Beautiful Thing (1996)
Another bit of future Top Ten research that's been on my viewing bucket list for many years.
What did I know about this ahead of time? Well, very little, as it turns out. I knew it was a gay coming-of-age film. I knew it features the music of Mama Cass, of course (I owned the soundtrack on CD many years ago and it was heavily-played. The CD was later cleared out, but most songs remain in iTunes. All the same, I spontaneously re-ordered the CD immediately after watching). And I read (perhaps in the CD leaflet) the intriguing titbit that the film features an "ingenious use of peppermint foot lotion", which sounded rather kinky. And that was where all my knowledge ended.
I had it in my head that this was set in Liverpool. Perhaps I was subliminally aware that writer Jonathan Harvey is from Liverpool. Or perhaps, between
Brookside, Priest, Hillsborough, etc., I just have that city on the brain. But nope, it's set in Thamesmead, South East London (on some of the same locations as
A Clockwork Orange). The actors whose faces were known to me mostly had
EastEnders in common, and it does indeed feel like it has that gritty British soap thing going on (among lots of other things).
From posters and the very premise, it's apparent the two lead characters are young, and I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it watching for the first time as a cynical middle aged viewer. Happily, this film perfectly captured the world of the teenager, from its rules, threats and insecurities to its freedom, magic and fun, and it helped that it was made and set at a time where some of my own experiences aligned with those of the characters (Jamie even has the same
Home and Away annual I had, which raised him even further in my estimation). The performances of the two lead actors is unforgettable. Like all the characters in the film, the place and time in which they live informs how they behave. Most characters behave in ways that are hard, unpleasant or anti-social, but just underneath it all there's a fragility and tenderness. I imagine it's not easy to write and perform in a way that's both truthful and accessible, but this story nails it (I'd thought the film was later adapted into a stage show but actually it's the other way round and the stage version came first).
Linda Henry (
Enders' hard-faced Shirley. And before that, Mandy Salter's hard-faced mum) is the hard-faced mum here. She's one of several important supporting characters who made me feel I had their number on first sight, but went on to surprise me with their complexities and vulnerability. The other key example of this was her boyfriend Tony who I was convinced was a wrong 'un but turned out to be anything but.
Tameka Empson was a knockout as the Cass-loving neighbour. As I watched, I found myself seeing similarities with early Sixties Barbara Windsor. A special call out goes to Jeillo Edwards, playing Tameka's mother, who kept stealing the show with every little look. There's also Olive from
On The Buses who alternates between scowling at her neighbours, caterwauling renditions of
Big Spender during karaoke night at the social club where Sandra works and parading on the balcony outside the flat with swimsuit, bling jewellery and cocktails, nibbling cheese and pineapple on sticks. Meera Syal also did wonders with a very small role, with two lines in particular making me laugh out loud. Her cry of "Balls, Mr Bennett!" is the most easily-remembered line from the film.
On this subject, the dialogue is brilliant. I'm sure it's highly quotable, which is a reason to watch again and again. There's a nice selection of them
here, but really almost every line is golden and some also very nostalgic. Like Sandra ordering Jamie to get crying Ste a tissue by saying "there's a box of autumnal shades by me bed". And there's lots of prosaic greatness, like the discussion about Sally from
Coronation Street also being called Sally in real life, or everyday put-downs that mix pop culture references ("when you can keep up with the questions on
Bob's Full House, you get back to me"). But there's also a lot of deeper stuff that reaches the heart. Some of it's like poetry. Some like rap. Frequently it's both. Even the dialogue is lyrical and makes this feel like a borderline musical.
Then there's the soundtrack. You could say this film is to Cass Elliot what
Muriel's Wedding is to ABBA. I've long enjoyed the music of Cass and The Mamas & The Papas, but this film has done something incredible by creating new associations and deepening that love. Before watching I'd hoped this might happen, but I didn't count on the degree to which it would do this. There are a few tracks that will now give me chills thinking about the related scene in this film.
What I love about the choice of music is that it's plays against the sometimes bleak realism seen throughout. It's like the voice of hope, but also a joyful expression of youthful energy and optimism. The whole film feels like a mass of contradictory things, which is why the "urban fairytale" tagline fits so well. Characters are rude and foul-mouthed.... and all the more hilarious with it. They're aggressive or even violent, and somehow that creates more sympathy for them because it's clear they want to be more but don't know how. This makes the moments of vulnerability hit harder, especially when it's an unexpectedly sweet line.
And (spoiler) the film lives up to its name. It takes the ordinary and makes it beautiful. It's gorgeously shot and looks like art come to life, from the grey, brutalist landscape surrounding them (which, seen through the prism of this film feels inviting and warm and larger than life) to the twilight dance through the woods which in this romantic haze look very much like the backdrop to a Disney film.
I suppose in the most literal sense the titular beautiful thing is love or connection or truth. Or all the above. That "sweet contentment deep inside" which Cass sings about over the opening titles in
It's Getting Better. And it delivers. Dancing happily between stark reality and sweet fantasy, the film lives its message.
With this film, it's difficult to decide if it was everything I would have wanted and more. Or if it was not at all what I might have expected while still speaking to me in a most unexpected way. But I came away from the film feeling both surprised and satisfied. And a whole lot more besides.
Something that almost never happens: I actually found myself rewatching this in full again today, which is the highest form of praise I can lavish on any film.
And an almost-bang-up-to-date review of the film:
