The problem with supposedly “feel-good” films is that oftentimes they don’t make you feel all that good. Anything slapped with the label of “heart-warming” is certainly well-intentioned, but danger Will Robinson when it comes to such ardent sincerity – too much can definitely be too much. Like that second piece of cake, one can go from pleasant sugar buzz to nausea before you know it.
Such, thank goodness, is not the case with the new movie Pride (now playing at the Sundial complex in St. Petersburg). Based on a true story, Pride manages to dance on the edge without falling into a pit of schmaltz – which is pretty amazing considering the subject matter.
In 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s decision to close unprofitable coal mines led to an almost year-long miners’ strike. A small group of London gays (and one lesbian), led by the handsome activist Mark (Ben Schnetzer), realize that they can relate to the oppression the miners are going through and resolve to show solidarity by raising funds for a village in Wales. Needless to say, things do not run smoothly at first (gays and lesbians being the scary critters they are and all), but eventually the villagers’ feelings are summed up by one character, who observes, “What you’ve given us is more than money. It’s friendship.”
And therein lies the potential schmaltz pit into which the whole movie could sink. I mean, who didn’t see that coming a million miles away? But any danger of formulaic storytelling is soon overcome by a large and absolutely winning cast.
Bill Nighy (who is in almost as many movies these days as Samuel L. Jackson) and Imelda Staunton can do no wrong, and are part of a seamless ensemble rather than standout stars (though Staunton’s order to “Get over there and find a gay or lesbian right now!” was a highlight).
Dominic West, as the fairly flamboyant Jonathan, does a killer dance routine to Shirley and Company’s 1975 dance hit “Shame On You” (glammed up somewhat from real life, I’m sure, but done with such abandon that it matters not a bit) that leaves the villagers’ mouths agape and stops the movie in its tracks (but in a good way). In such company lesser mortals would perhaps quake in fear, but in the role of Gethin, Jonathan’s say-eyed lover, Andrew Scott more than holds his own. The emotional reunion with his mother added some emotional heft to the proceedings.
Director Matthew Warchus peppers the film throughout with lovely moments that illuminate the action and the characters. An old woman makes her way slowly across an auditorium to a ringing phone, letting us know very quickly that the tone is going to be a tad lighter than one might expect (that same character is later astonished to learn that all lesbians are vegetarian). Some of the women from the village go on a tour of London gay bars, and one is briefly seen showing family photos to a man with a ball gag in his mouth. Mark’s brief reunion with an ex-lover is haunting. The expression on young Joe’s (George MacKay) face as he walks home, happy in the knowledge that he no longer has to be closeted and can be content in his life, lingers in the mind for a while after the movie is over.
This is not to say, however, that the film is perfect. The one real villain in the piece is rather colorlessly drawn and one-dimensional. The screenplay by Stephen Beresford seems to take the approach of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. Most things do (the beginning of the AIDS epidemic even makes a guest appearance), but a few don’t (Joe’s painful coming out to his parents brings nothing new to the table, and if I see one more straight woman squeal with delight after discovering a dildo under a gay man’s bed, it will be too soon.)
But ultimately the sincerity is endearing. From a genre standpoint, Pride is a gay film that is not vapid and is actually about something for a change. In fact, it is the perfect “fairy” tale for this very political age we live in, a reminder that everyone has worth. Late in the film, someone asks Nighy’s character if he found it weird for a bunch of gays and lesbians to descend upon his village. His reply, very simply, is “Why one earth would we find that weird?”
Why indeed.
Pride is showing at Muvico Sundial in downtown St. Petersburg. Click here for showtimes.