The average rating for this movie causes me to reassess how I use IMDb, as generally I've found ratings to be reliable before and in this case am finding that average upset. This is a great movie. I don't usually go for "road trip" movies in the modern sense - this has a touch of that (wacky adventures on the road) but there's no slapstick crap, or incredible fantastical tripping - just a lovely sort of bumbling along that takes the path as it comes.Colin is brilliant. Sandra and Jeff as "Mark and Cleopatra" are too awful, Jeff's character lurching into the ridiculous, Sandra becoming harder but less brittle. All the characters have wonderful embellishment, peculiarity and I guess whimsy, though it's sometimes charm. That is, the charming characters are exceptionally charming - but there are some serious stinkers done very well. If you like that sort of thing!

I borrowed this DVD from a mate who bought it for a pound as an ex rental.Not expecting much (especially as Paul Shane from Hi de Hi is in it) I was surprised at how much I loved this film.It gives you a good feeling inside and there are some genuinely touching moments as well as some funny ones.The swing incident and the toothbrush incident especially.Great performances from Michael Sheen,Mark Addy(great wig) and Mark Strong.I would recommend anyone to see it especially if you are Northern.

There is a real and wonderful visual artist behind HEARTLANDS, but I am not certain if it is the director--or his director of photography. This movie is so beautiful to view in terms of composition, clarity and color that I found myself trying not to blink for fear of missing something. (Even the beginning, set in a heavily "industrial" neighborhood, manages to look interesting. Then, two-thirds of the way through, there is a "grainy" section in an amusement park, and damned if THAT isn't beautiful, too!) I don't recall director Damien O'Donnell's "East is East" as being anything special visually, so perhaps the beauty is due to the photographer. Whatever: "Heartlands" is utterly lovely to look at--and more. It's that rare movie in which kindness takes a front seat, and you find yourself increasingly joyful due to the simple, caring things that one person does for another.The main character here is a poor schlub who wife soon leaves him. Played beautifully by Michael Sheen (of the OCD-driven "Dirty Filthy Love"), this guy seems borderline feeble (particularly when he tries to tell a certain story/joke and can't begin to manage it: the writer and director go a bit too far here). But as he begins to re-order his life, he--and the movie--just gets better and better.In its quiet and thoughtful way, this one left me feeling buoyant--on some non-drug-induced "high"--as any film I can remember in a long while. I hope it'll have the same effect on you.

This is one of the most beautifully shot movies I have seen. Whoever was behind the camera should be very proud of producing such breathtaking shots. I loved every minute. The characters really draw you in. To me it was the perfect mix of northern life in the pubs playing darts, juxtaposed with a moped winding through the northern countryside emblazoned with bright colored leaves. The story was so well paced and believable. The pacing reminded me of "The Station Agent", mixed with the comedy of "Brassed Off" with cinematography similar to "The Motorcycle Diaries" I found it to be so original, and not at all stereotypical of the north. I would have loved some extras on the DVD so I had some information about where the movie was actually shot. I'm thinking Derbyshire?