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Beautiful Thing (film)

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Beautiful Thing
Australian promotional poster for the film
Directed byHettie MacDonald
Written byJonathan Harvey
Produced byTony Garnett
Bill Shapter
Starring
Music byJohn Altman
Production
company
Distributed byFilmFour Distributors
Release date
  • 21 June 1996 (1996-06-21)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3,072,738[1]

Beautiful Thing is a 1996 British romantic comedy film directed by Hettie MacDonald and released by Channel 4 Films.[2] The screenplay was written by Jonathan Harvey based on his own original play of the same name.

The film was originally intended for television broadcast only, but it was so well-received that it was subsequently released in cinemas. The atmosphere of the film is heavily influenced by a soundtrack consisting almost entirely of the music of The Mamas & the Papas and "Mama" Cass Elliot.

Plot

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The story is set and filmed in Thamesmead, a working-class area of South East London dominated by post-war council estates,[3][4] with a key scene in a gay pub filmed at the Greenwich Tavern in nearby Greenwich.[5][6]

Jamie (Glen Berry) is a teenager who is in love with his classmate, Ste (Scott Neal). Jamie's single mother, Sandra (Linda Henry), is preoccupied with ambitious plans to run her own pub and has an ever-changing string of lovers; the latest of these is Tony (Ben Daniels), a neo-hippie.

Sandra finds herself at odds with Leah (Tameka Empson), a sassy and rude neighbour who has been expelled from school, takes a variety of drugs, and constantly listens and sings along to her mother's Cass Elliot records. While Jamie's homosexuality remains concealed, his introverted nature and dislike of football are reason enough for his classmates to bully him.

Ste, who is living together with his drug-dealing brother and abusive, alcoholic father in the flat next door to Sandra and Jamie's, is beaten by his brother so badly that Sandra takes pity and lets him sleep over one night. In the absence of a third bed, Ste has to make do with sleeping 'top-to-toe' with Jamie. On the second night that they share the bed, the boys change sleeping arrangements and Jamie kisses Ste for the first time.

The next morning, Ste leaves the flat before Jamie has awakened, and avoids him for days. Jamie works up the nerve to steal a Gay Times from a newsagent, apparently starting to accept his sexuality and affection for Ste. Jamie finally spots Ste at a nearby party and confronts him about his feelings; they prepare to leave together. The party ends badly, with Sandra taking vengeance on Leah for gossiping. Leah then threatens to 'spill the beans' about Ste and Jamie and confesses to having covered up for Ste in front of his father and brother. Ste reacts by angrily rejecting Jamie and running away.

Slowly, Ste accepts Jamie's love. Their relationship develops as they visit a gay pub together, but Sandra follows them and discovers their secret. The film reaches its climax as a bad trip by Leah (on an unnamed drug) precipitates Sandra's breakup with Tony, the news of Sandra's new job comes out, and Sandra confronts Ste and Jamie about their relationship. Sandra comes to accept her son's sexuality.

The film ends with the two boys slow-dancing in the courtyard of their council flats to the Cass Elliot song "Dream a Little Dream of Me" while a protective Sandra dances defiantly at their side with Leah as the local residents look on. Some onlookers are shocked, some strongly disapprove and some enjoy the moment.

Cast

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Critical reception

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Beautiful Thing has been mostly commended by contemporary critics. The film holds a 91% approval rating on the reviewing aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.67/10. The site's consensus reads: "An engaging slice of life drama that happens to double as a gay coming-of-age story, Beautiful Thing captures its place and time with deceptive depth and skill".[7]

Roger Ebert wrote "The most interesting scenes involve the characters around them, who all but steal the movie. The boys' lives contain few surprises, but from the other characters there is one astonishment after another."[8] Stephen Holden from The New York Times commented, "Ms. Henry is wonderful as a woman whose fighting spirit masks a streak of hard-bitten tenderness."[8]

Home media

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The film has been released multiple times on DVD through different distributors, including VCI, Film 4, Salzgeber & Co. Medien GmbH, HomeScreen, Columbia Tristar and Antiprod. Most releases only include a theatrical trailer as a special feature, but on the French Antiprod release, there is an exclusive 26-minute interview with director Hettie MacDonald and a photo gallery. The film debuted on Blu-ray in France by the distributor Optimale on June 1, 2021, which was later followed by a UK release due for March 18, 2024 by BFI.[9][10] It is also available in HD via streaming.

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Some of the actors that appeared in Beautiful Thing appeared in other work by Jonathan Harvey.

  • Tameka Empson and Meera Syal played major roles in Beautiful People.
  • Tameka Empson, Linda Henry and Scott Neal have all appeared in EastEnders together, Empson and Henry appearing as long-standing characters and Neal appearing for a brief stint.
  • Beth Goddard appeared in Gimme Gimme Gimme.

Harvey himself made a cameo appearance in the film, which he also did in Gimme Gimme Gimme and Beautiful People.

Soundtrack

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Beautiful Thing
Soundtrack album by
Mama Cass and The Mamas & the Papas
Released15 October 1996
GenrePop
LabelMCA Records

A soundtrack for the film was released by MCA Records on 15 October 1996.[11]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."It's Getting Better"Barry Mann, Cynthia WeilMama Cass2:59
2."One Way Ticket"Bruce Hart, Stephen J. LawrenceMama Cass2:46
3."California Earthquake"John HartfordMama Cass3:22
4."Welcome to The World"Martin Eagle Siegal, Scott EnglishMama Cass2:19
5."Make Your Own Kind of Music"Barry Mann, Cynthia WeilMama Cass2:19
6."Creeque Alley"John Phillips, Michelle PhillipsThe Mamas and The Papas3:48
7."Dream a Little Dream of Me"Fabian Andre, Wilbur SchwandtThe Mamas and The Papas3:13
8."Move in a Little Closer, Baby"Robert O'Connor, Arnold Jay CapitanelliMama Cass2:37
9."California Dreamin'"John Phillips, Michelle PhillipsThe Mamas and The Papas2:40
10."Monday, Monday"John PhillipsThe Mamas and The Papas3:27
11."I Saw Her Again"John Phillips, Denny DohertyThe Mamas and The Papas3:13
12."Words of Love"John PhillipsThe Mamas and The Papas2:11
13."Dedicated to the One I Love"Lowman Pauling, Ralph BassThe Mamas and The Papas2:58
14."Look Through My Window"John PhillipsThe Mamas and The Papas3:05
15."Go Where You Wanna Go"John PhillipsThe Mamas and The Papas2:29
16."Beautiful Thing Medley"John AltmanJohn Altman7:59

References

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  1. ^ "Beautiful Thing". Jpbox-office.com.
  2. ^ Derek Elley (10 March 1996). "Beautiful Thing". Variety. p. 77. Pic, which also unspools at this year's AFM, had buyers scrambling for their cell phones in the Berlin market and is rumored to be a contender for a spot in the sun at Cannes. Its world preem is set for March 28 in the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.
  3. ^ Benedict Nightingale (3 August 1993). "If only things were so simple". The Times. Into the Bush we go and what strikes our eager eyes? Concrete paving, grey stucco walls, drab doors with 368, 369 and 370 embossed on them, and, as a feeble protest against the gloom, a few flowerpots and plaster dwarfs. This is the third floor of a council estate in Thamesmead, and as unlikely a setting for a play called Beautiful Thing as Buckingham Palace's gardens would be for Les Miserables.
  4. ^ "The council cries foul play". Evening Standard. 24 November 1994. p. 43. Jonathan Harvey's West End hit Beautiful Thing is 'sickening' – that's official – as far as Bexley Borough Council is concerned. Harvey's play, about gay love is, of course, set in Thamesmead, part of which falls under the council's aegis. You might think fame for the borough would fill the breast of Bexley Tory councillor Graham R Holland, but no. The Duke of York's Theatre last week received a very severe letter from him on the council's headed paper. It criticises the billing of Harvey's gay love story as a comedy, and says the Holland family were 'intimidated' by gays in the bar and that they found 'the sight of older men with young lads was sickening, if legal'. He goes on to complain about the play's 'sordid' language: 'It was gratuitous, foul and offensive and was neither relevant nor, with my experience of Thamesmead ... in any way typical of the young people with whom I am in contact.' The shocked family group left after 20 minutes.
  5. ^ "London Pride 2023: Five rainbow plaques to be installed across London". BBC News. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. ^ Perry, Sophie (29 June 2023). "Five rainbow plaques to be installed across London to mark Pride Month". Pink News. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Beautiful Thing". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b Alexander Ryll (2014). "Essential Gay Themed Films To Watch, Beautiful Thing". Gay Essential. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Optimale.fr". Facebook (in French). Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Pre-Order: Beautiful Thing (Blu-ray)". shop.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  11. ^ Beautiful Thing soundtrack. Amazon.com. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
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