The Reel Review
Shy and friendless. an aspiring teenage musician in 2006 England comes out of his shell when the son of a famous rockstar enrolls in his school and befriends him, just in time for the year-end talent show. Joe Anders (Lee, 1917) and Samuel Paul Small (So Awkward, The Strays) star in this music-oriented, LGBTQ+ romantic dramedy about the effect one person can have on your life.
After a painfully sluggish start, first time feature director Julia Jackman, working from a story from actor Josh O’Connor (Seasons 3 & 4 of The Crown, Challengers, and God’s Own Country) and his childhood friend Mike Gilbert, really starts to gel when Max shows up in George’s music class. George, who is failing his classes and is seeing his hopes of music college fading, just can’t fathom why this famous new kid would want to be his friend when no one else in his school does. The two quickly strike up a friendship based on their love of making music, which also leads to George and Max discovering romantic feelings for one another.
The story, while slightly edgier than the excellent but ridiculously sweet 2022 LGBTQ+ series Heartstopper, doesn’t forge much new ground in the genre and does have some very unlikely plot twists, but all of that is easily overlooked, thanks to a tear-inducing, feel-good finale and a catchy dance song from singer/actor/LGBTQ activist Olly Alexander (It’s a Sin).
REEL FACTS
• Joe Anders is the son of Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall, American Beauty). The couple divorced in 2011.
• In addition to co-writing the screenplay, Josh O’Connor also has a brief role in Bonus Track as the street artist and body piercer, Jonno.
• Samuel Paul Small appeared in Game of Thrones as one of the Little Birds, Lord Varys’ network of child spies.
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