Fisherman’s Friends | Dir: Chris Foggin | ★ ★ ★ ★  

The film starts as a clash of two worlds. A group of London music executives arrive in Port Isaac on the picturesque Cornish coast for a stag weekend. The “wankers from London” run amuck and don’t impress the locals. They even have to be rescued after one of their antics lands them in trouble.

The London lads see a group of local fishermen singing sea shanties and the music executive boss gives Danny (Daniel Mays) the task of signing them up for a record deal. Of course the fishermen laugh at his offer and Danny is forced to stay in the town when the others depart and fail to tell him it is just a joke.

The leader of the group, Jim (James Purefoy), is the most antagonistic towards Danny and this is awkward because Danny is actually staying in the B&B run by his daughter Alwyn (Tuppence Middleton).

As Danny stubbornly tries to secure the record deal, he is drawn into the seaside lifestyle and begins to re-evaluate his own life. This feel-good film is quite predictable but it is saved by the fact that it actually happened, as well as the enjoyable rollicking sea shanties and buckets of humour.

It doesn’t lessen the enjoyment to know that the Fisherman’s Friends boy band with a combined age of 653 were eventually signed by a major record label, had a top 10 hit and became a huge sensation with their 1752 ‘rock and roll’.

Fisherman’s Friends is on at the MINI British Film Festival which has a program of 30 titles including some of the most awaited new releases, a retrospective on Dame Helen Mirren and some restored gems.

It will screen at Palace Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX and the Windsor from 30 October – 24 November. Find out more at www.britishfilmfestival.com.au or pick up a program at one of the cinemas.

Lezly Herbert