Director: Dexter Fletcher
Writer: Stephen Greenhorn (Screenplay) Stephen Greenhorn (Stage Play)
Starring: Paul Brannigan, George MacKay, Kevin Guthrie, Jane Horrocks, Peter Mullan, Freya Mavor, Antonia Thomas, Jason Flemyng
Plot: Two soldiers return home to Edinburgh to resume their romantic and family lives.
Tagline – When it happens… there’s nothing like it!
Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Absolute Delight
Story: Sunshine of Leith starts as the two soldiers Davy (MacKay) and Ally (Guthrie) return to Edinburgh to continue their lives, Ally dating Liz (Mavor) while Davy meets Yvonne (Thomas) and the romantic lives of the four-young people come through in the tough times they must live.
As the young men learn to adapt back to a normal life they sing their way through different situations young couples and even the older couples must go through in normal life.
Thoughts on Sunshine of Leith
Characters – Davy is one of the two soldiers who returned, the squad leader who has lost men, but returns with a few issues, but starts enjoying life more when he meets Yvonne, he needs to show that he will be haunted by moments from his past and deal with them the right way. Ally has returned home believing he can get a job and just marry his girl Liz, he must learn that not everything is what he had planned for. Liz is Davy’s sister, a nurse and Ally’s girlfriend, she has been dreaming of seeing the world one day, that time is now, can she handle letting Ally know what she wants the most. Yvonne is a fellow nurse, an English girl who moved to Scotland for love once, she has a connection with Davy, but not sure how to accept Davy’s past and his reactions to trouble. We do also have Rab and Jean the parents of Liz & Davy who are going through their own struggles even after their long marriage.
Performances – The performances across the board here are fantastic, with the leading men George MacKay & Kevin Guthrie showing the emotional trauma of returning from war. Freya Mavor shows how the ambition of one person can show in conflict they are showing in her and Antonia Thomas shows us how hesitate someone can be to open up to someone who could have problems of their own.
Story – The story follows 6 lives, two soldiers returning from war, one older couple who must put the past behind them and two young women who careers are about to take them in new directions, but love could hold them back. The stories blend together wonderfully that gives us relatable characters who have everyday problems they must overcome to find the answers they want from life, it will leave you with a smile on your face when it ends.
Comedy/Romance/Musical – The comedy is light-hearted as we get to see how the lives of the characters is not taken overly serious for them, the romance shows us just how difficult love can be for people who have dreams to follow. Everything is told in a musical style which is filled with catchy songs that give our characters the express of their feelings.
Settings – The Scottish setting works for the film, it gets to show how normal people are going and return from war to live normal lives.
Scene of the Movie – 500 miles.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – While I get most of the references, if you don’t know too much about Scottish culture, you may struggle to understand certain moments.
Final Thoughts – This was a treat of a movie, it has real characters that must make life changing decisions that could have affect on the people they love, it has delightful songs you can sing along to and wonderful performance.
Overall: This is a MUST WATCH
Rating
