Written by Jonathan Harvey
Directed by Hettie MacDonald
Ste: "And are ya?"
Jamie: "Queer?"
Ste: "Gay."
Jamie: "Very happy. I'm happy when I'm with you..."
Yesterday, I ventured into 1980s Britain gay cinema and today, it's time for the 1990s to get their moment in the sun. I've seen this movie before but given the month, another rewatch was in order.
Set on a council estate, you've got single mother, Sandra Gangel (Linda Henry). She's working in her local pub with ambitious of owning one at some point. She's also the mother of one of our protagonists, teenage son, Jamie (Glen Berry).
Jamie's a quiet kid that's a bit of an outsider among his peers. His dislike for football put a target on his back and he's not particularly keen on his mother's well meaning hippie boyfriend, Tony (Ben Daniels). However as the movie went on, Tony turned out be something of an ally for Jamie.
The main story itself would involve Sandra and Jamie's neighbours, in particular the youngest son, Ste Pearce (Scott Neal). Ste's a punching bag for his father, Ronnie (Garry Cooper) and drug dealing brother, Trevor (Daniel Bowers). It got so bad that Ste ended up moving in with Sandra and Jamie, where things got complicated with the latter.
Yes, both Jamie and Ste quickly realised that they were attracted to each other but neither of them wanted to admit they were gay. Except for the fact that it was obvious to everyone, including their mischievous neighbour, Leah Russell (Tameka Empson). Leah's something of a foil to Sandra throughout the movie, including one moment where Sandra rightfully smacked Leah when the latter went too far.
Speaking of Sandra, her reaction to Jamie was very interesting. She was mostly supportive but lamented the possibility of never having grandchildren. The last moments between Jamie and Ste do end the film on a nicely uplifting note, which I did appreciate very much.
- This film was made by Channel 4 Films and we had Jamie stealing an issue of Gay Times.
- Jonathan Harvey had a cameo in the movie and Meera Syal and Beth Goddard had small roles.
- Standout music: A lot of Mama Cass was used in this movie, especially the likes of Make Your Own Kind Of Music and Dream A Little Dream Of Me.
- Chronology: 1990s, Thamesmead, South London during the summer.
I really liked this movie. Beautiful Thing was very funny in parts, very sweet and told a very believable romance between Jamie and Ste with great performances from the leading lads. Highly recommended.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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