Sweet Sixteen (2002)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

English screenwriter and director Ken Loach's seventeenth feature film which was written by Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty, premiered In competition at the 55th Cannes International Film Festival in 2002, was screened in the Masters section at the 27th Toronto International Film Festival in 2002, was shot on location in Greenock, Scotland and is a Germany-UK-Spain co-production which was produced by producer Rebecca O'Brien. It tells the story about a 15-year-old boy named Liam who makes a living selling cheap fags with his best friend named Pinball and who lives in an apartment in a coastal city in Scotland with his sister named Chantelle who is a single mother and a student. Liam is out of school and two months away from turning sixteen which is only one day after his and Chantelle's mother named Jean, who abandoned them when they were children and who is in prison for having taken the blame for a crime her boyfriend named Stan committed, is going to be released. Distinctly and engagingly directed by European filmmaker Ken Loach, this fast-paced fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a humane and heartfelt portrayal of a son and brother with limited options who despite his sister's opposing views has forgiven their mother and is planning to get a new home for her and her son named Calum, himself and their mother. While notable for it's distinct and naturalistic milieu depictions and fine cinematography by English cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about family relations, friendship, social conditions and how a street-smart juvenile's love for his mother and his admirable hope that she will change her ways and leave her criminal and incriminating boyfriend so they can become a family, leads him into crime, depicts a considerate and conscientious study of character and contains a great score by British composer George Fenton. This intelligible, sociological and at times humorous coming-of-age drama from the early 21st century which is set in the Central Lowlands in southern Scotland during the early 2000s and where a fatherless young man who cares more about the well-being of others than himself finds an attainable lifeline in the representation of a caravan which he thinks he can obtain by breaking the law, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, efficient continuity, distinctive Scottish dialect, heartrending scenes between Liam and Chantelle, contradicting characters, ingrained realism and the empathetic and unforgettable acting performances by Scottish actor Martin Compston in his debut feature film role, Scottish actor William Ruane and UK actress Annmarie Fulton. An echoing statement of affection to the future generation of youths and children which gained, among other awards, the award for Best Screenplay Paul Laverty at the 55th Cannes Film Festival in 2002.

The film gives an alternative and "non-tourist" view over Glasgow area where drugs, alcohol and violence are daily part of life and struggle through this is impossible without outside support. Autumn grayness accentuates the daily gloom and moments of hope are too brief - and always associated with a "catch". Ken Loach is a gifted director and the plot intensity is excellently exploited, but the script itself is too lopsided to me.As for the actors, Martin Compston as Liam outperforms all the others; he is really great in portraying a soon-to-be 16-years-old "ned" as they say in Scotland. Other characters are too briefly on screen and at times incomprehensible (e.g. Pinball). Sweet Sixteen could be a strong warning film for teens, but due to hard language it is forbidden to minors in most countries... It is no family film anyway.

a junkie mother in prison, a father who deals in heroin, and a 16 yr old who steals the heroin so he can sell it instead.'gritty' say the reviews. and about as entertaining as a piece of gravel in your shoe.I was hoping for a bit of comic relief, ie the 60s brand of Benny Hill type of bawdy humour or some political satire but none were forthcoming. just grime and crime from the title sequence to the closing credits.thank gawd for free movies at the library, a measly dollar to rent this crud would be too much.something has happened to British film makers, it started way back with kubrick's clockwork orange and has continued to deteriorate.blech. the good news is this one cured me of curiosity then next time some low class shenanigans are portrayed. enough already. where can you get decent movie entertainment today? indie products somehow think the shock value adds value to their product. about as much as shock therapy.I'm usually forgiving in my reviews but there is very little to praise in this hour and a half of faux reality. it might be reality for some 16 year olds in Britain but I have no interest if that's what they do with their day. how in blazes do people like this expect to MAKE SOMETHING of their lives? not by following the habits portrayed in this knock off.

Howard Shumann's comments are somewhat good, but a bit distorted... I wonder if he actually watched this movie.... A few points to correct: Where it says that Liam met "expected circumstances" after he stole drugs from his step-father, Stan, and that Stan and his buddies beat up Liam after this incident.... Stan actually beat up Liam after Liam refused to pass drugs on to his mother while she was in jail. The only other participant (buddy), was Liam's grandfather, who watched. It was AFTER this incident that Liam moved in with his sister, Chantelle. It was AFTER this incident that Liam stole the drugs from Stan. Stan never knew he stole them. Liam was then noticed in the drug selling "arena" by the local big drug dealers and hired by them. It was also AFTER he was hired by them (not before as in HS's comments) that he used the pizza delivery mopeds to deliver drugs. He worked for the pizza delivery... .that's why they were so "friendly" as he calls it.Overall, it was a pretty good "B" movie... entertaining. It was especially fun to try to figure out what the Scots were saying in their quick, broken dialect... it is subtitled in the "Queen's English".