I was living abroad when this film came out and so didn't have much of an idea of what it was about. In fact, the only reason I got round to watching it was because someone lent me a copy and reading the blurb on the back of the DVD reminded me of the lady who used to serve us coffee in the common room at university in Durham. Marie was her name. She and her husband ran a small convenience store during the Miner's Strike in the 80s and kept many a family going by allowing them to run up a tab. Once the strike was over though and everyone began to slowly get back on their feet, Marie and her husband went bankrupt. Her husband later died of heart problems. She was a wonderfully brave woman and she never complained. I have always remembered her and it is with her in mind that I watched this film. Somehow, it made it all the more poignant and understandable.

Interspersed with the story of the colliery and the band is the story of the band members and how they cope with life. Danny's son, Phil, was imprisoned for 18 months during the Miner's Strike and is still hugely in debt. He has four children and his wife is about to leave him. Andy, an old flame of Gloria is delighted to see her again and they restart their relationship. But will the colliery be saved? And will the band make it through to the National Championships at the Albert Hall.

To be honest, the rest of the cast, although there are some well known names there, are nothing like as good. Ewan McGregor does an OK job as Andy, but that is about as far as it goes. Tara Fitzgerald plays Gloria and again, apart from providing some eye candy for the men, doesn't really stand out at all. To be fair, this is not a lot to do with their acting skills, but rather that there are so many cast members that apart from Danny and Phil, none of them really get the chance to shine. Having said that, there is no-one that gives a bad performance.

Classification: 15. The only reason for this that I can think of is the language and the general hardness of life that the miners and their families are forced to lead.

Conclusion
I did really enjoy this film. I am old enough to remember the Miner's Strike; what is often forgotten is that life didn't immediately revert to normal and that many families continued to suffer for some time afterwards. I do not really think that this film is likely to be enjoyed by anyone other than the Brits; it is very down to earth and filled with British humour and cynicism that is probably hard for other nationalities to understand unless they have a particular desire to, but as a Brit, I found it both heart-warming and emotional.