local warehouse of a supply of kitchen sinks which sell for big money on the open market. This plan involves procuring a getaway van which turns out to belong to the local bakery but which comes with its near comatose driver who's been knocked out by a concoction of drugs put in his tea and also diverting the security man with two of the boys dragging up and leading the randy guard away, if not quite astray.

Shot in recognisable locations of the city at the time, the film is an absolute delight. The gags are quick and genuinely funny, my absolute favourite being the "Definitely no chocolate doughnuts" police A. P. B. Which goes out when the gang accidentally steals another bakery van. There are sight gags, running gags, gentle gender-bending gags and lots of local scenery besides for a nostalgist like me to recall.

One or two of the young actors unsurprisingly come across as a little nervous and therefore unnatural in front of the camera but in the main, they all perform ably. I personally believe that Forsyth never topped what he achieved here. My main carp would probably be the cheap and somewhat incongruous cocktail jazz soundtrack which often fills up the background and sounds as if it was flown in from U. S. sitcoms of the day like "Soap" or "Taxi" but otherwise Forsyth shows it's possible to create comedy gold in a film without throwing the kitchen sink at it.

Scottish director Bill Forsyth describes the travails of Glasgow's impoverished youth.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 10/10 · 6 August 2015]

No genuine film aficionado has remained ignorant about one of British cinema's best films "Local Hero". It was one of the few films which spoke about a man's true calling in an absurd world where commercial interests had to be accorded priority over family as well as personal interests. It was a véritable plaidoyer for a common man's desire to preserve nature at all costs. Although "That sinking feeling" does not have too much of a common "environmental concern" with "Local Hero", it continues to give immense popularity to its Scottish director Bill Forsyth. He was just 33 years old when he made his début as a film director to speak about worthless lives of some Glasgow city's youngsters. Plenty of laughter is guaranteed in this film as some wacky, young boys devise ingenuous plans to carry out one of the most unusual heists in the history of cinema. It is important to note that "That Sinking Feeling" is set in Bill's hometown Glasgow, a city which has changed a lot in last three decades. If there is somebody who gave a new meaning to 'Kitchen sink comedy' in English cinema then Bill Forsyth's name needs to be remembered. Lastly, some sequences with Scottish accents might be viewed by some viewers as a minor constraint but intelligent viewers would not allow themselves to be disappointed by choosing to watch it with English subtitles.

Brilliantly Observed Gem

[Sumpmonster · 9/10 · 29 November 2020]

I was in the UK and caught this crcking little movie. Igonore the production standards and the ropey plot (it's comedy!) that make it look and sound af it's been shot on a Super 8 cine camera. Considering there was no budget this works because of keen scripting, natural actors and understated situational observation. It's hard not to love this movie. The scene where they talk about disabling the factory fire alarm is short, but absolutely brilliant and reminescent of a chargehand that I used to work with from the West of Scotland many years ago. It's a real pity Bill Forsyth's subtle and indirect humour didn't bring hom greater success, but I don't think he ever made a bad movie.

Thought Provoking.

[crumpytv · 8/10 · 5 April 2021]

I enjoyed all the humour, silly plot and performances by the very young cast.

A low budget doubtful quality film, but eminently watchable.

I felt an underlying felling of hopelessness of living in 1970s Glasgow and all that was left for the youth of the time was to try and generate some excitement by the most ridiculous of means. They were hardly going to make a fortune and yet that is the point. A fortune to them was anything more than they had.

The most ridiculous heist film ever made.

[plan99 · 10/10 · 15 October 2021]

Which is why I give it a well deserved ten. Those who have given this a low score have failed to realise what it's all about. The usual team of sophisticated heisters armed with many high tech gadgets are replaced by a bunch of idiots with no high tech gadgets. Rather that target gold bullion or some other type of very high value item that's easily transported the clowns in this film go for for a large quantity stainless steel sinks. Rather than have a fancy escape vehicle they have a baker's van. Towards the end it becomes clear why the youngest gang member is repeatedly climbing a slide in a park and going down it. This film is a spoof for those who have yet to reach this obvious conclusion.

"There's got to be more to life than committing suicide."

[Alba_Of_Smeg · 12 September 2020]

6 minutes in and one of the lads was talking about his recent and rather lackadaisical suicide attempt involving a spoonful of cornflakes and holding his nose. Brilliant lol! A lot of the dialogue is very quotable and the comedy is pretty damn dark at times. Not every joke and gag lands though and the acting is quite awkward throughout. I enjoyed this film but it has dated CONSIDERABLY and I don't think many outside of Scotland would give it the time of day.