Movie Review: “Once Upon a Time in the Midlands”

By David DiCerto
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- A timid garage mechanic discovers that love is worth fighting for when his girlfriend's bullying ex-beau returns to reclaim her in the quirky minor melodrama "Once Upon a Time in the Midlands" (Sony Classics).

Incorporating Sergio Leone-style "spaghetti western" motifs into his film, set in the British working-class Midlands region, director Shane Meadows crafts a simple, at times trite, but ultimately big-hearted story about courage and commitment.

The trouble starts when Dek (Rhys Ifans), a gangly, milquetoast grease monkey, proposes to his live-in girlfriend -- and single-mom -- Shirley (Shirley Henderson) on national TV. Watching the broadcast is Jimmy (Robert Carlyle), a volatile small-time crook with whom Shirley had been in an abusive relationship. Jimmy is also the deadbeat dad of Shirley's 12-year-old daughter, Marlene (Finn Atkins). Marlene, precocious and loyal, is as devoted to Dek as he is to her.

Though off the radar for years, Jimmy decides to return to town and elbow his nerdy rival for Shirley's affection out of the picture. While confident that Shirley will fall for his raffish looks and bad-boy charm, Jimmy underestimates mild-mannered Dek's resolve not to wilt under pressure. He also didn't reckon on the resistance of Dek's emotional posse, which in addition to Marlene includes Jimmy's estranged sister, Carol (Kathy Burke), and her Cockney cowpoke husband, Charlie (Ricky Tomlinson), who dresses like a cowboy and plays tumbleweed tunes at the local pub. Further complicating matters is a trio of bumbling convicts searching for Jimmy and the bag of money he stole from them.

With a name like Shane, it is small surprise that the director would draw inspiration from classic screen Westerns, following their plot conventions in structuring his offbeat narrative -- though lampooning them with the lighthearted lance of comedy in order to mesh with the film's overall levity. Jimmy is an archetypal villain -- he even wears black -- come into town to drive Dek out on a rail. Dek must face down Jimmy, a stand made more heroic by his utter deficiency of Clint Eastwood grit and swagger. These narrative nods to oater antecedents are further reinforced by the film's shot composition and scoring; much of the music echoes Ennio Morricone's dusty soundtracks.

Despite its modest scope and predictable plot, the film contains fine all-around performances, which, combined with its positive message about the fortifying power of love and the true meaning of family, make this unadorned breath of fresh air a welcome relief from the current suffocating humidity of Hollywood excess.

If you are in the mood for something sweet, simple and a tad kooky, "Once Upon a Time in the Midlands" just might be the best bet this side of the Rio, er, Thames.

Due to some slapstick violence and recurring rough and crude language, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted.

* Pare is the director of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.