I have to open by saying that you will like this movie even if you don’t like football. The Bromley Boys is a charming and genuinely funny comedy based on true events about a young football fan and his adventures in the sixties. It manages to capture that passion we all felt for something when we were younger. And it might just wake something in you, something you thought you no longer had. However, this isn’t just a movie about football. It’s basically a coming-of-age story with all the usual ingredients. First loves, first true friendships, strict parents, and all the other stuff that makes this period of our life so special.
The first thing that’s going to surprise you about The Bromley Boys is the sheer quality of the production values. The camera work is stellar and the cinematography is even better. It feels like this is some huge project with millions of dollars behind it. The story is taking place in Bromley, a small town in the English countryside with an even smaller football team. Unlike other English movies set during this period, there will be none of that dreary social realism. The setting resembles American movies taking place in the suburbs more than anything else.
This instantly results in a positive and uplifting atmosphere further bolstered by intelligent and funny dialogue. That’s another thing that I didn’t expect. Snappy comebacks, hilarious one-liners, and down-to-Earth exchanges were excellent. And the whole movie is narrated by our lead character, David Roberts, reminiscing about his adventures in Bromley. He’s played by incredibly talented Brenock O’Connor who’s going to be a future star, mark my words. The rest of the cast was also great although consisting of mostly unknown actors.
It is the year of our lord Jimmy Greaves 1969 and 15-year-old David Roberts has only one thing on his mind. No, it’s not girls, cars, or money, it’s Bromley Football Club. Despite his father’s objections, he continues to follow them in their worst football season in history. Dave is basically an outsider, without any friends but that’s about to change as he meets three football fans who share his passion. However, an even bigger change awaits young Dave when he meets the club president’s daughter…
When it comes to English movies about football, they usually go in two distinct directions. Movies about football hooligans like The Football Factory and I.D. are definitely more popular. However, there are also all these general movies about football, without any violence like Goal! franchise and Bend It Like Beckham. The Bromley Boys, since it’s based on actual events falls into a secret third category along with The Damned United. But, you should know that the story here is quite personal and without any larger-than-life events.
I don’t want you going into this movie thinking that David is going to move mountains or something like that. The Bromley Boys is a movie that’s going to steal your heart with its honesty and relatedness. As you already know, I’m a bit of a football fan. And I do follow the Premiere League along with other various competitions. For a certain period of time, I was completely immersed in the football culture, feverishly following any new developments regarding Newcastle United. And watching The Bromley Boys brought back all those memories, especially since Newcastle United was kind of struggling in that period of time.
Director: Steve M Kelly
Writers: Warren Dudley
Cast: Brenock O’Connor, Jamie Foreman, Martine McCutcheon, Alan Davies, Savannah Baker
Fun Facts: While most of the movie was shot in Bromley, the stadium used for filming was the one of Crockenhill Football Club located in the village of Crockenhill near Swanley in Kent.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179231/
