There's Only One Jimmy Grimble

There's Only One Jimmy Grimble
DVD cover
Directed by	John Hay
Starring	Robert Carlyle Lewis McKenzie Jane Lapotaire Gina McKee Ben Miller Samia Smith
Release dates	25 August 2000
Running time	106 minutes
Language	English

There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, also known as Jimmy Grimble, is a 2000 British drama film centred on one young boy's dream to play for Manchester City F.C. The film is set around Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

Plot

Jimmy Grimble (Lewis McKenzie) is a 15-year-old misfit living in Manchester, where nothing seems to go his way. Jimmy is constantly threatened by the school bully, "Gorgeous" Gordon (Bobby Power); he is also not sure what to make of Johnny (Ben Miller), a lost-in-the-ozone biker who is dating Donna (Gina McKee), Jimmy's mum; and he has a crush on one of his classmates, Sara (Samia Smith), who seems to like him, but his powers of speech invariably fail him when he tries to talk to her. Like most Mancunians, Jimmy loves football. He is a fervent supporter of Manchester City and attends home games with Donna's ex-boyfriend, Harry (Ray Winstone). Jimmy also loves to play football, but while Eric (Robert Carlyle), the coach of his school's team, thinks he has potential, "Gorgeous" is already a skilled player, and when Gordon's father informs the school he will make a large and much-needed donation if their team makes it to the Manchester Schools Cup final, it looks like Jimmy will be on the bench for a while. But when an old woman gives Jimmy a pair of boots that once belonged to one of City's greatest players, his skills on the field begin to change.

Cast

• Lewis McKenzie ... Jimmy Grimble
• Jane Lapotaire ... Alice Brewer
• Gina McKee ... Donna
• Ben Miller ... Johnny Two Dogs
• Wayne Galtrey ... Walkway Kid
• Ciaran Griffiths ... Psycho
• Bobby Power ... 'Gorgeous' Gordon Burley
• Robert Carlyle ... Eric Wirral
• Samia Ghadie ... Sara
• Antony Marsh ... Crane
• Sean Delaney ... Brick
• Charles Denton ... The Cat
• Azmier Ahmed ... Elvis
• John McArdle ... Headmaster
• Ann Aris ... Governor 1
• Ray Winstone... Harry
• Lenny Taylor  ... Background Extra 1 (Fan)
• Charlie Barton  ... Background Artist 1 (The shopper)
• Edward Platt  ... Background Artist 2 (The looker)
• Ronald Marshall - JD Family Stand Door Security

Film references

• The Terminator (1984) - During the opening scene Jimmy references the film, while talking to himself in the mirror.
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – 27 minutes into the film, one of the bullies tells Jimmy that Freddie Krueger has nightmares because of Jimmy's mum.
• Lethal Weapon (1987) - During the opening scene Jimmy references the film while talking to himself in the mirror.

See also

• Billy's Boots

External links

• There's Only One Jimmy Grimble at IMDb
• Review at BBC Films
• There's Only One Jimmy Grimble review, at TalkTalk.co.uk
• Tom Fogg, There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, at FilmFestivals.com
• Peter Bradshaw, There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, The Guardian, 25 August 2000
• Jimmy Grimble, Le Stuff Journal
• There's Only One Jimmy Grimble film review, Abc.net.au, 05/12/2001
• Jim White, There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, from Sight & Sound, September 2000
• El Topo, There's Only One Jimmy Grimble film review, iofilm.co.uk