England Is Mine (2017)

England Is Mine: Directed by Mark Gill. With Jodie Comer, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jack Lowden, Simone Kirby. A portrait of Morrissey and his early life in 1970s Manchester before he went on to become the lead singer of seminal alternative rock band The Smiths.

“Letu0026#39;s set some axioms before we can appraise this work. 1) The Smiths were the greatest rocku0026#39;nu0026#39;roll band of all time. 2) Morrissey is the worldu0026#39;s greatest living poet. From that axiomatic base, there can be nothing but high hopes for a film about Morrisseyu0026#39;s beginnings. Sadly, this film is a non-starter on all counts, because any Smiths fan knows going into it that Morrissey has always refused to license the rights to the songs after that well-known u0026#39;How Soon is Nowu0026#39; debacle. Therefore, we can expect to hear none of the music and none of the lyrics. So, what is the point of making the film? The answer is, u0026#39;There is no point at allu0026#39;. And what is the point of watching the film? The answer is, u0026#39;There is no point at allu0026#39;. Letu0026#39;s get one thing absolutely clear; u0026#39;Controlu0026#39; this is not; u0026#39;24 Hour Party Peopleu0026#39; this is not; u0026#39;Nowhere Boyu0026#39; this is not. Suffice to say, a watchable, entertaining film this is not.”