Sunday Matinee: The Bromley Boys [Film]

“Welcome to England, welcome to 1969 and welcome to the worst football team in Britain. Dave Roberts  is your average 14-year-old boy, but there’s nothing average about the adventure he’s about to embark on. Dave is in love with his local team, but each week Bromley FC slide further and further down the league, suffering humiliating defeats and facing the double-edged threat of bankruptcy and relegation. When a chance discovery throws Dave’s world upside down he is presented with the opportunity to take the fate of the side into his own hands by becoming the club’s new manager. In the ultimate underdog story of friendship, first love and football fanaticism can our hero avoid the wrath of club chairman (Jamie Foreman), win the hearts of the players and the love of the chairman’s daughter all in time to save his beloved team from going down?” – October Coast PR

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Do we have something amazing to share with you all today. Other critics are calling The Bromley Boys the “feel good movie of the year” and I am very inclined to co-sign on that. For football fans, you are going to really dig this heart-warming film. But even if you aren’t a “soccer” fan, there is still so much depth and heart to this lovely little true story. Brenock O’Connor is an absolute delight in his role as Dave Roberts. And having resided in the UK for close to 3 years as an American outsider, I can truly attest to the fact that these people are SERIOUS about their clubs, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem to the league around them. It’s a passion and an entirely different set up than I believe any Americans could truly understand. We may be big fans of our local single A minor league baseball team, but I’ve never seen an obsession such as this. Not to mention this film takes place over 50 years ago, and the obsession has never ceased.

Screenwriter Warren Dudley has done an incredible job in bringing Roberts’s memoir to life, and Steve Kelly has managed to direct a film that is simply poignant and dare I say brilliant. And while O’Connor deserves the recognition he has been getting for his appearance, it be a shame not to mention the star on the rise Savannah Baker in her role as Ruby McQueen, a girl who just can’t seem to give a boy enough hints. It also behooves us to mention that the grown ups of the film were actually quite delightful as well! The likes of Jamie Foreman and Alan Davies absolutely crush it with their performances and should be commended as well.

Go see this Folks! Any which way you find yourself able to view it, I can not recommend it highly enough. If you like to feel good after watching a film, The Bromley Boys is the film for you.

The Bromley Boys is in select North American theaters now, and on VOD soon.