Review of Beautiful Thing (1996) by The Critic ( — 30 Jun 2012

This gem about adolescent homosexuality may - in its broader context - not offer anything that hasn't been seen before, but it knows how to have fun and, at the same time, doesn't stray from reality (except perhaps from the romanticised conclusion).

The script by Jonathan Harvey (adapted from his own stage play) is humane and touching, funny and relatable. Director Hettie Macdonald's style is ideally restraint, preventing the excellent cast - made up of predominantly newcomers to the big screen whose experiences lay in theatre, television, and even radio - from entering into melodrama.

As the central mother figure of the piece, Linda Henry is absolutely suburb; a strong-willed and likeable character whose relationship with Ben Daniels' loveable hippy is nice portrayed. As the Mama Cass-obsessed young neighbour, Tameka Empson is a delicious find that shouldn't go unnoticed.

And as for our love-bound protagonists, Glen Berry and Scott Neal are in top form here. The journey these two lads undertake in discovering who they really are - and struggling with the thought of its inevitable consequences - is, indeed, a very beautiful thing.

A classy blue-collared love story.