Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (2001)

Very best movie i ever watch

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This is a coming of age movie about a young man who is trying to find out who he is and how he wants to be in the world. Many of his early attempts at creating his own persona fail miserably but they are very funny nonetheless.His father, played by the great actor, Tom Courtenay is very enigmatic and he can do real magic tricks. I have watched this movie about three times and see different things in it every time.Especially watch for the character played by Stephen Fry. You will fall down laughing. All in all, a well done film with lots of depth and wonderful characters.

Despite some minor anachronisms (the film is supposedly set in 1977 but, at times, seems to bound between the 50s and 90s) this was a heartwarming and hilariously funny film. Like "The Full Monty" the film is Sheffield based but, in terms of belly aching humour, it excels even that movie. I can't say much more because to do so would probably produce spoilers but its well worth a visit.

If you've seen the new Bond movie, you'll have seen the trailer for this film - believe me, it in no way does it justice. I was lucky enough to see the "world premiere" at the London Film Festival and I left that cinema grinning like an idiot.Basically, this is not your stereotypical Britflick. It's a movie with a very strong cast, characters you actually care about, and a story that's original, hilarious and moving. Top marks too for the soundtrack - every song is a diamond, and they've even got Gizz, who I recognized as the guitarist with The Prodigy, playing some wicked stuff (let's just say that the final scenes need to be seen to be believed).I don't see any reason why this film shouldn't be right up there with "Lock Stock" and "The Full Monty", but please - ignore the trailer.

I also had the opportunity of seeing this film at the London Film Festival, but not having grown up in the 70s approached it with few expectations and even less knowledge of what the period was like. The actors all turned in good performances, with Tom Courtenay especially memorable. The direction was slick and the film consequently flowed smoothly. Some jokes were hilarious and reflected the overall strength of the screenplay, which was packed with novel ideas and witticisms. All in all a very friendly and fun film that I would highly recommend.