....and a break from the garbage.Americans have long been subject to films that don't require much thought. If you like British films with a slightly underground feel, you'll like this one. And I mean 'underground' as in - you don't see films like this in the states very often. If you're bored with the usual, this is a step out of the box. And you'll want to stay out of the box! Robert Carlyle is as awesome as you would expect and if you like the Full Monty then this is something else as well. You cant compare the two films because they are of course, different. But the intelligent writing here is just as apparent. Excellent acting all around actually. The comedy is edgy and you can get cozy and settle into the plot easily while waiting for the next twist. This film is unpredictable and certainly surprises you with a strong - but subtle- approach to "romantic" comedy, anger, and family reality. Emotions are high but not over-blown. Somewhat deep but not complicated. This isn't one of those weird "foreign" films that so many Americans dread. Trust me! The word 'realism' even comes to mind. This could be somebody's life, neighborhood and family.It is NOT a chick flick! And there is no bubble-gum romantic sense here at all. Thank God! It is simply something you will appreciate even if you aren't familiar with the actors or British comedy.Highly recommended!

I generally agree with all the above negative reviews. But what got me was the casual dismissal of 'the Midlands' having hijacked it for the sake of a smart movie title. There was not a single midlands accent anywhere behind the leading voices of a Scot, a Scouser, a Cockney and a Taff or any kind of geographical peg. There is also a big problem with a so called light hearted movie employing Robert Carlyle as a moody violent character. We've seen him play those parts so convincingly in the past that it's impossible to see him in a lighter vein. I guess the fault lies in the lack of purpose or direction from the outset.These sort of efforts give British movies a generally undeserved bad name. And Rhys Ifans doe eyed simpleton shtick is really beginning to grate.

The film left me speechless and for all the wrong reasons! 'Once Upon a Time in the Midlands' was like watching a soap but without the obscure narrative and action which, although are normally totally unbelievable, I watch them because they're humorous - unlike this film which is supposed to be humorous in some places just made me cringe. With the clear chemistry between the actors and their ability to act it should be an easy feat to move the audience, if it wasn't for the completely disengaging narrative. I didn't expect a lot from this film (being low budget) but like any viewer, I was expecting an engaging narrative with clear lines of progression, culminating in a resolution that made you feel that you had been on some journey with its characters, yet alas, this was not the case. The film title 'Once upon a time in the Midlands' sets the viewers up for thinking that they are going to be told an engaging story (like a child does when they hear Once upon a time at the beginning of a story book.) I thought I was going to see a a plot with concequence, not a reflection of the trivialities that go on in some households everyday and if I'd have wanted to watch reality TV I would have watched Big Brother or another reality TV show that clogs up our tevevisions and 'dumbs down' the viewer.

I'm a huge fan of British films and was so looking forward to Once Upon a Time in the Midlands when I first read about it. It sounded like a sure thing: fun storyline, fabulous cast (Ricky Tomlinson, Kathy Burke, Rhys Ifans, Shirley Henderson Robert Carlyle), all actors I love. There are a few good moments with Tomlinson and Burke, as well as Jimmy's bumbling Glaswegian gang. The standout actor is Finn Atkins, who plays Henderson's daughter. Also worth noting is the soundtrack, which, alas, is apparently unavailable for purchase.And somehow, all of these promising components resulted in something I would've thought an impossibility: a British comedy that lacks charm. Try as I might, I could not care about any of the characters. Henderson's Shirley is whiny and childish, and we're not given nearly enough information on why she's torn between her two equally-immature suitors. Her current boyfriend, Dek (Ifans) is a sweet sad sack, a milquetoast who had me bouncing between wanting to turn away from his relentless pathos to wondering why on earth he's still interested in Shirley after she turns down his marriage proposal on TV, lies to him about where she's going so she can see Jimmy, lets Jimmy move into her house, etc.Jimmy is depressingly hopeless, with none of the entertaining qualities that keep you watching Robert Carlyle's usual dodgy-boy portrayals (e.g., Jo Jo, Begbie, Gaz). There's nothing like that here, not even a hint of the boyish charm that often reels naive or insecure women into relationships with guys like this. He's the consummate unlovable loser who refuses to grow up. He's not particularly dangerous, he has no depth. Like the rest of the characters in OUTM, I never feel I'm given a reason to care about what happens to him. It is to Carlyle's immense credit that he insisted they remove a rape scene from the script. (A rape scene, can you imagine?? This movie was depressing enough without adding that.) Jimmy may be a lot of things, but he never strikes me as a rapist.Finally -- aside from the soundtrack, barren streets and a few long shots -- why oh why didn't the writers expand more on the "spaghetti western" theme? What fun they could've had with that. My disappointment with OUTM may sound a little strident. I guess I feel the impatience of a parent with a gifted child who's not doing his best; with all that potential, I expected more.