A good movie

I already saw this movie but, since it was a while back, I thought I might as well check it out again. I actually remember it very well when it came out. Indeed, it was at the time a big commercial and critical success, especially in England. Well, to be honest, back then, I actually had some mixed feelings about the damned thing. I mean, sure, I thought it was a charming and fairly entertaining feature but not much more than that, I’m afraid. Above all, I thought this tale was just too generic and predictable. Well, I'm glad I gave it a second chance after all these years because I was much more able to enjoy it. Basically, I still don't think that the story is anything great whatsoever and it is definitely not a masterpiece. However, I didn't pay enough attention the first time around on how grim the situation was for Billy's family and how they were all going towards complete disintegration and, therefore, how important it was for them that Billy would manage to get out of all this. Still, the whiplash between his father being completely against it and suddenly becoming a super fan was too big though. Anyway, what really worked in this movie though was Jamie Bell who gave such an intense performance, it was some really strong stuff, especially for someone at such a young age. After that, Bell did have a steady career but it might still be his best performance so far after all these years. Concerning Stephen Daldry, it was definitely a solid directorial effort but his next movies would be so much more challenging and interesting, at least, in my opinion. Anyway, to conclude, even if I'm still not a huge fan, I have to admit that it is actually a pretty good flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.