Review of There's Only One Jimmy Grimble (2000) by Alison O — 12 May 2010

Best in Show: Lewis McKenzie.

One for the future: Lewis McKenzie.

Stand-out scene: first goal.

Brainer or no-brainer: No brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: One.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

TV.

The inclusion of Robert Carlyle in the cast draws your attention to the fact that this is another 'this year's Full Monty' attempt from the British film industry. While attempts should be being made to re-write the formula (cf. Dog Soldiers and Shaun of the Dead) instead what we get are lame efforts like this that once seen are immediately forgotten. With the calibre of a cast that includes Gina McKee (potentially one of this country's greatest actresses but consistently let down by poor material), Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone you would have thought that there'd be a degree of quality control at work here. Jimmy Grimble is a bullied Manchester schoolboy who dreams of success on the football pitch but suffers from a lack of self-confidence at key moments. A chance encounter with a lady tramp in a derelict building leads to him obtaining a pair of battered football boots. The said footwear have a miraculous effect on Grimble's goalscoring abilities and he's transformed from zero to hero when one swipe of his boot sees him score from in the middle of his own half. So far, so familiar and almost every cliche in the book is drawn out through the fairly painful course of this movie. That said, there are some plus points; Lewis McKenzie shows promise in the title role and there's a fair amount of Man Utd bashing going on (Grimble is staunchly City, well he is from Manchester after all).