Beautiful Thing

By the time this was released I was already in my 20's but still this tale of teenage love and awakening desire between these two boys stirred something inside of me and now in my 40's it still breaks my heart and how misspent my youth was, afraid of what others would think of me.

Such bravery in the story telling, so frank and honest in it's portrayal of a same sex love at that time - I adore this movie how ever dated it may feel now. The message still remains - Make your own kind of music !!

Great casting, wonderful soundtrack and, for a change for a movie about gay love, a happy ending !!

The film will always remain in my heart of what could have been for me xxx

Gay or straight, this is one of the finest movies ever made about self discovery and teenage love. Albeit the end is a little wishful and optimistic, the characters and situations are perfectly developed and realized, ringing true in almost every scene. This movie makes me smile on every level...from the way the two boys discover their affection for one another, the wonderful comedy relief from the next door neighbor Leah (and her relationship with the entire tenement population), and the perfect choice of soundtrack music from Mama Cass that, at times, seems written specifically for certain scenes and works on both a nostalgic and familiarity level. This movie gets better with every viewing...and I'd love to see what happened to each of the characters in a sequal.

This movie is, without a doubt, very personal to all gay men and women who came out during their youth and a favorite of all of my friends, both gay and straight.

This is one of those great British dramas set in a typically grim environment but shot with positivity throughout. Having grown up around the area in the film and being only a few years older than the featured boys, it was a joy to see life there depicted in the film.

I agree with all previous comments about the actors and how true-to-life it feels. Although slightly exaggerated in places, this film is a great comment on London working class life as well as being focused around a gay-based storyline.

However, I wanted to add that this film also comments on the complex class system in the UK which explains why Tony was dropped by Sandra. Many non-British viewers may not have picked up on this. Thoughout, Tony is shown as a middle class character who doesn't really fit into the working class environment. He uses different slang words to the others, has a 'posher' accent and has slightly different attitudes to all the other characters. He and Sandra come from different worlds. As Sandra says, she has been fighting all her life, whereas he has had evertyhing given to him on a plate. Ultimately, this relationship was never going to last. Life in London (and the UK) is still spilt into different social classes, although they do mix a little more than they used to. But you can often tell where someone is from by their accent and their choice of words. This was used to great affect in the film.

Overall, a light-hearted look at life on a London council Estate with some great performances... one of my favourite films.

Once again, I am overwhelmed by the excellence of British film-making & acting. I truly bow to the British honing of the craft of acting, which is brilliantly presented in this film. Storyline aside, the acting of the mother "Sandra" is superb; you feel every emotion on her face as she struggles to make a better life for herself and her son, as well as accept her son's growing awareness of his own sexuality. Remarkably, she is my favourite character in this film, notwithstanding the performances of the 2 boys, who are superb. The boyfriend, Tony, is also wonderful as a supporting character. My favourite scenes are actually sequential: first, the shot of Sandra following the boys in a cab, as the shock & turmoil of her emotions is beautifully portrayed during this scene; second, the followup scene with the boys in the park, probably, for me, the most wonderfully innocent, beautiful and intimate scene in the film. I'm probably being silly; every scene in this beautiful film is a treasure and at triumph, for anyone who's ever been in love. I know I will treasure this film always.

BEAUTIFUL THING is a unique drama - presenting an adolescent gay couple as complex individuals, within a greater setting (an English housing project) that also captures a bit of a slice-of-life feel. I like the working-class setting, and wasn't bothered by the accents - as an American it required me to pay attention - a good thing as there are many subtle details that make this a very rich drama.

It does tug at the heartstrings a bit, and it lays on the cuteness a bit more than it should, but I loved the characters anyway, and the setting and context (very nicely detailed film-making) keeps those minor gripes minor.

There have been so many cynical or clichéd gay dramas released during the last decade or two, especially in the US (gay film from elsewhere in the world often seems so much more fresh and lifelike) - in many ways this film was (and remains) a real breath of fresh air.