A One Mann’s Movies review of “Mother’s Pride”. (2026, 4*, 15).
There is a certain je ne sais quoi in a cinema audience after a really good film has finished. A sense of smug satisfaction that, just for once, as a paying cinema-going customer, have actually chosen well and picked a good ‘un. It happened last night at the Everyman Salisbury for the opening night showing of “Mother’s Pride”.
This was a well-attended screening, with virtually no-one under 50 present and possibly helped along by all of those rich pensioner-types being well tanked-up on G&T’s and/or wine! But there was a veritable buzz as the film was on and a chatter of excited laughter as everyone filed out. I can compare and contrast this with the recent “How To Make A Killing“, where everyone trudged out, some commenting “well, that was disappointing”!
Coming from nowhere at all in my expectations, I thought “Mother’s Pride” was a finely crafted British comedy, cheesy and as predictable as anything, but also just the sort of escapist fare that we need during these particularly troubled times. It stands out as a refreshing comedy that reminds us of the joy of laughter and community.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Famous musician Cal (Jonno Davies) returns to the Somerset village he used to call home after many years away. His irascible father Mike (Martin Clunes), still grieving the loss of his wife, and brother Jake (James Buckley) run the pub – the Drovers – there. But the business is in a terrible state due to the yuppie owner, Pritchard (Luke Treadaway), of the pub across the road thanks to their award winning brew.
Certification:
UK: 12A; US: NR. (From the BBFC website: “Moderate sex references, language, infrequent suicide references”.)
Talent:
Starring: Jonno Davies, Martin Clunes, Mark Addy, Gabriella Wilde, James Buckley, Luke Treadaway, Josie Lawrence, Miles Jupp, Emily Lloyd-Saini, Karl Collins, Richard Glover, Lola-Rose Maxwell, Stephen Leask, Lana Moorcroft.
Directed by: Nick Moorcroft.
Written by: Meg Leonard & Nick Moorcroft, with additional material by Natalie Malla.
Running Time: 1h 33m.
Summary:
Positives:
- Smashes the 6-laughs test for a comedy.
- A strong ensemble cast, with Martin Clunes delivering another superb movie performance
- Gabriella Wilde as the love interest is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and a fine actor.
Negatives:
- It’s cheesy and utterly predictable!
Full Review:
A difficult film not to love.
This is another of those British films that just feels – as for “Notting Hill”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Love Actually” – like it will build a tsunami of love behind it that will keep it popping up for many years to come. It’s really difficult not to warm to this film.
Superb lead casting.
Firstly, the cast is excellent. Martin Clunes, fresh from his triumph in “Wuthering Heights“, turns in another superb performance as the landlord handling grief with irascibility and anger; James Buckley (who I still always describe as “that bloke from The Inbetweeners”… sorry James!) is also great as the brother and Morris Dancing purist, appalled by the ‘Disco Morris’ intentions of Drover’s regular, the Shakespeare-quoting Paxman (a very good Mark Addy); and Jonno Davies (the guy behind the chimp mask in “Better Man”) is fine as Jonno.
But I have to say Gabriella Wilde is simply irresistible as the love interest Abi. She is simply gorgeous and lights up the screen in every scene she’s in and acts really well. Before this, Wilde’s last film was a bit-part as Max Lord’s secretary in “Wonder Woman: 1984” and before that she was Caroline Penvenen in the “Poldark” TV Series (“ah, yes”, I thought!) which finished in 2019. All I can say is that casting agents need to be putting her into more stuff!
Strong supporting roles.
Outside of the lead cast, the supporting roles are also well cast. Of particular note is young Lana Moorcroft (presumably the director’s daughter) playing Jake’s daughter Romy. She delivers a terrific performance: her nicely punched line “Hello Miss” raised one of the biggest laughs in the piece!
Also delivering good value is Lola-Rose Maxwell as Dawn, a nymphomaniac, pan-sexual taxi driver, where the only requirement for a partner seems to be a pulse! Having the pop-star Cal (Jonno Davies) in her cab is almost too much for her to take. It’s also great to see Josie Lawrence back on the big screen playing her mum Edith. I can’t remember what I last saw her in – it might have been “Death in Paradise” – but she wasn’t looking particularly well: here she seems to be positively blooming again.
Some good laughs.
The script by Meg Leonard, Nick Moorcroft and Natalie Malla left me with an almost permanent smile on my face and managed to deliver some good belly-laughs along the way. It certainly managed to smash the 6-laughs test.
But, as with all the best comedies, the laughs are offset with some melancholy as well. There is a depression angle in the story which was, I thought beautifully handled and a very touching moment. And there there’s Mike (Martin Clunes) finally coming to terms with the loss of his wife, leading to an ashes scattering scene that created a tear in my eye. (Must have been the ash… damn that wind.)
Which reminds me to comment that another star of the show is the wonderfully bucolic Somerset countryside. The film was shot in the village of Norton St Philip, using the George Inn as the stand-in for “The Drovers”.
Watch out for the twist… oh… actually…
I mean – as a reality check – this is NOT a rocket science film. This is not a story that required “Inception” levels of concentration! The story is utterly, UTTERLY predictable. Everything you think might happen, DOES happen! This results in a competition finale, for example, managing to have no tension whatsoever. But I found it all satisfying, in a uniquely cheesy, British sort of way.
The fact that Nick Moorcroft was one of the guys behind the “Fisherman’s Friends” films makes a lot of sense. If you like those films, you’ll enjoy this one.
Summary Thoughts:
It’s not bloody Shakespeare, but it is a high-class piece of feelgood British film-making. If you have elderly relatives saying “they don’t make films like that anymore”, then get them out and into the cinema to watch this one. I strongly predict that word of mouth will mean that UK cinemas have a VERY busy time with matinee bookings for this one from the ‘silver dollar’ crowd. I think this will do very well, as it deserves to.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgbkUl0jHJk.
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