Fisherman’s Friends

Fisherman’s Friends – While visiting the Cornish coastal village of Port Isaac for a stag weekend, a London record company exec is half-seriously persuaded by his friends to try to sign a recording deal with a group of local fishermen who sing traditional sea shanties in their spare time. As he attempts to persuade them, he also becomes enamoured with one of the fishermen’s daughters, and the community as a whole.

Fisherman’s Friends (2019) – Director: Chris Foggin

By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59567674

Rating: 12

Running Length: 112 mins

Starring: James Purefoy, Daniel Mays, Tuppence Middleton, David Hayman, Dave Johns, Maggie Steed, Noel Clarke

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Musical

REVIEW: FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS

‘Fisherman’s Friends’ is based very loosely on a true story, but most of the characters and situations, as well as the romance subplot, have been invented for the screen. It’s a fairly predictable and corny but nonetheless enjoyable fish-out-of-water comedy, with the sea shanty musical numbers adding some welcome novelty. It makes a nice change to see this kind of village community presented onscreen in a way that isn’t condescending, with the city slicker characters being the butt of more jokes than the West Country locals are. The cast is mostly fine, but the father-daughter duo of James Purefoy and Tuppence Middleton make the strongest impression and manage to suggest depth and layers to their characters, whose pride in their community and anger at perceived betrayal provide the film’s strongest moments and power the plot.

That said, the romance subplot between the young London exec and the owner of the local B’n’B takes up too much of the screen time. It would have been more interesting to spend more time with the fishermen themselves and learn a bit more about their lives and work. Some members of the group only get a few lines and don’t develop much as characters. And it is a shame there are only a handful of songs dotted throughout the film when it would have happily benefited from a few more songs.

It’s a fairly gentle comedy, which will probably raise a few chuckles and the odd wry smile rather than full belly laughs. But if you’re in the mood for an undemanding, pleasantly bucolic couple of hours you could do worse.

CONTENT: IS ‘FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

In the opening scenes the London characters are seen sharing a car ride and exchanging loud banter, including a few swear words such as “bollocks” and “wanker”.

Later they have a disagreement with one of the Cornish locals about right of way. She calls the driver a “tosser” and refers to his large car as a “cock extension”. Her young daughter asks her what the word “tosser” means, and later uses the word herself to refer to the man.

Characters who attempt to go surfing get into trouble and are concerned by the rising tide. Their reaction is exaggerated and they seem to be in no real danger but they have to be rescued by the coastguard. One of them is shown alone on a surfboard in the middle of a vast sea.

A later scene shows a more hectic and dangerous rescue, shown briefly in a few fast cuts. Afterwards one of the lifeboat volunteers appears to be injured and is seen to by a paramedic, but he insists he is fine and appears to suffer no ill effects.

Characters are frequently seen drinking in the local pub, although no extreme drunkenness is shown.

When singing a traditional song about the variety of women that a sailor has known, one character comments disapprovingly, “It’s a song about prostitution”.

Two characters flirt and eventually kiss. They are shown laying in bed together the next morning.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS’ FOR KIDS?

A gently amusing family-friendly comedy which is mostly innocuous apart from the occasional mild curse word and some slight sexual innuendo. Mostly suitable for children over the age of 8.

• Violence: 0/5 (two men confront each other but stop short of fighting)
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (one character dies peacefully, causing distress for their partner and son, who sings tearfully at their funeral; a young couple express anxiety over their financial instability)
• Fear Factor: 1/5 (characters rescued from a rising tide by a lifeboat)
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (one kiss, characters seen in bed together the next morning)
• Bad Language: 2/5 (Occasional uses of mild curse words)
• Dialogue: 1/5 (one brief reference to prostitution)
• Other notes: Deals with death and mourning, bank-related stress)

Words by Simon Litton