Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This movie was great - how come it was barely in movie theatres?? I would have loved to see it on a big screen with a good sound system. Regardless, this is a keeper, for many reasons. Just trust me, this movie is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: I love this movie
Review: I love this movie very much and I always will. I admit to watching it at least once a week, for the past few months...hopefully I will NOT be cured soon! There is something unique about this movie, and I've seen my share, believe me.
Rating:
Summary: unexpectedly wonderful
Review: Not really a romantic comedy, but a very inspiring film. After viewing this film, it caught me by surprise how great the film was directed and acted out. If you like music with good story lines, this is a recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: a pleasant surprise
Review: I saw this after seeing "The Full Monty" and found it equally good although stylistically different. I can not stand preachiness and for the most part the moral is shown rather than stated in long monologues. The father-son story was good and the romance between Andy (McGregor) and Gloria was sweet without being sappy. The music was good. A pleasant surprise and a good humanizing portrayal of the results of Thatcher's politics.
Rating:
Summary: A universal story line of substance, great music performance
Review: While the setting is grim, pardon the pun, the courage and humanity of the characters is so refreshing. And the music is splendid! I also own the CD. The love story between the guy and gal is almost tangential; it's the caring about each other in the toughest of times that keeps the viewer in his/her seat throughout the whole film. But do keep a box of tissues handy.
Rating:
Summary: Unique, everything top notch
Review: I bought this mainly on an npr review, although I expected it to chop up the music. In fact, the movie is incredibly effective on all fronts, including the music, which consists of top flight European marches and concert pieces. The romance promoted in the preview is there, but is a minor part of the story. For Americans who may find the mine closing theme a bit abstract, they should bear in mind that Thatcher and Reagan were soul mates (although she was definitely much smarter) with similar policies. Their defenders would point to the relative prosperity of recent years as their legacy, but they did enormous and unnecessary damage to small communities; replace the coal mine closing with steel mills and you have western PA during the Reagan years. Many of these communities and their institutions, including town bands, are still struggling to recover.
Rating:
Summary: BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
Review: This is one of the best movies I have ever seen and I'm disappointed that it is relatively unknown in the U.S. Okay, I admit it, I went to see it because Ewan Mc Gregor was in it; I had no idea what the film was about. I came out of the theater with a lot to think about. I saw the movie again about six months later in France and it really hit me: this is an unbelievable movie. It's very political but it takes a sad, touching story and combines that with a slamming portrayal of Margaret Thatcher's politics and their effets on "honest, decent human beings."When this film came out on video I read the blurb on the back; it read something like this: "When two old lovers reunite they turn the town upside down!" It made me so mad; they made the film sound like some cute, bubbly romantic comedy. Yeah, there's a bit of romantic involvement in the movie but the real issue is the miners, their brass band, and the patriarch whose world is crumbling around him. Whoever marketed this movie for American audiences probably presumed that Americans wouldn't be interested in something deep and political, so they tried to pass it off as a cute, up-beat film. It's anything but! Yes, it's inspiring but it has got one heck of a message, way more than guy and girl meet and fall in love. I can almost guarantee that anyone will love "Brassed Off!". Also, pick up the fantastic soundtrack, performed by a real miners' band! Rent "Brassed Off!," tell your friends about it and think twice before you hold Margaret Thatcher up as a role model for young people!
Rating:
Summary: Overlooked gem
Review: Ignore any trailers you saw promoting this movie as a fluffy romantic comedy. I saw these trailers in the theater, and only by chance actually went to see this film. Boy what a pleasant surprise. Such a shame that the box cover tries to play down the realism of this film. This is a powerful, and yes sometimes sweet and funny, anti-Thathcer film. Scathing at times, and less jovial than the equally fine "The Full Monty" (also a great example of anti-Thatcher cinema). See this movie, and see one sadly over looked gem.
Rating:
Summary: Why is this such an unknown movie?
Review: As I sit here listening to the music, I can only wonder that this was so little noticed. A friend loaned it to me, demanding that I watch it right away. Now I have my own copy of the film and the CD (both from Amazon) and I have given them as gifts. The story celibrates performance for the joy of performance. It honor bands and choirs in communities all around Europe and America. And she is such a lovely girl!
Rating:
Summary: enjoyable realism and fun at a time when realism was stark
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful film. The music was fun and for a flutist that I am, I did appreciate the use of a brass band in a major film. I loved seeing British women played as real women not the usual model type commonly seen in US films. All actors were brilliant and I have yet to see Pete Postlewaite give a bad performance. Thoroughly great flick and a keeper in my collection.
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