Decked out in a goofy hobbit wig, Michael Sheen plays Colin, a Sheffield candystore owner who sets off for the bright lights of Blackpool in pursuit of his runaway wife. The opening scenes show promise, but the local accent can be hard to parse and Colin's adventures on the road are pretty low impact—he gets a haircut from a friendly biker, chats with a Brownie troop leader, marvels at a windfarm and some gorgeous rolling hills
Funded with lottery money, this film was meant, I guess, to celebrate the joys of the old-fashioned simple life in the North—darts and trad music at the pub, garish seaside resorts and such. I'm usually a pushover for this kind of thing, but despite an expert cast (including the fabulous Ruth Jones of "Gavin and Stacey"!) and a great soundtrack (esp. Kate Rusby, a Maddy Prior–type folksinger), I just wasn't feelin' it most of the time. Full disclosure: I put this on because my wife wanted "something quiet" to help her get to sleep. It worked.
Review of Heartlands
