Mother’s Pride Review

As an outsider, someone who has only just recently moved to the UK, you begin to notice a pattern when it comes to your typical British family-type comedy film. They never really blow you away, but they have heart and a comforting feeling to them. The way these films make you feel is something you cannot help but appreciate. Mother’s Pride is Nick Moorcroft’s latest feature, and it simply fits so well into this wholesome film genre.

Pubs in England are slowly shutting down. In Somerset, a local family pub is on the brink of bankruptcy. Their neighbour, or local town bully, and his award-winning beer are just one of the threats posed against them. Father, Mick (Martin Clunes), and sons, Jake (James Buckley) and Cal (Jonno Davies), must work together to save their pub. In a divided community, brewing their own real ale and heading to the Great British Beer Awards might change their lives in more ways than one.

We have been given the problem. What do they have to face from the get-go? Well, being as British as can be, co-writers Moorcroft and Meg Leonard wrote a film about pubs and brewing beer in Somerset, England, no less. It simply feels as though it could not get any more British. Each additional element feels quite fitting when you sit back and relax to this easy-to-watch movie.

As a one-hit wonder, Cal is lost and broke, which causes him to return home. He did not expect to return to the pub, The Drovers, that was on the brink of bankruptcy and a father more than angry at him. Both Mick and Jake are heartbroken for the loss of their wife and mother, and hold somewhat of a grudge for Cal not coming to the funeral. In the state of decline, The Drovers pub faces terrible bookkeeping and a horrendous attitude from Mick.

SUPPORT US!!! WE ARE A SMALL, INDEPENDENT FILM WEBSITE WITH NO BIG BACKERS, SO IF YOU LOVE OUR SITE AND OUR WRITERS, PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US TO KEEP FILM JOURNALISM ALIVE!

Mother’s Pride has all of your typical movie plot points wrapped into one. A bit overwhelming at times, as it begins to forget what it truly wants to be. To keep it simple and full of heart, it only needed to be focused on the element of family. There are ways in which the film succeeds at doing this, but some additions that cause the 93-minute runtime to drag on and be longer than needed. There are thankfully enough happy scenes and moments where you cannot help but cheer for joy, which allow it to make up for parts that are unnecessary.

While struggling in their own individual ways with the loss of their wife and mother, all of the lads must come to terms with being there for one another. A bit trickily employed in the film, this mental health element adds and takes away from its successful storytelling. And though this aspect is there, the film itself is rooted deep in British pub culture. Heartfelt and laugh-out-loud moments are all there for the audience to tear up at or enjoy. In its own way, it tackles the struggle of mental health, perhaps not entirely successfully, but does so in a meaningful and entertaining way.

As soon as it begins, there is a feeling that you know exactly how it will end. While, of course, there is nothing wrong with that, Moorcroft and Leonard throw in a few pieces that keep the audience on their toes. Though Mother’s Pride is riddled with local bullies and childish ways for adults to be acting, it ultimately reminds us of the power of resilience and reconciliation. Originally an act of survival, Jake and Cal’s decision to brew their own real ale becomes a journey of restoration. In restoring their family’s legacy, they saved their father’s pub. Bringing themselves back together as a family, they also learned the love the community has for each other.

Mother’s Pride is another film to add to the ever-growing list of British cinema that might not be known by all, but films that are simply there. If in the mood for some representation of individual struggles, or a good laugh as you watch three grown men attempt to brew beer, Mother’s Pride may just be the new release for you. You and the family, of course.

★★★

In UK cinemas March 6th / Martin Clunes, James Buckley, Mark Addy, Gabriella Wilde, Miles Jupp, Josie Lawrence, Luke Treadaway, Jonno Davies, Karl Collins, Richard Glover, Emily Lloyd-Saini, Lola-Rose Maxwell, Jack Loy, Dominic Kinnaird / Dir: Nick Moorcroft / Entertainment Film Distributors / 12A