Customer Reviews

Beautiful Thing [VHS]

5 star:		(266)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

There are many 'coming out' and gay-themed movies these days, but none is more heart-breaking -- or heart-warming -- than this one. Glen Berry and Scott Neal are perfect as Jamie and Ste, two troubled working-class London boys coming to terms with their sexuality, each other, and the homophobic world around them. Ste lives with an abusive father and older brother who have made him feel ugly. Jamie and his mum take him in, and the boys bunk together. They discover love to the accompaniment of "You are sixteen, going on seventeen, unprepared for a world of men". The music (a lot of Mama Cass, but also some lovely, bittersweet original stuff for string quartet) is deftly woven into the fabric of the film's story, and is an integral part of its structure. After a fight, Jamie and Ste kiss to Mama Cass singing "You gotta make your own kind of music". The ending is as uplifting and sweet as any on film. The surprising thing is that this wonderful movie was made for British television. I wish more films could be as fresh, touching, and honest as this bright, shining little gem.

An emotionally tender & wonderful coming of age film, "Beautiful Thing" is an essential addition to your "alternative" movie section.

The story centers around Jamie (Berry) and Ste (Neal), 2 teenage classmates and neighbors in a working-class development in London. Jamie is a reserved teen sharing a normal relationship with his single, pub manager Mom (Henry). Ste lives an emotionally and physically abused life at the hands of his single father and older brother. What transpires between them is a very tender and emotional tale of first love and budding homosexuality. Awakening sexual desire, guilt, fear and, eventually, love is played out in an honest & sincere fashion.

The entire cast is superb. As Jamie & Ste, Glen Berry & Scott Neal give their characters a sweet and emotionally accurate innocence... especially when joyously galavanting through a forest together and sharing a long kiss. Linda Henry is exquisite as Jamie's Mom, Sandra. She delivers a fantastic and multi-layered performance as a woman trying to deal with her own life, in addition to her son. As the Mamas & the Papas loving neighbor Leah, Tameka Empson graciously adds some needed turbulence (comically and otherwise).

The script is heartfelt, comical (some moments between Sandra & Leah are a bitingly hilarious), and fresh. Definitely a wonderful comedy-drama and, perhaps, the best coming out film of the decade.

BT is one terrific movie -- and one of those surprises you could have almost missed, but are eternally grateful that you didn't! It's an honest, fun, sensitive and uplifting story about growing up, about loving, and about raw courage -- without any of the political agenda or overwrought angst found in other films like it. Linda Henry and Glen Berry give first-rate performances as Sandra and Jamie, a British working-class mother and teen-age son struggling with the usual stuff that such relationships are made of, while Jamie is simultaneously discovering the depth of his sexuality and the love that he feels for his neighbor and mate, Ste (Scott Neal). Far from being another cliche-filled coming-out story (though coming out is a major theme), Beautiful Thing is most authentically a love story -- and a damned good and happy one, too (though weeping is certainly allowed, encouraged, and unavoidable in certain key scenes). And it's not just about the love that Jamie and Ste share, but, in a way that is inseparable from the main story line, it's about the love that Jamie and his mum feel so strongly for each other. The movie is full of hope and joy, and and will leave you full of those same feelings. Indeed, it sticks to your gut and stays there deep down inside long after you have first seen it.

The downside of this film is that its "R" rating (certainly not for sex -- it's gotta be for the rough language) deprives a whole group of young people from experiencing a film that could bring so much benefit to their lives. Every teenager, gay and straight, ought to see this movie. It cuts through all the stereotypes and shows just how beautiful the love between two pretty regular guys can be. And their story is so moving that one would have to be pretty cold and hard not to root for Jamie and Ste and the triumph of their love. Indeed, I sometimes imagine that making it a required part of the high school curriculum could go a long way in freeing young people from fear and prejudice, and helping them all to become more loving and accepting people. And what an inspiration and beacon of hope it could be for young gay people looking for a way to love and a reason to hope!

You will be glad and grateful for seeing this movie. In fact, you will not be able to see it just once -- you will want to see it again and again. Which is why you will want to buy it -- that's what I did!

Movies, plays, and books are all subjective endeavors. The idea is to suspend your disbelief while reading or watching the piece. In the case of BEAUTIFUL THING, that is not hard to do.

From the opening frame you want Jamey to thrive. He hates PE because the macho guys pick on him as they start a game of soccer (the English call it football). He jumps the fence and heads home skipping PE for the umpteenth time. Who can blame him and when a school chum's, Ste's, homelife with his brother and father takes an abusive turn, Jamey's mother rescues him on those nights and the two teens form a bond that goes well beyond friendship.

As the two guys struggle to deal with their love and erotic feelings for each other, the music of Mama Cass Elliott plays in the background. The story and the music is an enchanting combination that intensifies your urge to see them make it as a couple. You know they are young but not too young. You wish that had happened to you when you were their age.

Earlier reviews have already mentioned the terrific supporting cast as well as the two leads in this story, so I won't go into that here. Instead, I want you to see the DVD so you can experience the feeling I felt at the end of the movie when Jamey and Ste begin a slow dance in the street in full view of their neighbors. Unlike a few of my friends who dismissed this scene as unrealistic in a poor working class neighborhood, I chose to suspend my disbelief and each time I watch it, I mouth the word "yes".

I have read the other reviews, and, YES it is disappointing that this "Import" DVD is from Hong Kong (with Chinese subtitles) and YES it is disturbing that there are absolutely NO extras, even "chapter selection". The very British, very urban language is often hard to understand. That said, this is one of the nicest, sweet-natured films I've seen in years. Though the coming-out gay theme is the centerpiece of this film, there are so many other life-styles being portrayed that are all somehow a part of that central theme. It's very clear that the basic idea is "Live and let live"...a mother's love is unconditional; misunderstood people (Leah) are often loud and brash and cruel, looking for attention; love can be anywhere, waiting to happen, even in the working-class urban jungle. I would've liked English subtitles to understand some of the wonderful but stylized dialogue. I liked the 1.85:1 LBX, and, I must admit, subtitles have never bothered me...though a previous reviewer mentioned that they are larger than life, which is correct. Mama Cass' music is SO appropriate, especially the scene of Jamie and Ste running thru the park to Cass' "Make Your Own Kind of Music". There is a beautiful story, sexual tension (somewhat non-explicit), humor and a bit of social justice in the end. It also, without trying, gives homophobia a black eye. A truly fine film.

I can't count the number of times I've read a magazine article about this movie, how many times I'd scoured the movie rental places for it in high school, how many times I'd almost bought it online... but never did get my hands on it until recently. It may be hard to find, but it is well worth the search. This is the best coming-of-age movie I've seen --I connected with it and each of the characters on more than one level-- and I was delighted to find that the usual stereotypes are no where to be found in this movie. And on top of that, no sex scenes or anything else you might not want to show your mother.

The story has been summarized in many of the other 250 or so reviews, so I won't do that here. But I will urge you to get this movie and watch it -- it will touch you and be beneficial whether you are just coming to terms with being gay, if you're out and completely fine with yourself, or if your kid or friend has just come out to you. Even if you don't know many gay people, watch this movie and see what you think. It deserves all the awards, recognition, and reputation that is has. I only wish I had seen it sooner (and that other people had seen this before I had to come out to them!).

This is a British film, so expect more rough language than you'd see if it had been made in the U.S... I'd also recommend using the Closed Caption to keep from getting a bit confused from the language differences (for instance, I thought Ste had said he was Naked when it made no sense ... ends up he had said Knackered... sleepy I guess LOL).

Whether you rent it or buy it, find some way to see this movie.

I'm so glad I can finally retire my horrid Japanese-subtitled DVD of Beautiful Thing! This is a very well-done transfer to DVD of a great coming-of-age gay 'fairy tale' of live in Thamesmead outside of London. If you've been waiting as long as I have for this movie to come out on DVD, your wait is over! My only reservation about this DVD transfer is there are no bonus features and no closed-captioning or subtitles for the hearing impaired. Those accents can be hard to follow at times! Well worth any price just to HAVE it on DVD, though! :)

The DVD Amazon sells is a Chinese -produced package that is an NTSC (US TV Broadcast standard) video with English dialog but that is subtitled in Chinese -- and unlike every other DVD I've ever seen, there is *NO WAY* to turn off subtitling on this DVD. The effect is distracting.

This movie is really quite nice and innocent. I honestly do not understand the R rating either. I suspect this movie gets an R for no other reason than its main theme is GAY related. Heaven forbid some otherwise straight person see a tender caring movie showing homosexual life where the gay characters are not psychopaths, street hustlers or low life criminals on the fast trck to some stereotypical tragic deadly downfall.

This movie is about two dudes who find each other and the pains they both have in coming out to themselves then their families and eventually the world around them. This movie is a Beautiful Thing indeed. As for the slang being difficult to understand that is a valid point but even a novice can get the point of what is meant. I am not the quickest off the mark when it comes to understanding brit-slang but even I managed to comprehend the movies meanings well enough in time to keep up with what was going on. You are definately ahead of the learning curve on the slang in this movie if you are a fan of East Enders or any other brit-coms or mysteries featured mainly on the BBC America or PBS channels,

The A Beautiful Thing is sweet, gentle, tender and sensitive. Character development is amazingly subtle especially in a gay themed movie where so many directors make the mistake to protraying everything as over the top camp or trashy. A Beautiful Thing evokes memories making it uniquely powerful in its understated message of love in a world of intollerance and homophobia. Most of all that A Beautiful Thing has a rare thing indeed for a gay movie, a happy ending making it one to buy and add to my collection because so very few gay themed movies have happy endings.

It was so nice to see a gay themed movie where the guys are not street wise thug hustlers. These guys were not your typical perfect gym bodied empty headed primping self absorbed muscle boy egoist. These dudes were just your normal everyday run of the mill British Blokes who found each other and fell in love. There is effectively no overt sex or hard core violence in this movie to speak of so A Beautiful Thing would be great for someone dealing with coming out issues. I liked that the situations in this movie felt a little more real, less odd, forced and staged than I see in most USA made gay themed gay coming of age movies.

All I can say is I wish they had movies like this one when I was young but I am thankful movies like A Beautiful Thing exists for those gay folk coming to terms with being gay today. I enjoyed Beautiful Thing on Satilite TV and on seeing it will buy a copy from AMAZON.com so I cab add A Beautiful Thing to my collection soon and hope you will as well. A Beautiful Thing was a refreshing British inspired change from the ugly tragic side of gay life most USA gay themed movies wallow in.

I just finished watching the "Beautiful Thing" DVD that I rented. I must say that going into this movie I was not expecting much, so I am completely surprized how much I fell in love with this movie. It is a sweet, romantic and realistic look at what adolescence can be like for a gay kid. This movie reminded me of what being young and in love is all about. It was also the first gay film that I have seen in years that is not full of self-loathing, tragic characters. Don't get me wrong these characters still have their share of problems, but they are not jaded and this is not about "the scene". It is much more about being true to yourself and just loving in spite of problems. I really loved it. I am buying it right now!