Still only 27, director Shane Meadows has already carved himself a name in
the British film industry with several high-profiled shorts (Small Time; Where's the Money, Ronnie?) and an accomplished debut feature, TwentyFourSeven, to his name. A Room for Romeo Brass sees the Nottingham boy consolidate his skills with a quirky, entertaining and moving effort that defies categorisation.
The catalyst for this crisis in friendship is the much older Morell (an equally excellent Considine). When we first meet him, despite his bizarre adoption of the youngsters as his partners-in-crime, he appears to be just another harmless small-town eccentric that Meadows has such an affinity for. Soon though, it becomes apparent that Morell's social maladjustment runs much deeper, and the film segues from a low-key comedy into something
altogether more menacing.
Reader comments about A Room for Romeo Brass
Pete Lambert (pj@lam17.freeserve.co.uk) writes:
Fantastic, gripping film with a brilliant performance from Paddy Considine, who steals the limelight from start to finish.
A disturbing, but funny portrayal of surburban life
jon hall (ottie98@hotmail.com) writes:
a strange but relistic film of life near nottingham, morrel(paddy) was very convincing and quite scary, but its great to see a film made in my home town
Martyn Harvey (Martynh@beeb.net) writes:
When asked what I thought of this film I was at a loss as to what the magic ingredient had been. Suffice it to say once I had stumbled across it I found it impossible to stop watching.
The disturbing change in Morrel, from harmless eccentric to dangerous phycotic toward the latter half kept me thinking, re-running it over & over in my head, for sometime after. There are precious few films that have that effect.
Highly recommended.
Tom Gosden (imbald13@hotmail.com) writes:
i thought it was hilarious...i especially liked the part when considine said..ive eaten bigger than you.....great stuff.....it should be classed as a comedy..good work whoever made it
noill (boltaque@hotmail.com) writes:
WOOOOOHOOOO wot a great film...i want to see it again it was so amazing!!!!!
paddy considine was so cool..hehe...he was beaten up wooohooooo...a very gripping story...woooooohoooooo
neil bolton (boltaque@hotmail.com) writes:
a great film with a stunning story and cast........'i've eaten bigger cornflakes than you' was a stunning and absolutely amazing line from paddy.
why did he go mad?...wot an idiot! I REALLY ENJOYED WATCHING THE FILM AND WISH FOR MORE PEOple to tell me whenit is next opn tv! well done film makers!!! great film!!!
Tom Gosden (imbald13@hotmail.com) writes:
once i had seen the film i couldnt believe the complex nature of all the characters-LOL.....i have two words for you...PADDY CONSIDINE...wot a guy....he did a great job playin morrel....i could have laughed alnite...the part at the end was great..Romeos dad beat the sh*t out of morrel..NICE ONE
craig wright (kenworthington@hotmail.com) writes:
Absolutely brilliant. I've watched it over and over again and it's still as good as the first time.
So many great lines...I've ate bigger cornflakes mate...weetabeet...tuck into that...carol, I think we've got racoons or somethin'...you can go nicely, or you can go horribly...
The whole cast is superb, especially Considine.
Great film, great soundtrack, funny, thrilling, and with a dark undertone. Top drawer...bring on Once Upon a Time in the Midlands.
michael tong (tongm@sundaytimes.newsltd.com.au) writes:
Fantastic movie, but how do I get hold of the soundtrack. No-one seems to be able to get hold of one or keep telling me it doesn't exist.
Ashh Molloy (ashhmolloy@yahoo.com) writes:
This really is a special film. I haven't met a single person who hasn't loved it. The lines go on and on and have become part of my everyday conversation. So glad that others feel the same way about it.
'What you calling me naughty names for?'
Lucy, Mansfield (Email address withheld) writes:
Inappropriate soundtrack? What is Monika on about? It's a fantastic soundtrack that well deserves to be released.
Paddy dancing at Chapel St Leonards has got to be the funniest thing I have ever seen. This film has to be classed as a comedy, the subtle humour is what makes this film brilliant.
Sorry lads, I can't destroy you today. I'm on important business.
Jem (Email address withheld) writes:
I watched this film as part of of my film course at college and even tho i thought the storyline was good, i thought the acting was bad there was the odd time when i actually believed the actors were the characters but that wasn't very often!
But glad it had a happy ending!
Viv and Val (Email address withheld) writes:
Initially lulled into amused collusion with the eccentricity of Morrell,admiring him for his heroic intervention and comedic skills, the darkness of his psyche creeps deviously into the viewers' conciousness. Without exception performances were convincing. This was a disturbing film with music sountrack creating a powerful dialectic.
helen (thaistho@hotmail.com) writes:
Brilliant movie! Just saw it on BBC last night. Very disturbing but hilarious at the same time. Fantastic one liners. I hope the kids survived the making of it!! Makes you wonder just how much this kind of thing goes on in urban Britain!?
aLZ (Email address withheld) writes:
Amazing film, with a Lawrentian feel, and a kind of Ken Loach 60's atmos. The characters were haunting, real, and it was a good exploration of schizophrenia in the suburbs. I was v. skeptical at first, until some great music, as diverse as Donova, Beth Orton, Beck, Fairport PP Arnold etc. began to work it's magic. All actors and camera work were superb, including Considine, who was made to play this part. What an intelligent, perceptive actor...Well done Brits!!
Dale (Email address withheld) writes:
good film,leaves you wanting more!! I keep thinking its the Midlands ''League of Gentleman'' ,just a small point ,the accents are spot on EXCEPT!! Bob Hoskins who's accent is a bad brummie one......
michele (megramae@hotmail.com) writes:
saw this film last night.... what an amazing and unbelievably well acted piece of raw grit. i was hooked from beginning to end... paddy stole the show...... got to buy the dvd now!
steve, middleton,Manchester (Email address withheld) writes:
the best thing about this film was the edgy shift from comedy to drama.The unexpected twist in Morrels character makes one feel let down by the good samaritan (and gives the watcher the feeling of being personally taken in and cheated). Plaudits to Paddy for his performance in portraying the eccentric Morrel; both the subtle harmless idiot and the dark and frustrated predator. Paddy does this with great subtlety and quite honestly steals the film.
msl, toronto, canada (Email address withheld) writes:
i caught this film on cbc late at night, and was instantly hooked. it is SO EFFEN RARE to see young kids being real on screen, i was mesmerized. esp, when they are working class kids, doing not much but bein themselves. loved the acting, the two young leads were amazing. morrell was extraordinary in that he took me through a dramatic transition as a viewer, from harmless, lovable and possibly adoptable eccentric puppy to frightening pyscho with a uk twist on taxi driver and a brit survivalist nutter. the supporting cast was all top notch. the camera work completely natural, direction unforced. and the first thing to hook me in was the music. any film with 'message to you rudy' off the top deservers a stop on the channel dial. the soundtrack stayed amazing throughout. completely a knockout human film with drama that didn't need nuclear hollywood blowouts to get me gripping my seat. really phenomenal. i'm envious of u.k drama now. wish it was more accessible through distribution in mainstream theatres and not after midnight on cdn television seven years after production.
Richard (dickhemingway@mac.com) writes:
Amazingly well done social realism with some very good acting-the two young boys were very good and Consadine
did an amazing job as Morrell! The boy's sister/Morrell's girl friend was extremely good too. The bleak UK setting provides a great background. The mini van plays a great supporting role and where did they find the pink ice cream truck--only in the UK. It reminded my a little of some of the early Mike Leigh films! The language/script is as sharp as anything I have seem lately, too.
Dean Garratt (DEANGARRATT@yahoo.co.uk) writes:
Great film, recently watched a film called 'dead mans shoes' with paddy considine (brilliant!!) and wanted to get hold of another one of his films! Also had frank harper (football factory) who also is another good actor. Classic line.....Are you gona go dark on me?! what you saying naughty words to me for!!
Only Sane Guy Here (Email address withheld) writes:
I cant believe the comments on here. I reckon every one has been written by the film PR agency. TERRIBLE FILM. DEAD END PLOT. DO NOT GO NEAR.
Ping Pong (Email address withheld) writes:
ew sick! you are so right only sane guy here. where is the plot?? it loses itself only finds itelf not where it expects itself to be, meanders towards a straight finish and then drops off to sleep only to wake three seconds later ..or is that just me!
Thomas Arrant (Email address withheld) writes:
I think perhaps the plot was too deep and intelligent for sane guy and and ping. This is an example of how well a true vision can translate to film.
Anna Worthington (Email address withheld) writes:
what can i say?! i saw this film last night- amazing. it is one of those rare films that gets right into your head and stays there. this film digs deep into a man's psyche- and deals with the crucial imput that young guys need in their childhood from their father figures. Morell's possibly schizophrenic charachter was intelligently observed. his early "quirky" antics started to scream "NUTTER" well before he overstepped the mark with those boys. fantastically accurate as far as dysfunctional personalities go. reminded me of many head jobs i've met over the years! i thought it was as sharp a film as i've seen in years. full of thought provoking stuff. will have to find meadow's other films now.
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