Review of The Scouting Book for Boys (2010) by Jonny B — 25 Aug 2010

The film is brilliant, it finds your heart and rips at it throughout. The central performances from Thomas Turgoose and Holly Grainger are truly outstanding, you can relate to them both and understand them all the time.

The story is one of young love, heartbreak and lost childhood. David (Turgoose) and Emily (Grainger) have been best friends since they can remember, they spend all the time together they possibly can, things get complicated when Emily is told she has to move away to go and live with her dad as her mum is clearly not fit to look after a child, distraught she runs away and goes missing.

As the story unfolds we see both characters go through pretty much every emotion there is and drag us through them as well, proving the brilliant work of debut director Tom Harper and helped in no small part by the sublime writing of Jack Thorne, foermerly known for working on the outstanding Skins.

The movie is one so brilliant I put it up there with the other great modern British dramas such as, This is England or Fish Tank and proves that Hollywood can't create as realistic and heartwarming a portrait of childhood as we can this side of the pond! WATCH THIS!