SHOW THE WORLD WHO YOU REALLY ARE.
When Sheffield schoolboy Jamie New (Max Harwood) turns 16, he feels ready to embark on his chosen future as a drag queen, but not everyone is embracing it. The film adaptation of the stage musical (which was inspired by real events, depicted in a 2011 TV documentary) cut several songs and replaced them with a new one, āThis Was Meā, that is easily the most touching moment in the film, a tribute to Freddie Mercury and AIDS victims. The musical as a whole is a bit obvious and saccharine, but still slick and captivating; Harwood (in his film debut) and Richard E. Grant are both lovable.Ā
2021-Britain-U.S. 115 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed byĀ Jonathan Butterell. Screenplay, Book: Tom MacRae. Songs: Tom MacRae, Dan Gillespie Sells (āDonāt Even Know Itā, āThis Was Meā, āEverybodyās Talking About Jamieā). Cast: Max Harwood (Jamie New), Sarah Lancashire (Margaret New), Lauren Patel (Pritti Pasha), Shobna Gulati, Ralph Ineson, Adeel Akhtarā¦ Richard E. Grant.
Trivia: āThis Was Meā is performed by Grant and Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer Holly Johnson. John McCrea, who played Jamie in the original stage production, appears in a flashback as a younger version of Grantās drag star. Filmed in 2019 and delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
