I can't disagree with much of the criticism here. There are too many story arcs and few are given enough screen time (one, about questioning one's sexuality seemed to be over in less than 60 seconds in entirety, and without any resolution that particularly adds anything). I'm just about old enough to remember the summer of 1976 and the film didn't feel historically accurate, either. Rather than reminisce, I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't set in the modern day.However, there were good things. The acting and singing, both from Minnie Driver and her charges, is good throughout. Aneurin Barnard and Danielle Branch stand out as the erstwhile couple who are acrimoniously failing to maintain a working relationship as leads in school's production of The Tempest. Both have a brooding intensity and use their eyes to great effect. For me, the standout moment was during the final production, singing "Life On Mars?" as a duet; him, looking away, still unable to meet her eyes even once, and her, the polar opposite, never wavering in her direct and angry gaze, spitting the words at him. In the penultimate moments of the song, her expression changes entirely from anger to loss, perhaps finally realising that nothing can be salvaged between them. And then, the final scene, she is still staring intently at him, but she is looking upon him almost as a stranger now, as ex-lovers invariably become. It's very well acted, demonstrating these sudden realisations only with her eyes and having them mirrored with an acceptance or at least acknowledgement of defeat in his eyes too.I wasn't expecting to like it, but I did. If you follow the advice given to Minnie Driver's character in the film about keeping your expectations low and don't approach this film as high art, you may find yourself enjoying it. If nothing else, the music is really very good indeed.

Is it not possible for many screenwriters to put together a script without having to resort to totally unnecessary expletives and are they capable of stringing a sentence together when speaking without using it? Time and time again I have to endure a movie with foul language being used in virtually every other word. The vast majority of these movies end up with a 15 certificate because of it but if the script was written without this it could be released as a PG or even a 'U' and therefore available to a much wider audience.The movie could be seen by a much wider audience and the lack of expletives would enhance the movie no end.Hunky Dory is one such movie the foul language used was totally unnecessary and completely spoilt a potentially truly enjoyable experience.SPOILER BEGINS Vivienne Mae (Minnie Driver) is a drama teacher who wants her students to perform a musical version of Shakespeare's The Tempest but the students are totally apathetic and she has her work cut out to get them enthusiastic.SPOILER ENDS This had the makings of a very entertaining movie spoilt only by the constant use of expletives. Even Vivienne, the teacher used it in front of her students, but the students were no better.I know one thing, if my teachers used this language in front of their students they would soon be out of a job.I have given this movie a '3' rating simply because of the totally uncalled for and constant foul language but if that was absent I can see me awarding it a '7' or '8'.I must admit that there are possibly 100s of movies which have been given 15 certificates because of the bad language but could and would have been wonderful all round entertainment, even for young children had the script not contained expletives.

A half decent film in terms of plot and a good film in terms of acting. The only thing that annoyed me slightly with the acting was Kristian Gwilliam who I thought was awful. Interesting to see how many actors from this film have now gone on to appear in Stella, I think that shows how well the cast worked as a unit. The pace did feel a little off at times where you get a sudden change of direction before reverting to the original pace of the film almost as if a scene had been cut out. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of some of the characters back stories in the first half of the film and I think the film should have been made a bit longer to accommodate that. The character of Lewis in particular who was well played by Adam Byard seemed to feature a lot more prominently in the second half of the film compared to the first. I also thought that some of the cast were a bit under used with Di Botcher particularly taking a very minor role and given her past experience in Twin Town and that she has since gone on to be in Stella I was surprised to see her in such a minor role. Overall a decent film which im giving 6 out of 10 which isn't a bad rating off me considering I don't usually go for musicals.

People have complained that this film is too formulaic, it's too glossy and sugar-coated and that it's so steeped in saccharine sentimentality that it will make the overpriced, syrupy Coke that you bought from the multiplex foyer seem sour and flat.While there is definitely truth in the above statement, I think enjoyment of this (and any) film depends on your attitude. If you go into this film expecting to see some gritty socio-political drama focussing on the oppression of Welsh mining classes, you will be sorely disappointed. You will come out complaining about how populist it is, how it's so conventionally structured and emotionally sensationalist etc, etc.The poster is a lovely snapshot of a group of idyllic young friends having fun in the blistering summer of 1976. It's all orange and glowing. The trailer gives a taste of how packed the film is with poppy love songs of the era, how predictable the premise makes the plot, how familiar the angsty teenage characters are, how petty the conflicts seem in this hazy summer utopia of a bygone Britain and how indulgently reminiscent it is. It's called Hunky Dory.The signs are there - everything about the design screams out feel-good mainstream movie. It is unashamedly populist, unashamedly sensational and is obviously going to be as conventional as any piece of popular cinema. There's nothing subtle about the way the film advertises this sense of style.To know all this, watch the film then criticize it for the glaringly obvious is lazy criticism, at best. Don't go and see the film if you know you're going to suffer an adverse reaction to the sheer amount of light-heartedness going on. That's like going into a screening of Shrek with your arms folded for the entire movie then coming out in a huff saying to your bemused/horrified children "the guy's an ogre but not once did I see a man's skin being peeled off while he was still alive."For those more willing to accept this film for what it so blatantly is, I'd say it's an easy, feel-good film with and great 70's soundtrack (from the likes of Bowie and ELO) and superb Welsh accents throughout. A coming-of-age film set in a specific place and moment in British history, it shares an obvious affinity to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Mechant's Cemetery Junction as well as Billy Elliot (a couple of the producers made this film too). There are a lot of characters so the attempt to squeeze in all of their individual stories is overly ambitious, but the cast are great. Minnie Driver is easily lovable and I get the feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of Aneurin Barnard's face in the future. The ending is a little bit vague and they try and remedy this by giving a 'where are they now' sequence during the end credits – which is a bit half-baked (no reference to the recreational activities of the time intended).Overall, a likable film with some nice messages (namely Karl Marx's sentiment "don't let the b*st*rds grind you down") and a well-polished style that makes for easy watching.http://ionlyaskedwhatyouthought.blogspot.com/