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This
is a feel-good comedy-drama which tells the story of a
bullied teenager’s rocky journey out of childhood and
into adulthood without ever taking its tongue out of its
cheek.
Like
most teenagers, Jimmy Grimble dreams of a life for himself.
However, unlike most teenagers, he has some ancient footware
to step into and, as a result, his dreams become reality.
Well, sort of … Produced by Jeremy Bolt, Sarah Radclyffe
and Alison Jackson, the film marks the feature debut of
acclaimed television director John Hay, who co-wrote the
screenplay with Simon Mayle and Rik Carmichael.
It
combines the starpower of three of Britain’s top actors
– Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone and Gina McKee – with the
youthful enthusiasm of newcomer Lewis McKenzie, whose
natural charm and instinctive acting skill mark him out
as a formidable new talent.
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| Jimmy
Grimble |
Fifteen-year-old
Jimmy Grimble (LEWIS McKENZIE) dreams of being a professional
footballer. The only problem is that when he plays in
front of anyone, his confidence disappears, his technique
and co-ordination abandon him. That’s not Jimmy’s only
problem – at school, he’s victimised by Gorgeous Gordon
Burley (BOBBY POWER), the school bully; he’s fallen for
new girl Sara (SAMIA GHADIE) but gets tongue-tied whenever
he sees her; and at home, his mum Donna (GINA McKEE) has
just broken up with Harry (RAY WINSTONE), a genial, good-hearted
man who has inspired Jimmy to become a Manchester City
fan. Needless to say, being a City fan in a school full
of Manchester United supporters doesn’t make life any
easier. One day, Jimmy meets a homeless woman (JANE LAPOTAIRE)
who gives him a tatty old pair of football and says that
when he puts them on, he will play as well as Robbie Brewer,
the famous player they once belonged to.
Now,
Jimmy’s a streetwise, 21st century kid from Manchester
and he knows exactly what to do when a mad old woman gives
him a pair of "mysterious" boots – throw them away. However,
fate intervenes and to his acute embarrassment he finds
himself having to wear them in a school’s cup match –
a match in which he scores the goal of a lifetime!
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