Rent Beautiful Thing (1996)

Funny, tender, dramatic and gravy sing-along - Beautiful Thing review by CP Customer

One of my go to films after 25 years when you want to not think, just enjoy and know you'll have a good day afterwards. The words stick with you over time, sneaks into memory.

A profoundly moving, honest & joyfully uplifting story of same-sex love - Beautiful Thing review by TB

It is the mid 90’s. The UK is unrecognisable compared to today in multiple different ways, but one prominent example was how LGBT people are treated. Whereas today, walk down pretty much any big town & within seconds you will see a Pride flag proudly flying; in the 90’s to even display something vaguely connected to it would result in hostility at best & serious violence at worst. Same-sex couples didn’t dare walk holding hands & section 28 was in full force, actively targeting anyone who wasn’t straight.

But there was also another element to this continuing oppression: the representation of these individuals in the media. Around this time & carrying on for decades afterwards, most gay characters were either portrayed as on the verge of dying/AIDS (Philadelphia) or persecuted (Bent,) to name but 2. The overall impression was that anyone connected to this community meant they were in effect condemned to a life of suffering. And that’s when Jonathan Harvey decided that enough was enough & he was going to write a play which then became this film, filled with vivacious, sparky characters as well as beautiful bright colours & a soundtrack full of folk-rock music, in a location where the sun shines & the summers are hot.

Beautiful Thing is set in Thamesmead, a council estate which from the outside is drab & beige, full of dourness. But the residents are anything but. Jamie Gangel lives with his mother Sandra, a strict & fierce but also compassionate woman, as well as a procession of her boyfriends, who never last long. Jamie is openly confident & happy, but is bullied & secretly miserable. On one side lives Leah, a sparkly & rebellious girl who has been expelled & spends her days listening to Mama Cass. On the other is Ste, who goes to Jamie’s school & lives with his horrible dad & brother. Jamie has a crush on Ste, which starts to be reciprocated when Ste is beaten & takes refuge with Jamie & Sandra. 

I know from conversations with gay people just how important this film was to them. At a time of oppression & everything in the media being about the horror of being gay, this film absolutely refuses to follow that mindset. Every character feels real, alive & someone you could relate to in many different ways, not just in terms of sexuality. We all as youngsters struggled to fit in, grow up & work out our place in the world whilst at school. But if you were gay & struggling with this, Beautiful Thing was a rallying call to show you that your life was worth living & you were not somehow defective. And to those who saw it, that meant everything. 

In terms of performances, the casting of Glenn Berry & Scott Neal was brilliant. Both of them had not only trained together, but starred in TV shows before this, so knew each other well. They have a natural, relaxed chemistry but also an ability to project vulnerability & tenderness which is deeply ingrained within them. Tameka Empsom is also excellent as Leah, her feisty spirit giving the story a zesty edge. Linda Henry takes the difficult & often thankless mother role, turning it into a scream of desperation at how she is going to protect her son first from starving as a baby, through to his coming out. But I want to save the most praise for Ben Daniels. He was an openly gay actor who, whilst he was in this film a drippy hippy, gets to say one of the most powerful lines: “It gets better you know.” I have no doubt what it meant to him to be able to say that. 

But what I like best about this film quite simply is that it is a really good, likeable & enjoyable story. It has a powerful message but it doesn’t beat you over the head with it. We watch 2 boys fall in love & see the different challenges and, yes joys that they have. This film is a touchstone for the LGBT community & showed how with support & compassion, anyone can love anyone & be happy. 

Wonderful viewing