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Take The Full Monty, add a sharper emotional edge, and replace the strutting strippers with a dignified British band. That's the essence of Brassed Off, a bittersweet gem released in 1996, a year before its more popular (and Oscar-nominated) counterpart. In the Yorkshire town of Grimley, there has always been a coal mine, just as for the last 111 years there has been a brass band, and it seems that Danny (the wondrous Pete Postlethwaite) has been the director for every one of those years.Tory economic policies, however, are closing coal mines around the country in favor of nuclear power, and Grimley appears to be next on the list.Danny is unfazed by the threat, claiming, "It's music that matters."But some of the men are about to quit the band until the appearance of Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald at her most radiant), who dazzles the all-male group (including old flame Andy, played by Ewan McGregor) first with her beauty, then with her flügelhorn playing. The new member gives the band a boost as they continue to perform and compete, but closure remains very real, as director Mark Herman (Little Voice) accompanies the band's performances (played with gusto by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band) with scenes of angry labor-management confrontations and family strife.In this context, some of the characters claim that the music is an irresponsible form of escapism.It becomes clear, however, from a touching performance of "Danny Boy" to the stirring conclusion at Royal Albert Hall, that music is an expression of the human spirit, a bit of beauty and sanity in a harsh world. With defiance, the band can play "Land of Hope and Glory," even when the land offers them neither. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (59)

For Lovers of Left Wing Politics, and/or Brass Bands
It is not surprising that the American marketing blurbs found on the cover of the DVD, and during the advertising accompanying the US theatrical release had nothing to do with the actual movie. The movie juxtaposed two themes which would be poison at the US box office--political commentary (actually a shrill and irrational attack on the economic policies which restored England to economic health) and the joys of community bands.

This movie is greatly beloved by amatuer musicians, and presumably also by extreme leftists.

The reality is the movie is a beautifully contrived story, with plenty of human emotion, interesting characters which we really come to care about, and lots of terrific band music.

For an old bandy like me, the music really makes the movie, and it will go to the head of the list of great band movies, including:

The Stars and Stripes Forever (the only Hollywood movie where the tuba player gets the beautiful girl)

The Music Man

Mr Holland's Opus

A Sad Yet Joyful Noise
In the US we have little to compare with the closing of the British coal industry in the 1980s. Millions of miners and their families were left redundant, that is, no job, no hope, no future. Into this dismal situation a small group of men manage to bring an iota of dignity and brilliant music to their lives. Brassed Off is a political comment on Margaret Thatcher's government. It is a film that hides its political cheek in between the sheets of music played by the real Grimelythorpe Colliary Band. Ewan McGregor plays miner Andy Barrow, a small town boy whose nothing life goes nowhere. Tara Fitzgerald is the girl who left for school but returns to try and stave off the closing of the town's mine with her well intentioned but useless report. Veteran character actor Pete Postelwaithe is the band's conductor whose lungs are black, but his head and heart are in the music competition he desperately wants his band to win. The sentimentality in the film peaks as the miners gather to seranade their dying conductor to the strains of "Danny Boy." Kleenex was passing about the theater like popcorn when I saw the film. Brassed Off is a little film with humor and heart, and for those who relish a little political kick with their music.

Not just about a brassed band!
'Brassed Off', as the name suggests, is a movie about a Brass Band from a coal mining pit in Yorkshire (in Northern England). If you do not consider yourself a big brass band fan then do not let this put you off because for one reason, unlike most movies based in England, this movie does not contain Hugh Grant, and, therefore, does not contain a soppy love story about a brass band worker who meets some nice lass and after some trials and tribulations ends up getting married. Instead this movie gets to the nitty gritty of life in England during Thatcher's administration, and the impact that her conservative government not only had on the brassed band, but also the whole communities that the coal mines supported in the U.K.
Made up of some fine actors, the band not only performs some fantastic musical pieces, but also reflect the tightness of the communities that supported the mining pits across the UK during the 80s and 90s in Britain. Brassed Off is a tragic comedy about a band that plays through the turmoil of the political situation at the time that not only threatens the mere existence of the band, but also their livelihoods at the mine pits and the entire community that the mine supports. As a movie about a brassed band this is a great show, but as a movie about a true reflection of life in Britain this is a fantastic piece. Highly recommended.

Good film but wasn't exactly for me
"Brassed Off" is a film that I didn't appreciate to the fullest. This is probably because I'm not into the politics that are involved in business, economics, and trade unions. And I'm not from the culture either. For me this was just a typcial drama. Still, "Brassed Off" does some things very well. For one, the entire cast, which includes Ewan MacGregor and Pete Postlethwaite, is great. Seems like all UK films have good acting in them. Perhaps because they're all lower budget, they have to rely on good acting and storytelling. I have to say for a film that is supposed to be a fun comedy (like the description on the back cover says), it's very grim and even dark. The miners are hit real hard by not having their jobs to support their families. But still even in the tough times the men (who are part of a brass band lead by Postlethwaite, hence the title) hang tough. In the end "Brassed Off" didn't strike me as superb but thanks to a good story and excellent acting, it is still worth watching. And if you're British this is a must-see.

See It
It will make you like brass band music, you will laugh and cry every time you see it, and of course, Ewan McGregor. What more could you want? ... Read more

Reviews (16)

What the ****
I stumbled across this movie on my INDEMAND program from my satelite company. I was so excited to learn there was a Colin Firth romantic comedy that I had not seen. I have loved Colin since I first saw him in Pride and Prejudice in high school. (now my fav movie).
This movie was such a disspointment. Heahter Grahm is just insipid in this role, and absoulutly does not fit with Colin's character. There were a few funny scenes, but in general the plot made no sense. Their was no explination for most of the events, and no reason for half of them. Skip this one and watch one of his better movies (I suggest a period peice

One of the worst movies I've seen with otherwise good actors
This movie seems to be written by a committee, which held too few meetings and got not enough catering. The directing is non-existent. The writing should have been tossed into a corner in the first place. The editing is lame; sudden quick cutting, splicing in scenes which have no introduction. It is bewildering how really good actors could have signed onto this project. The Heather Graham character is miscast -- her accent and bearing are all southern California, not Maine, not to mention her straight blond hair. (Another hackneyed blond! When will they learn? Just seeing long-straight-haired blonds these days where they don't belong is to experience being patronized -- do they think we don't recognize a mind-flattening cliche?) Her 'fun' naked scene with Firth (with her back to the camera) has no chemistry or elan or reason for being there. -- Though her acting ability shows through at times, through no fault of the film-makers', and I almost had 'hope' for the movie when it did show.

No one in this film seems to understand his or her own character.

Firth comes to a small Maine town from England to forget his fiance who had -- inexplicably -- sent him an invitation to her wedding to another man. He is a portrait artist and spends his time (without explanation or preamble) doing portraits of all the town's main characters. There is a mayor whose role is unclear; I cut-and-ran 3/4 of the way through -- the ending would not have saved it and my mind was being too blunted as it was.

It is bewildering that Firth's character would fall into bed with a young woman (brought in by the motel owner as a 'healer') who has taken him to a 'garden' to cheer him up but who fast-downs about a quart of booze when she gets there; we don't know anything about why she would do that; how could someone drink even cold tea that fast? Why doesn't he stop her, or leave her as fast as he can? -- She just changes character on him; he has virtually no reaction. and makes him drive home although we subsequently see no signs of drunkeness on her part, just strange, inexplicable choices. Her behavior is not winsome enough to be called 'quirky' or 'cute'. We don't have a sense of why anybody is doing anything they do. Why does the fiance (Minnie Driver') show up and tell Firth she was only trying to make him take some action when she sent him the (now bogus) wedding invitation? Why is she so completely unlikable, even more than the other characters? Why would the artist even be with her in the first place? Who is this guy? Neither the actor, the director, nor the writer gives us any clue. Why does the Firth character fall into a 'comfortable' relationship with the fast-drinking blond when we haven't even seen it begin?

The motel owner (Mary Steenburgen) is the only person who has some (few) reasonable lines and delivers them well -- indeed I (again) had 'Hopes' for the film when she first came on screen; her Maine accent may be accurate, who knows from here in California, and shows up the Graham accent for what it is: California. Driver's 'British' accent fluctuates between what we think of as English and working class English -- we can't tell from what level of society she comes or what region in England. [This happens all too often in British movies, using Brits to do 'American' accents wrongly (either as Texan or extremely flat; no adjustment for the more flexible body language of Americans -- see the 'American' man in 'My House in Umbria') and in American movies using Americans to botch supposedly English ones. You can compare these poor attempts with the well-trained in 'Billy....' (the boy-ballet dancer movie) and 'Strange Relations', in which accents are firmly in place, making each story believable. In those flicks, also, kid actors are chosen (Billy and the kids in Strange Relations set in Liverpool) from the region from which the story is set and so are fully believable -- there are excellent actors everywhere, apparently, and findable if a casting director will look.]

Colin Firth, in this film, has few good lines, little directing suggestions, and so 'just looks' for too long a time on the screen. His character's recent loss doesn't seem to explain the lack of reaction on his part. A pity to waste such an actor -- he was absolutely great in the HBO production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest', and others, but again, the Brits seem to do movies with more attention and thought a greater percentage of the time (and our American acting Cecily in 'Earnest' (Reese Witherspoon) had a perfectly good British accent which did not stand out and make us say: $#%$#). (The Aussie playing Brenda in 'Six Feet Under' (HBO) works hard on her accent and gets it right.)

It is downright dispiriting to find capable actors lending themselves to such a script, which, as should have been obvious, was no Bridget Jones from the start.

A Pleasent Movie!
Okay, first off this movie is not going to scream oscar winner but it's still a fun quirky movie with likeable characters. Yes, I'm a huge Colin Firth fan and no that's not why I'm not jumping on the bandwagon of bad reviews. Yes, the movie is a romantic comedy but I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it's predictable. Perhaps because I've not read the book that this movie was based on I did not come in with any kind of expectations. Who knows. I do recommend this movie as a nice way to spend a few hours.

Adult Disney fare
I wasn't expecting much - I rented it simply because of Colin Firth.

It's nice, it's what Disney/Touchstone are coming up with for their adult audience.

But the idea that a broken-hearted man falls in love again, so quickly and almost without questioning his lost love bothers me -- can we go in and out of love that easily?

Minnie Driver is very good in a catty diva type of character.

Rent it but don't buy it.

Colin-oscopy
Another Colin Firth fan here to warn you away from this movie. This is one of the most cliched and predictable romantic comedies to come down the pike in quite a while. But it's worst than that: It fails to make us care one bit about the characters.

It's not Firth's fault -- he squeezes what charm he can out of the material. Minnie Driver also does her best -- in fact, her funny, clipped delivery in this makes me yearn to see her do Noel Coward. And Heather Graham has a couple of hilarious moments, although it's hard to see the long-term appeal of her off-the-rails character to "Colin."

Oh, I see I'm making it sound better than it is. Trust me, it's skippable. Nothing makes sense in this movie, but the forced plot -- or what little there is of it -- exists only two get these two obviously incompatible characters together in the end. Instead of being happy for the characters, you cringe at the thought of their getting together. Can anything be a clearer sign of failure for a romantic comedy? ... Read more

Description

World-class stars Michael Caine (HANNAH AND HER SISTERS), Brenda Blethyn (SECRETS AND LIES), and Ewan McGregor (STAR WARS: EPISODE I, BLACK HAWK DOWN) deliver acclaimed performances in an inspirational story about a painfully shy young woman and how the power of music leads her to an amazing transformation! A hopeless introvert, "Little Voice," (Jane Horrocks, TV's ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS) can only manage to express herself by singing in the timeless voices of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and others. But once her eccentric mother's (Blethyn) new boyfriend -- a sleazy talent scout (Caine) overhears Little Voice's incredible crooning, he'll do anything to drag the recluse into the spotlight and make her a star! Cheered by critics everywhere -- don't miss your chance to enjoy this truly exceptional motion picture! ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Funny, charming film with talented Jane Horrocks
Charming film about L.V. (Little Voice), a meek-voiced, shy British woman who enjoys singing the music of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and others. Her mother, a sex-crazed record store owner, and the agent Ray Say (a terrific Michael Caine)both attempt to manipulate her into stardom. This is an interesting, charming, and funny movie which takes some interesting turns along the way. Jane Horrocks, as the title character, is terrific, and sings her own songs beautifully. She is incredibly talented, and the movie is a charmer. Look for a nice performance by Ewan McGregor as L.V.'s wanna-be beau.

Wow!
I'm so glad I rented this DVD! This is such an endearing, charming little film. Part of it is a very sweet (but not too sweet, if you know what I mean) love story between two very likeable characters, and part of it is the story of two rather shabby, not-so-nice characters who are still very interesting and believable--thanks in no small part to the strong performances of Michael Caine and Brenda Blethyn. Jane Horrocks's singing is wonderful and the centerpiece scene of LV's triumphant performance really sparkles--I'm glad the sound quality on the DVD is so good. The only slight negative to the film is that, as an American, I sometimes couldn't understand what LV's mother Mari was saying since her Northern English Cockney accent was so thick. This was also true of the more minor characters of Mr. Boo and George. Fortunately, on DVD you can turn on the subtitles feature for a quick "translation" into English! I liked this movie so much I watched it twice in a row on the spur of the moment--it's only about an hour and half long. To top it off, the ending is quite inspiring in an understated way and I plan on buying the DVD and making it a permanent part of my collection.

Jane Horrocks is remarkable
Jane Horrocks is a British comedian who amongst her many talents is a great mimic of female vocal artists. This film was originally a stage play based around her.

The plot of the film is simple. Jane plays Little Voice a young woman who lacks self confidence and whose life has been destroyed by an overbearing and grotesque mother. The mother continually belittles her daughter who is so lacking in any social sills that she sits in her room each night playing old 50's and 60's records owned by her father. It would seem that the father was also destroyed by the mother. She sings along to these records and is able to mimic such greats as Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and Marilyn Munro. (Okay Marilyn Munro was not a great but you know what I mean)

Michael Caine plays a seedy music entrepreneur who is limping along in obscurity heading career wise somewhere worse than obscurity. He has a brief drunken fling with Little Voice's mother and hears her voice coming from her room. He immediately sees her as an unexploited talent that might just bring him back into the game.

The film centres on a concert organised by Caine and its aftermath. Broadly the film is a morality tale in which the mother and Caine get what is coming to them and Little Voice is able to achieve something more than fame and that is normality.

The film is both good and bad. Horrocks at its centre is brilliant and it is her talent that is responsible for everything good about it. Her performance scenes are breathtaking made more remarkable by the use of her own voice. It is the other characters and the rest of the film that is the drag. The morality tale is rather telescoped and the character of the mother a repellent and grotesque rather than being real. The end a little bit of an anti-climax. One would imagine that this stems from the difficulty of converting the play to a film.

Never the less the performance of Horrocks is so strong and the premise so clever that the film is worth looking at despite its faults.

Caine, Horrocks, Blethyn, McGregor --
As others have said, with this cast you can't go far wrong. This is a modest movie in many ways -- it takes place almost entirely in about three settings, and these people live in a very confined world. But it's still not confined enough for L.V., who longs only to live in song and memory. The movie features two different forces working to pull LV out of her shell. Ray and her mother try to exploit L.V.'s gift for their own benefit, not caring if they hurt her or, ultimately, each other. Bill, on the other hand, is almost as shy as L.V.; because he understands her and only gently tries to get to know her, he actually makes some headway. (I still think one of the most romantic moments I've ever seen in a movie is the scene where he offers to answer the telephone for her, so she won't have to talk to a stranger.)

This movie is more than a simple comedy -- by the end, it has become emotionally wrenching, as L.V., her mother and Ray each hit their breaking point. But Bill's presence in L.V.'s life -- and, more importantly, the confidence she has gained through his friendship -- assure us that L.V. is headed for better things. Sometimes the tone is uneven; Ray's vicious attack on L.V.'s mom near the end makes the cut-downs in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" look tame, and coming after so much gentle humor, the final spiraling-out-of-control is jarring. But these scenes are so brilliantly acted that it's worth it.

Even if the rest of the movie were not as good and as memorable as it is, "Little Voice" would be worth seeing just for Horrocks' amazing vocal performance. It's almost unbelievable how brilliantly she sings in so many different styles, and after her big finale, I found myself singing "Get Happy" for weeks.

Horrified - IF I COULD IT'd be NO STARS
You know, I'm usully not a freak out when it comes to outrage on a movie when they abuse someone in the sake of comedy, but this one I just have to. I just watched this awful show on television. It is listed as a comedy and I don't see anything funny about it! An outright abusive, unloving ... of a mother and her gold digger boyfriend abuse and force an obviously troubled psychologically young girl into singing for their own ends instead of getting the girl into therapy! This show is awful. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

100% fun
I've seen it and I would see this a hundred times ans still
laugh. Typical Dudley Moore misunderstanding trama (Micki &
Maude, Unfaithfuly yours)that would make you laugh besides
Patsy Kensit is a very attractive and talented actress.

Good entertainment
Sure the movie is silly and the story farfetched and somewhat predictable, but it is good entertainment and joy for 1 1/2 hours. ... Read more