Jimmy's Hall Reviews

Even though this movie didn't get much love when it was released, since I have a weak spot for Ken Loach's work, I was still eager to check it out. Well, first of all, I already enjoyed the directing and it was pretty neat that Loach went for a periode piece this time around. Indeed, he really managed to give a good feeling for this time and place and the characters were interesting enough, even though they were all rather stereotypical. Unfortunately, I didn't care much for the story itself, I'm afraid. Indeed, even though it was apparently based on a true story, it still felt like a vintage Irish version of 'Footloose' and 'Footloose' wasn't already a masterpiece in my book. I don't know, if they did add some nuances, maybe, it could have worked better but, the way it was told, it seemed rather silly that they would make such a fuss about a rather innocent country hall like this one, even if it was apparently what happened at the time. To be honest, even though they criticized the propaganda at the time backing the church, in fact, Loach's movie also felt like some leftist proganda and it didn't help that Jimmy Gralton was so righteous and seemingly perfect. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Ken Loach's work. 

As always in Loach, the good hearted leftish side of everything,but good dialogues with the stubborn intelligent priest (great actor Jim Norton).