A Room For Romeo Brass

Outstanding stuff from Considine. Mesmerising 'cant take your eyes off him' performance. You cant beat the Meadows/Considine combination. I loved this film

Frankly, when this film started I was a little bit disappointed because it was clearly going to be another low budget film. However, this was soon off-set by the quirky acting and the dismal plot. The two leads are unknown to me and probably picked from a Saturday afternoon acting club. The adult actors were not much better. All in all, probably one to avoid.

Meadows and Cosidine are always a winning combination from my point of view. I'd seen this title before, but didn't realise it was one of Shane's films until I saw a recent interview with Andrew Shim where he mentioned that he was in the film when he was younger. This Is England fans will enjoy seeing Andrew and Vicky in their youth, and even though this is an early film for them the talent is there from the start.

As for the story- I think calling this a comedy is a far stretch. It has some comical moments and observational humour-sometimes the interaction between characters is humourous but it's not really a laugh out loud film. As with a lot of Shane's offerings, it's very real which means it's not all sunshine and smiles but that's what brings me back to his work time and time again, along with the fact his characters haunt me long after the DVD has finished playing- they become part of your life.

Considine is excellent as Morrell-it's hard to believe this was his first time acting. He's a mix of charming and protective in places but ends up being a lot more complex than that.

I ended up watching this twice-it's well worth a watch through with the directors commentary on as it does give a bit more insight into the story and is visually beautiful in places that you don't really notice the first time round with the distraction of the dialogue.

This won't be everyone's cup of tea if you're expecting a pure comedy. But I think it's charming,real and that really beautiful moments come out of the hardships that people face.

I got a bit disenchanted about half way through this film, however, when I watched the second half the next day I did end up smiling so I conclude that it is worth a watch. The cast did well to convey the mundane.

I tracked this down out of curiosity about both Considine and Meadows, and this will certainly make me find more from both of them. Considine, who I've seen a number of times now, is here nothing short of brilliant, as well as funny, fearsome and strange. Meadows, whose work I've never seen, has turned what could have been another British kitchen-sink drama into something a bit more (mainly through the creation of Morrell).

Though the story ends up leaving quite a few loose ends and tales left untold, its depiction of two boys and a brief trial of their friendship rings true. Every member of the cast turns in a realistic and honest performance, never seeming more like actors than people.

While I wouldn't recommend this film to just anyone (e.g., my wife won't watch it, and I don't think she'd like it anyway), if you're a fan of films like those classics of Mike Leigh, or just someone who can be held rapt by a single great performance (Considine's), by all means see this one.