As Ron Manager would say, " young boys... in the park... jumpers for goal posts". This is a great Billy's boots type fairytale. Young Jimmy is the sole City fan in a school full of reds, he's also the perennial sub on the school team. He CAN play, but not when others are watching ("I'm just cack, its me nurones"). That all changes when a strange old lady rescues him from two school bullies (who bear a remarkable resemblance to Beckham and Keane) and gives him an old pair of boots that once belonged to a long gone City legend. The rest is great comic book stuff. Can he take the team to the final of the cup at Maine Road, will he get his school a new sports hall, what makes the boots magic? Robert Carlyle is wonderful as the washed up team coach and there is good support from a whole range of northern actors. Less mawkish than Gregory's Girl, and funnier too (the first game of the season is reminiscent of the American football game in M*A*S*H*). The tenements and the city of Manchester are used to great effect as the location and the sound track is the DBs. A great film, take the kids. It will remind them that there are two teams in Manchester(Man City and Man City reserves!).
Review of There's Only One Jimmy Grimble
