Glenrothan (3*): Cox Writes A Love Letter To Scotland.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Glenrothan”. (2026, 3*, 12A).

I’m late in the game in seeing this directorial debut of Brian Cox – “Glenrothan” – since I suspect it will probably be leaving most UK cinemas this week. But I’m sure you’ll be able to catch it on streaming fairly shortly.

This is a mild little tale of two estranged brothers that simmers gently for 97 minutes without really breaking a sweat and then ends. It’s cute; it’s pleasant watch; but it is, as Douglas Adams was want to say, “Mostly Harmless”.

One Mann’s Movies Rating:

Plot:

Sandy (Brian Cox) runs the Glen Nairn distillery in the Scottish village of Glenrothan. But he is aging and ill. He sends a pleading letter to his long-estranged and jazz-club-owning brother, Donal (Alan Cumming), in Chicago to come home before it is too late. After a fire destroys his club, there is no excuse for Donal not to come home and face his past.

Certification:

UK: 12A; US: NR. (From the BBFC website: “Infrequent strong language, moderate violence”.)

Talent:

Starring: Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Shirley Henderson, Alexandra Shipp, Nicole Ansari-Cox, Joanne Thomson, John Ritchie, Jess Douglas-Welsh, Aidan Redmond, Alexandra Wilkie.

Directed by: Brian Cox.

Written by: David Ashton & Jeff Murphy.

Running Time: 1h 37m.

Review:

Positives:

• The shots of the Scottish countryside are magnificent. After coming out of this film, the Illustrious Mrs Movie Man, without taking more than 10 steps away from the cinema door, said “we must go back to Scotland again soon”! I’ve been lucky enough to travel to dozens of beautiful countries around the world, but there is something truly special and calming about seeing little waves on a Scottish loch lapping onto a stony shore: and this film captures that perfectly.
• The tale is pretty simple and told in an unflashy way. There are occasional flashbacks to Donal’s troubled childhood, but other than that, everything flows in a highly predictable way. This is not the film to repeat the surreal effects of “Mother Mary“! There are no surprise twists. Just about everything you expect to happen, does happen. In that sense, this falls into the “Mother’s Pride” category of comfortable, non-demanding watches. A feet up, cup of tea and a shortbread biscuit kind of movie.
• The film really comes to life in its music sequences: a mix of jazz and Scottish folk music. Two sequences have Donal (Alan Cumming) on piano accompanied by a band: one set in his Chicago club and one set in the village pub. The former has Donal and his daughter Amy (Alexandra Shipp) hammering out an insanely catchy tune and the latter has Donal and Kirsty (Jess Douglas-Welsh), the daughter of the blending wizard Jess (Shirley Henderson), singing an equally catchy ode-to-Scotland in the pub. It made me want to turn the whole film into a musical!
• All the acting is up to snuff, with Alexandra Shipp being particularly good. A shout out too to young Alexandra Wilkie as Sandy’s granddaughter Sasch who delivers a cute and winning performance.

Negatives:

• As above, it’s solid and predictable and I will probably struggle to remember it in 3 month’s time.
• Given Brian Cox is both the lead and the director, it really lacks the sort of sharp and cutting edge I was expecting. He doesn’t get to tell anyone to “fuck off” once!

Summary Thoughts:

It’s charming and watchable. But it never truly sets the screen alight. It’s just a solid, at times slightly clunky, bit of film-making that fills a couple of hours in the cinema. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Where to watch?

Trailer:

The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dMKFijZBoc.

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