Sunshine on Leith
Dir: Dexter Fletcher
2013
***
Sunshine on Leith is Dexter Fletcher's second feature and is a brave Musical featuring the hit songs from Scottish legends The Proclaimers. I say brave because musicals are a tricky thing to get right, especially when you only have one film under your belt. I wonder how much of the process Fletcher remembers from working on the brilliant Bugsy Malone, if anything? It's full of life and enthusiasm but Sunshine on Leith certainly ain't no Bugsy Malone. At first I was quite thrilled to see the main characters walk, sing and dance along the streets of Edinburgh, it was like a modern version of Stanley Donen's 1949 hit On the Town, something I've always thought would be a great idea, but as the film goes on, the musical numbers become more and more tenuous and sickeningly cheerful. I like musicals and big musical numbers but I believe these are best achieved when performed by professionals. Sunshine on Leith is crammed packed full of members of the public gawping at the camera in the background of nearly every shot. This doesn't give the film a sense of realism, it reminds the audience that it is a film and thus doesn't let us take it too seriously, which is fine if it was a silly comedy but it's not, it's a serious story. The story is a bit contrived and unnecessarily complicated, especially for a musical that already struggles to link the songs with what is actually happening. It's okay, I like the actors and I love the songs but there is only so much one can take of the relentless display of happiness by a crazed and frighteningly euphoric public. I'm somewhere between love and hate on this one.