Footie dreams

>> There's Only One Jimmy Grimble is sweet but forgettable

by MATTHEW HAYS

The bullying begins early on in There's Only One Jimmy Grimble and it's pretty dang ugly. The rather geeky hero of this modest British film, Jimmy Grimble (played with panache by newcomer Lewis McKenzie), is attacked by the local nasties at his school. They beat him up, chase him down the street, mock the girl who shows an interest in him and piss on his school bag.

But Jimmy Grimble smells like a sweet and innocuous film from the get-go, thus we know someone's going to get their comeuppance, and it isn't dear little Jimmy. Nay, the sweet lad is flanked by various subplots, including his single mum's ongoing romantic woes and his soccer coach's loss of faith (neatly played by the ever-reliable Robert Carlyle). Jimmy can't quite get any respect and is forced to endure the various indignities of being an oppressed student. But he has his one passion: soccer (or football, depending on which side of the pond you're viewing the game from). He loves the game and has dreams of winning big, but sadly, the school team is lorded over by the nastiest of the bullies, nixing Jimmy's dreams.

Again, this being a sweet, innocuous film, there really aren't too many surprises about what's going to transpire. His mother will end up destitute, he will lose the girl, his soccer match will end in disaster as a direct result of his failure, he will be rejected by his teammates (and ultimately society at large) and his coach will end up drunk and in the gutter.

Just kidding! Jokes involving fake plot turns aside, the previous paragraph points to the principle trouble with a film like There's Only One Jimmy Grimble. I suppose it could be considered uplifting, and might pass the litmus test for some young or particularly nondiscriminating audiences, but the film is so terrifically predictable in virtually every respect and plays itself out far, far too soon. The dots began to connect 10 minutes into the screening. Nary a surprise could be found in its feature length.

Still, with the dearth of even remotely pleasing fare parents feel they can take their children to, this may well pass as a respectable excuse for a matinée outing. The performances are solid, the cinematography is beautiful and the plot doesn't involve cannibalism. For those looking for cross-generational kicks, perhaps a bit of predictability won't prove such a bad thing after all.

There's Only One Jimmy Grimble opens Friday, March 2