FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS

Director
Chris Foggin
(KIDS IN LOVE)

Starring
Daniel Mays, Tuppence Middleton, James Purefoy, David Hayman, Dave Johns and Sam Swainsbury

FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS won’t lose the all-male singing group of the same name any friends, but this film that tells the story of their opportunistic discovery and remarkable rise to fame isn’t exactly the catch of the day either.

To bring the true story of the Cornish sea-shanty singing group to the screen, the trio of writers on board this project have conjured up a fictional central character and plot that is only very loosely based on what happened in real-life. That character is Danny (played by Daniel Mays), a London-based music manager who visits Port Isaac in North Cornwall with his boss and a couple of colleagues for a weekend away. Shortly after their arrival, the city boys see the local group of fisherman singing for the first time and con Danny into signing them on. But what starts out as a gag soon gets very real for Danny once he gets to know the men, learns of and gains respect for the town’s history and local traditions, and begins to fall for one of their daughter’s.

Image result for fisherman's friends film stills
When the screenplay sets its focus on depicting the genuine camaraderie between the men and chronicles their unlikely, but remarkable road to success, FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS is exactly the film it intends and ought to be – funny, feel-good and meaningful. But regardless of whether you know all about or know very little (like me) of their story prior to watching, I feel that the screenplay gives too much screen time to the fictional and much less interesting parts of the film. Namely to Danny, the rather childish quarrels and banter he exchanges with his boss (played by Noel Clarke) and co-workers, and the obligatory romance he pursues. Don’t get me wrong – he’s a nice enough fella to be in the company of for a couple of hours and there’s certainly nothing wrong with how Daniel Mays plays him. The main disparity here with the more made-up stuff is in its quality and execution. Especially in its efforts to be funny and adopt a formulaic structure. In spite of my critique of the screenplay, one upside to the fictional aspects of the plot is that it allows the very likable and natural style of Tuppence Middleton to shine through. That, and the film is keep most of its charm afloat throughout.