Once Upon a time in the Midlands

Once Upon a time in the Midlands 2002

Originally from the Midlands, Jimmy is currently living in Glasgow eking out a living as a hapless petty crook. One day, he sees his old family and friends - including his older foster sister Carol, her boyfriend/his old buddy Charlie, Jimmy's ex-wife and Carol's best friend Shirley, and Jimmy's pre-teen daughter Marlene - on a television talk show, they baring their souls to a national audience. He has not seen any of them in years. Of note on the show, Shirley rejects the marriage proposal of her slightly awkward live-in boyfriend Dek. Jimmy sees her answer to Dek as a reason to head back to the Midlands to reunite with his past, especially with Shirley and Marlene. Dek, already humiliated, is less than thrilled to see Jimmy back in their lives. In the ensuing duel between Jimmy and Dek for Shirley and Marlene's affections, others get caught up in the crossfire. Meanwhile, three of Jimmy's equally hapless crook friends from Glasgow come looking for him, Jimmy who left them high and dry at their latest heist and who absconded with all the money

Trailer

Cast

	Robert Carlyle	...	Jimmy
	Vanessa Feltz	...	Vanessa
	Ricky Tomlinson	...	Charlie
	Kathy Burke	...	Carol
	Vicki Patterson	...	Audience Guest
	Shirley Henderson	...	Shirley
	Finn Atkins	...	Marlene
	Kelly Thresher	...	Donna
	Rhys Ifans	...	Dek
	Andrew Shim	...	Donut
	Ryan Bruce	...	Emerson
	Eliot Otis Brown Walters	...	Lake
	Anthony Strachan	...	Jumbo (as Antony Strachan)
	David McKay	...	Dougy (as David Mckay)
	James Cosmo	...	Billy

Ratings

Votes	Average
Males	1,492	6.0
Females	267	6.4
Aged under 18	8	6.3
Males under 18	8	6.3
Aged 18-29	655	6.0
Males Aged 18-29	539	6.0
Females Aged 18-29	114	6.3
Aged 30-44	775	6.0
Males Aged 30-44	660	6.0
Females Aged 30-44	107	6.3
Aged 45+	322	6.1
Males Aged 45+	274	6.1
Females Aged 45+	44	6.5
Top 1000 voters	117	5.9
US users	356	6.0
Non-US users	1,361	6.1
IMDb users	2,199	6.0

Reviews

'Once upon a time in the midlands', 7 June 2005

Author: seanbranson from United Kingdom

'Once upon a time in the midlands' is the next instalment from Nottingham director Shane Meadows, indeed it concludes his 'Nottingham trilogy' along with previous efforts 'Twentyfourseven' and 'A Room for Romeo Brass' I am glad to say that it surpassed all my expectations. It's a tale of a loner Jimmy (Robert Carlyle) who by chance manages to see his ex, Shirley (Shirley Henderson) on a television show turning down a proposal from her new boyfriend on national television, this prompts Jimmy to return to Nottingham and try to win her back, along with the Daughter (a brilliant debut from 12 year old Finn Atkins). There's just a few problems for Jimmy on the way, Shirley's wimpy yet loving new bloke Dek (Rhys Ifans), Jimmy's mouthy step sister and her wannabe country singer husband (Kathy Burke and Ricky Tomlinson respectively) not forgetting his shady friends who pursue him down south after he rips them off after a strange robbery goes horribly wrong.

All members of the cast shine and its fun to see a 'western' style angle being adopted – the classic tale of a loner coming into town to win back his girl, chased by villains and ready for a final confrontation with the man who his girl is now hooked up with. I hope this film gets the recognition that it deserves.

A Breath Of Fresh Air...., 12 September 2009

Author: Stacy from United States

....and a break from the garbage.

Americans have long been subject to films that don't require much thought. If you like British films with a slightly underground feel, you'll like this one. And I mean 'underground' as in - you don't see films like this in the states very often. If you're bored with the usual, this is a step out of the box. And you'll want to stay out of the box!

Robert Carlyle is as awesome as you would expect and if you like the Full Monty then this is something else as well. You cant compare the two films because they are of course, different. But the intelligent writing here is just as apparent. Excellent acting all around actually.

The comedy is edgy and you can get cozy and settle into the plot easily while waiting for the next twist. This film is unpredictable and certainly surprises you with a strong - but subtle- approach to "romantic" comedy, anger, and family reality. Emotions are high but not over-blown. Somewhat deep but not complicated. This isn't one of those weird "foreign" films that so many Americans dread. Trust me! The word 'realism' even comes to mind. This could be somebody's life, neighborhood and family.

It is NOT a chick flick! And there is no bubble-gum romantic sense here at all. Thank God! It is simply something you will appreciate even if you aren't familiar with the actors or British comedy.

Highly recommended!Not Meadow's best., 13 November 2004

Author: Jonathan Ley from Edinburgh, Scotland

Firstly, let me say how much I like Shane Meadow's work (particularly 'A Room For Romeo Brass'). However 'Once Upon a Time in The Midlands' is, in my opinion, his weakest work to date. That's not to say it isn't a good film, it is, but somewhere along the line the Meadow's formula went wrong. It smacks of too much development, something Meadows complained about himself, almost as if Film Four wanted to bottle the distinctive spirit of his earlier work, mass produce it and sell it to the widest audience possible. The characters end up as caricatures and whereas previous Meadows films examined the wonderful humanity and quiet dignity inherent in everyday life this one ends up in danger of being patronising to its subjects. The title and tag line are great but I wonder if they weren't thought up before the actual story and at the expense of the film. I personally found the Western elements a little superfluous, the deluge of famous faces distracting (what on Earth are Reeves and Mortimer doing as clowns?!), and the Glasgow gangsters subplot unnecessary. Once these elements fall by the wayside however, as they do in the second half, the film settles down into telling a decent little story. The central love triangle comes to the fore and we actually begin to connect with the characters. All the performances are good but special mention must go to young Finn Atkins who is outstanding. If this is your first taste of Meadows then don't be put off, just know that there are better films in his back catelogue than this. The 2 disc DVD is worth investing in though as the extras include Shane's World and a really nice documentary on the film's promotional tour.

Decent, 8 June 2004

Author: someguy889 (someguy889@sbcglobal.net) from Dallas, Texas

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands is a British film starring Shirley Henderson, Rhys Ifans, and Robert Carlyle, and was directed by Shane Meadows. It is a Romance-Comedy-Drama that hit U.S. theaters in art-houses. It adopts the spaghetti western title "Once upon a time in.." that Sergio Leone used in such works as Once Upon a Time in America and Once Upon a Time in the West. However, about as far as this movie goes in its intriguing title is using the occasional Western music. I think Meadows choice to not go all out in his "tinned adaptation" is wise, because it makes one think about why it was called that. Even so, this movie doesn't really have much going for it besides its great title. It's another love triangle, Carlyle and Ifans are rivals for the love of Shirely Henderson. Ifans character is fascinating with his apparent cowardice and serious comical lovability. This is an enjoyable movie, more slow than suspenseful, just more like sweet, with predictability but lovability.

My grade: 6/10