Fisherman's Friends
22/03/19 Filed in: Cinema
After the hard-to-watch drama of The Escape, described in my previous review, Fisherman's Friends is a delightful tale of how a group of Cornish Fishermen became singing superstars thanks to a stag trip prank that had an unexpected outcome.
Four blokes with more money than sense arrive in the Cornish village of Port Isaac as a stag outing for Henry Montague, whose wealthy father owns a mansion nearby. The locals don't have a very high opinion of outsiders in general, and this quartet were never likely to be a great hit. An early encounter with Alwyn, a young local woman, sets the scene as the blokes meet her car bumper to bumper as they drive the wrong way down a one-way street. But this meeting is an important moment for Danny, one of the group, who immediately takes an interest in Alwyn. Back in her car, Alwyn refers to Danny as a tosser, at which her daughter asks her what's a tosser. Hang on to that as it provides a bit of humour later in the film, a film that is replete with humour and some impressive sea shanties.
The incomers' standing in the village falls further after being rescued by the life boat, having become trapped by a rising tide during a paddle boarding escapade. Later, they come across a group of fishermen singing by the harbour. Troy, a music company boss, suggests to Danny that he sign them up, Danny being a music scout working for Troy. This is the prank, although Danny takes Troy seriously. While Danny walks over to meet the fishermen his friends depart, leaving his bag on a wall. They continue to wind him up on their drive home, when Danny phones to enquire where they've parked the car!
There follows a series of hilarious send ups as Danny tries to win the fishermen's respect, including an early morning boat trip that leaves him spewing over the side. And all the while he has eyes for Alwyn, helped by the fact that he takes a room at her B&B, negotiating his way past her initial 'we're full' retort. Danny finally wins the trust of the fishermen, but Troy calls in the joke, leaving Danny high and dry. But things have gone too far, and by now Danny has almost become an honorary villager, and the fishermen's hopes have been raised.
What follows is a story of perseverance as Danny tries to get an opening for his singers, despite Troy, from whom Danny has now parted, blacklisting him among music producers. But an unlikely break results in a viral social media video, after which a producer friend of Danny changes her mind, and gives the boys a shot with a debut album. And as they say, the rest is history.
This is a truly feel-good film, with both humour, romance and pathos. In real life this group suffered a terrible tragedy at the height of their success, noted only by a dedication during the credits. And their success was phenomenal, including an appearance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2011, albeit in the 'early slot'.
So Troy, eat your heart out.
In addition to my usual inclusion of the film trailer, I suggest you first watch this video where the original group are joined by the actors who play them in the film, recorded on the 'Platt' at Port Isaac.
There follows a series of hilarious send ups as Danny tries to win the fishermen's respect, including an early morning boat trip that leaves him spewing over the side. And all the while he has eyes for Alwyn, helped by the fact that he takes a room at her B&B, negotiating his way past her initial 'we're full' retort. Danny finally wins the trust of the fishermen, but Troy calls in the joke, leaving Danny high and dry. But things have gone too far, and by now Danny has almost become an honorary villager, and the fishermen's hopes have been raised.
What follows is a story of perseverance as Danny tries to get an opening for his singers, despite Troy, from whom Danny has now parted, blacklisting him among music producers. But an unlikely break results in a viral social media video, after which a producer friend of Danny changes her mind, and gives the boys a shot with a debut album. And as they say, the rest is history.
This is a truly feel-good film, with both humour, romance and pathos. In real life this group suffered a terrible tragedy at the height of their success, noted only by a dedication during the credits. And their success was phenomenal, including an appearance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2011, albeit in the 'early slot'.
So Troy, eat your heart out.
In addition to my usual inclusion of the film trailer, I suggest you first watch this video where the original group are joined by the actors who play them in the film, recorded on the 'Platt' at Port Isaac.