The One and Only (2002)

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Really not the best genre movie around but an enjoyable and good enough on to watch.The real problem of the movie is its simplicity and its emotionless distant approach of it all. The movie really isn't the best or most clever written movies but it nevertheless is a well made one, with some good directing, acting and overall backdrop and atmosphere.The movie is hanging together from its coincidences. The movie too heavily relies on coincidences, which really doesn't make the most believable movie around. It's a style that works so well in other British movies, just not in this one.This movie is somewhere in the middle of everything. It has too many comedy to be a drama and too much drama to really be a comedy. It makes the movie an unbalanced one, as you can never be to sure with what approach to watch this movie. Because of this nothing in the movie ever really works out as good as it was supposed to. The movie also doesn't really work out as a romantic movie, since the love between the two main characters just isn't notably present enough. Not necessarily the actors fault but more because of the approach of the movie. Their relationship is more believable- and would had worked better as a friendship between two people who went through a hard time and supported each other in it. But it wouldn't had been a romantic-comedy then, now would it.At least the actors still did their very best. Richard Roxburgh once more shows his versatility as an actor. Michael Hodgson is also good as the more comical relief of the movie. Jonathan Cake on the other hand isn't the greatest. His character is way too stereotypical and totally unoriginal to find it funny.Nevertheless it's an harmless movie to watch. It's a movie that does not bore and is an easy one on the eye and mind.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Is it me or is the speech in this film dubbed in? Also; the soundtrack just kicks in occasionally and randomly. What's that all about?Acting's great! (in places.)Plot's awful. Everyone lives next to the Tyne in Cuurtainless apartments with HUGE windows. Even the kitchen fitter & the asda sex maniac. Why no long lingering shots of Sunnyside in the p****** down rain?Also. If a Geordie walked into an apartment and the lady of the house said "Ay pet, my husband plays for Newcastle and I'm oop the duff; look this true blue says so."He wouldn't just go "ai, is that right pet?" He'd have ripped the pregnancy testing kit out of her hand and framed it (or sold it on ebay)And why is Newcastle empty for most of this movie? And why isn't the child more involved in the plot? She just flits in and out!I watched this and felt let down. I can't wait to see the original.Sean

This film was given the slot following Film 2005 on the BBC last night, a slot which is usually reserved for the more decent efforts. And with my mind still on the excellent King Kong preview in that programme - it looks amazing and opens this Thursday - 'The One and Only' managed to divert my attention away from that.It is a very effective film in it's own way, the jokes, wisecracks and one-liners come thick and fast once everything gets going and I must admit some of the stuff is pretty good. Apart from Richard Roxburgh's Geordie accent slipping into Welsh on occasion and Justine Waddell trying too hard at times for her character to be a bit wacky, everything plays out in a gentle, irreverent manner until an overly soppy ending which I wasn't a huge fan of.There was also reference to Newcastle United's poor transfer policy and tendency to pay over the odds for anything that moves, with "7 million pounds worth of groin strain", 'King of the treatment room' Italian Andrea Buffeloni who's played only 34 minutes since his transfer. Which is currently very relevant considering Albert Luque's pricey transfer in the summer and his subsequent lack of games.All in all, a surprisingly good film which is very funny in parts. 6/10

This is one of the nicest and funniest movies I have seen recently, and is one of those titles you want to see more than a one and only time. It was tucked away on the bottom shelf of a Belgium videotheque; it never reached the cinemas in Belgium, nor in the Netherlands. Hence it didn't get any attention to a broader audience; what a shame! For starters the plot is as simple as it is good and the story build around sticks to it and is credible. The film breathes a certain low budget atmosphere and there is hardly any outstanding camera work, though it delivers quite some great stills. Comparisons are made with Notting Hill. Regarding that I would say the Notting Hill film has better photography with great color but has the rather slik Hollywood like fairy tale setting, where as The One And Only is definitely much funnier, not only in dialogue, has the better soundtrack and stands, again not only regarding the more prosaic dialogue, closer to reality. As a foreigner I wasn't bothered by perhaps not so good northern accents; they sounded perfectly genuine to me. And what a heavenly lass miss Waddel is!