Sunshine on Leith (2013)

Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
Country: UK

Movie Review: English actor-turned-director, Dexter Fletcher, enters in the world of dramatic musicals with “Sunshine on Leith”, two years after his energetic directorial debut “Wild Bill”. The film adapts the stage musical of the same name, featuring songs of the Scottish folk-pop-rock band The Proclaimers. Buddies Davy and Ally return to the family comfort in Edinburgh after a two months passage in Afghanistan while at the service of British Army. Ally intends to marry his longtime girlfriend Liz, who happens to be Davy’s sister, while Davy falls almost instantly in love with Liz’s friend, Yvonne, after some drinks at a local pub. Following these two romances, a third one will be added, formed by David and Liz’s parents, Rab and Jean, who are celebrating 25 years of marriage. All of a sudden, when everything seemed perfect, every single relationship becomes complicated, and every situation is a pretext for one more melodic song by the Reid brothers. The picture was painted too beautifully, but I found the drama pretty standardized and somewhat honeyed. Although “Sunshine on Leith” has presented a noticeable background work, its staging love stories didn’t warm my heart, leaving me indifferent for long lasting periods of time. If you’re an enthusiast of movies such as “Mamma Mia!”, then this is a film you must consider, but don’t even think in a comparison with “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (as I’ve read somewhere), which for me is miles ahead, both in depth and execution.