Not as it first appears !

Rating: Null/10 (4 April 2001)

Having just seen this film for the second time i feel compelled to comment on it. Now I've discussed this with several people and most disagree but I think that theres just way too much bad language appearing gratuitously in it. Now I know its set in the miners strike ( my brother was a miner ) and that its set in the grittier end of the North East but i still can't help feeling that there are parts of it that are over the top on the language front.
I mean how many Ballet teachers are you aware of that swear like a trooper especially in front of an alleged child prodigy .....
Anyway thats my bugbear with the movie which otherwise is a nice, if somewhat formulaic, movie dealing with the raw emotion of growing up in a mixed and uncertain childhood with your mother dead, your breadwinners on strike, and your Grandmother in the advanced stages of Alzheimers, and you suddenly discover a passion for an activity thats as alien to your loved ones as "Enjoying" a Rambo movie is to me. I particularly like the way "Billy" recites his Mothers letter verbatim in an almost uninterested voice without any emotion as your average misunderstood 13 year old would. Big thumbs up for the soundtrack too.