Among Giants (1998)
A manager hires Ray, off the books, to paint all the power towers in a 15-mile stretch of high-tension wires outside Sheffield. Ray's crew of men are friends, especially Ray with Steve, a young Romeo. Into the mix comes Gerry, an Australian with a spirit of adventure and mountain climbing skills. She wants a job, and against the others' advice, who don't want a woman on the job, Ray hires her. Then she and Ray fall in love. He asks her to marry him, gives her a ring. Steve's jealous; Ray's ex-wife complains that he spends on Gerry, not his own kids, and she predicts that Gerry won't stay around. Plus, there's pressure to finish the job fast. Economics, romance, and wanderlust spark the end.
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As a drama set in working class Yorkshire, Among Giants certainly has its antecedants: The Fully Monty, with which it shares a screenwriter, Sheffield and an interest in full male nudity (which in this film, we actually get to see!); Brassed Off, which also featured Pete Poselthwaite, a collection of emotional but never histrionic performances, and a slightly charicatured depiction of free market economics; and sitting above them all, the memory of Ken Loach's Kes. The film lacks Loach's realism, and the plot is full of holes. Against that, both Poselthwaite and Rachel Griffiths are superb, and it's shot with a great feel for landscape, both inside and outside the city. It's not perfect, and it lacks the Monty's cheap selling points, but in spite of that, it's done with real feeling and is arguably the better film.
this is a must see movie for those who love Pete and Rachel. although unlikely lovers, it is refreshing to see a movie which does not go down the standard Hollywood road of beautiful man meets beautiful woman; they argue, they fight, they then fall in love. this script is life as it is, not as it might be if we all lived in the typical studio executive mind...
Among Giants is not bad for the various and sundry reasons listed elsewhere in reviews for this film. And to criticize Pete Postlethwaite and Rachel Griffiths for their physiques is pathetic and should not be included in any movie review. The one large failing of this film is the paper-thin plot and characterizations. Yes, we have an older man falling in love with a younger woman. Fine. But why? And why does this merit the making of a film? Give us motivations, explanations, personal stories. You don't get to know any of the characters in this film beyond the surface. The performances are fine ones, and the scene in the abandoned cooling towers is beautiful and joyous. But it isn't enough to save a film without adequate story-telling behind it.
Movie didn't have much plot and was uninteresting. Basically you spend a lot of time watching people paint. Also it's very difficult to hear or understand the dialogue -- partially because of the accents, but also because words are mumbled.