Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

England in the late 1970s was not a pleasant time for much of the country. Unemployment began to rise, and the government didn't do much to respond (this probably contributed to Margaret Thatcher's rise to power). Derrick Borte's "London Town" focuses on a working class boy who gets into The Clash while his father is in the hospital.The movie is both about hope for the future, and about love of music. One scene features people debating The Sex Pistols vs. The Clash. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Joe Strummer, who enters the boy's life. It's not a masterpiece, but worth seeing. The rest of the cast includes Dougray Scott and Natascha McElhone (of "The Truman Show").

I liked this movie more than I thought I would. When I first heard about it my first thought was "why not just watch Rude Boy" if you want to see a great movie about The Clash.As I discovered, this isn't a movie about The Clash and Joe Strummer at all. In fact, they didn't even need to be included. It's really the story of a 15 year old boy who's forced to grow up in a big hurry.Shay lives with his dad and little sister in a suburb of London. He clashes with his father, who owns a piano repair shop and drives a cab to make ends meet. Shay is bullied by other kids in his neighbourhood and dreams of moving to London and living with his mother who ditched her family and is now living in a squat. Shay somehow thinks that his father is a loser and he's the reason his mother took off.Shay's dad, who is actually a good, hardworking man but a bit broken, sends his son off to London to pick up some piano parts and he meets Vivian, a punk girl, on the train. She introduces Shay to the music of The Clash, and when he gets back home at the end of the day, he begins to transform himself into a punk.Shay's dad has an accident moving a piano and is laid up in the hospital for several weeks. This is where the movie gets really interesting. Shay is forced to step up and take care of his little sister. He learns how to drive his dad's cab and does everything he can to try to keep a roof over his little family's head. He goes to London and tracks down his mother who turns out to be a promiscuous, drug and alcoholic abusing wannabe musician who you know will never make it. Eventually, Shay realizes what his mother really is, and that his dad is a good and decent man. Along the way, he meets Joe Strummer. There are actors playing the rest of the band but I don't remember any of them saying a single word in the movie - as I said, this isn't a movie about The Clash. Shay gives Strummer a lift in his cab (while he's dressed as a woman so he looks older), romance blooms with Vivian, and he learns what his father has to deal with every day.Eventually, Shay gets into a tussle with some skinheads at a Clash show and ends up in a jail cell with guess who, Joe Strummer. He discovers that Vivian is actually a rich girl (but a really sweet one) and he breaks it off with her. He ends up back at home, determined to save his father's business and enlists Joe Strummer's help to make it happen (without actually asking Strummer). Again, another appearance by Joe Strummer that's not very realistic and not really necessary - the story stands on its own.I'm a huge fan of The Clash - they've always been my favourite band but I thought their inclusion in the movie was unnecessary. Perhaps it was a marketing ploy to draw Clash and punk fans to the movie. What I found most interesting about this movie was the family dynamic, and one kid's struggle to survive in malaise era England. It's a great story and really well played by all of the actors in a very watchable and entertaining movie.

This is a fabulous coming of age story, set against the back drop of London in the 70's and the music of The Clash. The film is cleverly put together with a great mix of humour, emotion, gritty reality and music of The Clash. The acting is superb particularly Daniel Huttlestone as Shay, although little Alice steals the show more than once! Jonathan Rhys Meyers could be Joe Strummer, with his attitude and great voice. It's a movie that makes you think, laugh and cry. A real British film, I have already seen this twice and will happily watch again!

Greetings again from the darkness. The late 1970's in London were filled with political, social and labor discontent. Director Derrick Borte (The Joneses, 2009) and writer Matt Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity, 2015) use this backdrop, along with some cutting edge music of the era, to tell a coming-of-age story that is enjoyable despite its predictability.Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods) plays 15 year old Shay (not Che) who carries the burden of babysitting for his sister Alice (Anya McKenna-Bruce) and cooking for his two-job dad Nick (Dougray Scott), as he dreams of meeting up with his free-spirited mom Sandrine (Natascha McElhone) who lives a bohemian lifestyle in London. Things start to change for Shay once he receives a package from his mom … his first taste of music from The Clash.Soon enough, Shay finds himself chatting it up on a commuter train with wild girl Vivian (Nell Williams), who generously shares her own music from The Clash, as well as some insight into the band, and even a ticket to their next concert. After the best night of Shay's life, a work accident puts his dad in the hospital, requiring the son to take on even more responsibility.More than a coming of age story, this is what I call "the teenage awakening". Once the world starts opening up to Shay, he begins to question everything. A serendipitous night in the clink with Joe Strummer (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) brings some surprisingly grounded philosophy and guidance. "Some people just burn bright" is a spot-on description of Shay's mom and a lesson to Shay that parents are people too.The movie belongs to Huttlestone, who bounces between responsible young man, bullied teen, and anti-establishment rebel. Ms. Williams is delightful in her role, and JRM brings the necessary hard edge to Strummer. Director Borte has a really nice eye for scenes, but probably was a bit too stingy with Clash tunes. The timing for the film is a bit unfortunate, as it's released in the same year as the similar but superior Sing Street. Still it's an enjoyable little film with enough philosophy sprinkled in that we don't even mind the predictable ending with "I Fought the Law" carrying us to closing credits.