SoulBoy (2010)

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely the worst movie.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

There are a lot of white blues musicians heavily influenced by black blues legends and yet ironically display racists views. Cough, Eric Clapton for example although he claims he was drunk at the time.In the same vein, Wigan is one of the most racists town in Britain. I went there once with an Asian friend and it was eye popping the blatant racism on display and the people of Wigan seemed to be rather proud of this. Then again what do you expect when the town's rugby supporters would throw bananas on the pitch for one of their own highly paid black rugby players.This kind of prejudice is always conveniently overlooked when programme makers examine the history of the Wigan Casino. Still the Wigan Casino has attained legendary status as the dance mecca for 1960s American soul music, daring dance moves and later on giving a new lease of life to the soul legends of yesteryear.SoulBoy gives a slice of life in the 1970s when a young lad, Joe (Martin Compston) from Stoke discovers the joys of Soul music, dancing, Wigan Casino, getting girls and popping pills. He falls for a blonde but its a brunette who is his true soul mate. Along the way he crosses swords with a nasty ace dancer who is the boyfriend of the blonde one and Joe's fellow work mate has a thing for the wife from the local chip shop whose husband is the jealous and violent type.There are several cast members who have ended up later in the BBC TV series Line of Duty, so you have here a few familiar faces if you watch Line of Duty.SoulBoy is a low budget movie, filmed in Stoke. It has a slight storyline but there is a lot of heart in the acting. It does try to be a Staffordshire version of Saturday Night Fever although the final dance off does look a little weak.The film did miss a nice humorous twist where it should have had a present day scene when all the now aged dancers from the Wigan Casino days are lining up at the local hospitals waiting for their hip and knee replacement surgery!

Funny, nostalgic, some good tunes. Boy wants girl, other girl loves boy, boy makes right choice!!!!Just watched this on DVD. I moved away from Lancs to Kent and there isn't the opportunity down here to still go dancing or be involved with the die hard scene.The music was good, some real classics, but it could have been better. The attention to retro clothing, bags, badges and the all important photocopied fliers was good. They got the Casino sign spot on and the bin on Mavis's counter was a touch. They even managed to get in the stairs, although these actually ended at the cloakroom or in the main hall the balcony and next door Mr M's.I cried after some of the documentary footage (which you would only identify if you had been there. Very cleverly done but obvious if you observe the balcony closely.) Two good friends deceased long ago through drugs, lovely people, misguided and sadly missed.Shame it didn't mention post Casino swimming and the obligatory fry up!!! Coaches were good, they did the same to Blackpool Mecca. I don't think that you can actually walk to Stoke from Wigan????..................although it has probably been tried.The dance offs at the end..........tacky. Would never happen,,,,,,,, I often danced in front of the stage!!!!!!!!!!

I was really excited about this film being released, based round the northern soul scene, the recreation of the Wigan Casino and all that, so was very pleased to see it was showing in Portsmouth to coincide with my visit.I left feeling disappointed. It is basically a boy meets girl out of reach, boy chases girl out of reach etc. He tries to impress her and win her by getting involved and interested in the club she travels from Stoke to, The Wigan Casino.The cast do well with a script that follows the well worn scenarios we've seen before in other films and the nostalgia is great. Seeing the sign of the Casino Club as they got off the coach genuinely put the hairs on the back of my neck up and some of the indoor dance scenes were OK too, even if they relied too heavily on the old documentary shots from the seventies to fill. I thought they had brought in loads of dancers from the current scene to film? Surely they could have used more of these? The music choice was great and there were some genuinely funny moments, but overall I felt it was more a film that started as a storyline and they needed a cult scene to base it round to fill seats because without it there wouldn't be much of a film and chose northern soul. That is probably not right but I just felt that.I also spent the film wondering why everyone was so bowled over by this blonde girl he was besotted with when the brunette that fancied him was far better looking.Not a great film but an enjoyable one if only for the nostalgia, just don't watch it expecting it to be about the northern soul scene as such, two quick examples to that, the dance off at the end was embarrassing and not something you'd have seen at Wigan, same with someone spinning on their back, but it is a harmless ninety minutes if you want an easy film to watch.

It has taken far too long for a film about Northern Soul to come to fruition. Thankfully when it did happen it was a belter.This is a great movie and they have recreated the time and the passion really well.It's beautifully shot and the grainy film gives it an old feel whilst at the same time allowing the original dance footage to blend seamlessly.The story works well, although I was a little disappointed with the dance off. I am fairly sure it would have just been a fight but by the time this took place I was so invested in the whole feel of the film that I really couldn't care. It didn't spoil the film.The cameo from Fun Lovin' Criminal Huey was a bit out of place. No idea who chose to put him in that role but for me it didn't work.There were great touches of detail from the era, from the splash of Brut to the hideous platform shoes. The dance scenes were superb especially the long shots with a see of bodies bouncing on a crowded dancefloor.I don't know if my enjoyment was heightened because of my love for the scene but all in all this was a superb movie. I just hope it gets the recognition and wide viewing it deserves.Lovely