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  • Gareth Crook

Purely Belter (2000) - 6/10

I remember seeing this in the cinema. Gritty British comedy with a definite 90s atmosphere, largely perhaps down to its soundtrack of Shed Seven, The Prodigy and… Gabrielle. Sewell and Garry are two teenage Geordies, with no money and a dream of getting themselves season tickets for their beloved Newcastle United. It’s a bit cheap and not very cheerful, but it’s still a good laugh, with plenty of daft one liners and it’s aged remarkably well. I’d forgotten how bleak it was though. Gerry (Chris Beatie) is from a broken home with an abusive absent father. Skipping school and dreaming up bonkers ways to make money. Pulling scrap out of the Tyne, shoplifting in C&A, robbing houses. He reminds me of Robert Arkins playing Jimmy Rabbitte in The Commitments, but darker. Seriously, for a comedy there’s a lot of harsh realities here. The pair keep getting knocked down, literally on some occasions, but there’s more than enough heart to lift it up and it really lives up to its title.

6/10



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