Powerful

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Admirable film.

Absolutely brilliant

It's 1974 Lancashire in northern England. John is a meek student bullied at school. Mr. Banks (Steve Coogan) is his teacher. His parents force him to attend the youth club where outgoing DJ Matt is dancing to northern soul. When the school bully attacks, John joins Matt to stand up against him. The two fast-friends rebel against the small town ways and lose themselves to DJ for a growing audience. John falls hard for black nurse Angela.The two guys are not the most engaging. I think the characters are suppose to be 18. One guy looks like he's trying to be younger while the other isn't even trying. There is a danger of too young that is missing from these guys. The drama isn't really here and the plot is pretty thin. There is subplot of drugs that isn't that appealing. There is still some fun. I love the music and the flare pants. I love that the dance hall audiences struggling to figure out Matt's wild dancing. I applaud the commitment. It's not as much fun as one wants in a movie of this nature.

I hadn't even heard of the Northern Soul movement until I made We Are Kings with Rita Graham, who is one of their stars and a former Raelette. Then someone showed me clips of the Northern Soul girl dancing in the streets to the soul music, and of course I became a convert. What a great terrain for movie-making...the best soul songs, the classics, that I grew up with (yes I am from THAT generation). We had a guy in our class in prep school in 1969 that lived in Detroit and he started showing up with Motown records after Christmas vacation...our minds were blown that there was this alternative to the Beatles and the Doors and the Jefferson Airplane, and all new dance moves. So Northern Soul really gets it and I loved the story and the filmmaking was spot on. Highly recommended!

John Clark lives in the working class North West of the 1970s. Just as he is feeling disillusioned with school and falling out with his parents he is caught up in the new music vibe of Soul imported vinyl from America, soon him and his friend Matt are starting their own music night, swinging hip moves on the dance floor and embracing the new Northern Soul scene but drugs seem to play a major part of it all too, will that take over from the music? Having seen the trailer for this movie, I was quite excited. I grew up in the 1970s and remember everything about the era and was hoping this might be similar to Good Vibrations which covered the rise and fall of a record label of the same era.What I got was a realistic depiction of working class Northern England, with new music giving young people an outlet away from their dull lives which was great but then quickly became a story about drugs dominating the scene and their lives. Though I was a kid at the time my older friends who were on that scene never embraced the drug aspect of it which seemed to me far less dominant than as portrayed in the movie. The production design and depiction of the old school dance halls of the North are spot on and the acting all round by an energetic cast very worthy indeed with special mention going to newcomer Josh Whitehouse whom I am sure has a successful career ahead of him. Antonia Thomas is also very believable giving another effortless performance. Where the film disappointed was in the drugs subplot which almost anchored the whole film. It began to fell more a film about drugs, drug taking and the extreme characters within that world rather than a film about the period, the halls, the Soul and the music. This wouldn't be such a bad thing but certainly from the PR for the film I was not expecting the 1970s version of Human Traffic. The film also felt as if it needed more humour - but these gripes aside, this is still an extremely well made and well acted piece which I am sure will gain a cult following over time. If 1970s Northern Soul was your thing, then you really do need to check it out.

This movie takes you to the halls of Northern soul,gritty and true in so many ways,Superb music,wonderful acting,having been there and done that from the days of the Twisted wheel,and the many other clubs now written down in history,i can testify to the authenticity of the film,and the way it has portrayed the Northern soul scene at this time,many will deny what went on at the time as they should due to being grandparents and setting a good example to there off springs,but my word it sure did,the dancing is superb maybe hard to follow in the footsteps of the brilliant dancers of the day.as there where some who will never be emulated due to there skills,this fast moving world of dynamic dancing super cool music and just being young and living life to the full is reproduced to perfection,so congratulations to the writers producers and the cast,but most of all all the folk who where there in the day and have supported this music right up until now,right on,and keep the faith,i know you always will.