When Saturday Comes (1996)

It may be considered the beautiful game, but films about football have a nasty habit of ending up not-very-good. It just seems a fiendishly difficult sport to transfer to a cinematic canvas in a dramatic and involving way. When Saturday Comes is not the film to put right this strange, unwritten law of the cinema. It's not that it's a hopelessly terrible turd of a movie – far from it – but it's just a very average, pedestrian sports drama which doubles up as yet another social commentary on the grimness of northern life. Will there ever be a film about people who thrive, and enjoy life, north of the Watford Gap? Who knows?Typical working-class, beer-swilling, woman-chasing factory worker Jimmy Muir (Sean Bean) has been stuck in dead end jobs since leaving school. The thing is, he could have had a much different life if his talents had been channelled correctly by the people around him as he was growing up. You see, Jimmy is a pretty damn fine footballer… but his archetypal lad's lifestyle, plus constant negativity from his abusive father Joe (John McEnery), mean that he never really pursued his talent with the required dedication. Jimmy's future begins to look a little brighter when he falls for feisty wages clerk Annie Doherty (Emily Lloyd), and is scouted by celebrated non-leaguers Hallam FC, coached by Ken Jackson (Pete Postlethwaite). Gradually, Jimmy works his way up to playing for professional side Sheffield United. Although that side's captain (played, curiously, by ex-Sheffield Wednesday star Mel Sterland) despises Jimmy, the hopeful newcomer gets his chance to enter Sheff Utd folklore when he comes on as a substitute in a cup semi final match against Manchester United. Will he seize his moment in the spotlight, or fold under the pressure when the stakes are highest?When Saturday Comes is better in its dramatic scenes than its sporty ones. The football sequences capture neither the on-field drama nor off- field camaraderie one would hope for. The climax is especially disappointing – a strangely rushed and muddled sequence which trips over itself in its haste to get to Jimmy's all-too predictable 'punch-the- air-in-delight' moment after all those years of rejection and hardship. Erroneous little details don't help much either, such as the fact the FA Cup semi final depicted here is played at Brammall Lane, home of Sheffield United, when in actual fact FA Cup semis are always contested at a neutral venue. The performances are OK, though. 36 year old Bean is too old for his role but plays it enthusiastically enough. As a real- life Sheff Utd fan, this is something of a wish fulfilment film for him, or perhaps, some might say, a vanity project. He certainly seems more at home in this sort of kitchen sink stuff than playing Bond villains or traipsing across Middle Earth with a bunch of hobbits. Lloyd's spirited girlfriend character, and Postlethwaite as the supportive coach, are also strongly realised characters who contribute to the film's positives. As far as films set in Yorkshire go, When Saturday Comes is not really one of the best. It hardly taxes the patience, and is certainly not a complete disaster, but it never rises far above the level of a run-of-the-mill time filler.

Sean Bean stars as equally Sheffield United-mad brewery worker Jimmy Muir, a talented footballer who was let down by authority figures as a young man. After ten years working a dead-end job the frustrated Muir meets Annie Doherty, a pretty Irish love interest played by English actress Emily Lloyd, and soon after gets the second chance at his dream that such people always seem to get in these modern fairy tales. Yes, the formulaic plot is predictable and clichéd, but it is still enjoyable to watch and there are quite a few touching moments.Funnily enough, although this is a football film I felt one of the strongest aspects of the film was the way it dealt with the personal relationships between Jimmy and his family members and friends: Pete Postlethwaite, for example, playing Jimmy's mentor Ken Jackson, puts in a strong, convincing performance, as well as John McEnery as Jimmy's abusive father Joe. A subtle side-track detailing Joe's past and its relevance to Jimmy's present is cleverly done and is to me an important part of the film's overall message.Unusually for a sports film, the actual football is very well done. Director Maria Giese manages to do what so few directors have before or since in getting both the match itself and the atmosphere right. Every game portrayed is totally believable, from the park football at the beginning to the climactic final match at the end. Giese should really be commended here; each match is very different and she gets the overall feel of each one at least very close to spot on.One criticism I will give the film, however, is its ending, which seems incredibly rushed and not really believable -- I know I said before that this is a fairy tale but watch the film and I'm sure you will see what I mean. I think that if you cut out ten minutes from earlier in the film and add a few more minutes of action just before the film's climax, the movie would work a lot better. It just seems very sudden to me, that's all.Nevertheless, "When Saturday Comes" is an enjoyable watch, especially if you're a football fan. By no means brilliant, but still well worth the night in. 7/10.

Uninspiring, total fairytale about a young Sheffield lad who never has the courage to pursue his dream of playing for local division one side United. That is until he meets a girl who really believes in him, and then everything changes."When Saturday Comes" is really a family drama about self-belief and self-destructive behaviour. It is not, however, a very good one. Too many clichés and a pointed script can't manage to involve the audience. None of the cast, including Sean Bean, Emily Lloyd and Pete Postlethwaite, are able to make you care. The final game is well staged and appears authentic.Monday, January 12, 1998 - Video

This is "Rocky", English football style. The plot is predictable, but so what? It is about doing the best that you can, learning from your mistakes, and having courage to change things for the better. A good flick and well worth watching.