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Sunshine on Leith Reviews

A convivial and well-shot musical that forms a narrative and articulates the variable emotions of its characters through upbeat, crowd-pleasing pop songs to varying degrees of success.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 13, 2018

By the time you get to the saccharine finale, it's turned into The X Factor, but with kilts.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 6, 2018

This is bright, breezy and charming entertainment at its best, even if you're not a mad fan of the musical genre.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 8, 2017

To say you don't like an upbeat British film this unpretentiously nice is like saying you don't like tea and biscuits.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 6, 2017

It's pleasant. It will provoke a smile. Take your grandma

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jun 6, 2014

Lovers of musicals and/or The Proclaimers may find themselves overlooking the flaws and enjoying this film a lot more than me.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jun 5, 2014

Fans of The Proclaimers will obviously eat this up while non-fans will appreciate the dramatic salt sprinkled over the musical sweetness that keeps this from becoming twee.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 24, 2014

There are sentimental elements, and not all the songs are top-drawer, but despite that the unlikely idea of having characters burst into song as they walk down the street or drink in a pub worked for me.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 23, 2014

While it won't match ABBA's slam dunk success with Mamma Mia!, this irrepressibly appealing jukebox musical... will still find a receptive audience 'round these here parts.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 23, 2014

The flash mob finale, with what looks like 500 dancing Edinburghers, is about the most fun I've had in a cinema this year.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 21, 2014

A wee bit twee and syrupy, this jaunty Scottish musical works hard to take you from misery to happiness all to the upbeat sound of The Proclaimers.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 21, 2014

Thankfully more pleasing than patronising, Sunshine on Leith works because it's not universal; while tidied up, it's still peculiar to a place and people.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 19, 2014

There is nothing quite as alarming as sitting down to a film and only then discovering it's a musical, to say nothing of the confusion that comes with the realisation it's comprised entirely of Proclaimers songs.

I feel a bit mean not to embrace Stephen Greenhorn's adaptation of his good hearted stage musical, but the film plods instead of soars, despite its genuine characters and heartfelt performances

Full Review | May 18, 2014

It starts out so fabulously in Afghanistan in this armoured vehicle and these boys just start spontaneously singing Sky Takes the Soul and I went, oh, this is so unexpected and beautiful.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 13, 2014

[Fletcher's] adaptation of the hit stage play is to Scottish audiences as Mamma Mia! is to The Me Generation and and Rock of Ages is to Gen X-ers - a bigscreen jukebox jam very loosely held together by a hoary plotline as old as cinema itself.

Full Review | Apr 6, 2014

Despite the low-budget-defying gloss (Edinburgh really does look fabulous), the gritty honesty of the Reid brothers' songs remains intact and the superb cast give their stirring singalong anthems real emotional clout.

Full Review | Feb 1, 2014

...the best jukebox musical to come around in ages...

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Oct 14, 2013

Fletcher gets good performances from a game cast but I wouldn't give you half a sixpence for his skills as a musical impresario.

Full Review | Oct 7, 2013

I shed a tear within the first 10 minutes, and spent the rest of the movie beaming like a gibbering, love-struck fool.

Full Review | Oct 6, 2013

Sunshine On Leith Review

04 Oct 2013

100 minutes

Sunshine On Leith

It’s a hard heart that doesn’t warm to Sunshine On Leith. A jukebox musical by Stephen Greenhorn built around the back catalogue of bespectacled twins The Proclaimers — the soundtrack has the one about walking 500 miles and 12 less popular songs — Dexter Fletcher’s directorial follow-up to Wild Bill delivers an upbeat tale of young love, old secrets, thwarted dreams and supporting Hibs.

Fletcher of course appeared in Bugsy Malone (“I’m Baby Face”), and he imports some of the spirit of Alan Parker’s musical here. Bravely the movie opens with squaddies in Afghanistan singing in tight close-up that effectively gets you over the it’s-a-musical bump, with Fletcher subsequently staging the numbers (an exuberant pub sing-song, a museum number with Jason Flemyng going full Brosnan-in-Mamma Mia!) with direct, unpretentious simplicity. But his biggest asset is his cast. Doing the pre-recorded thing rather than the live Les Mis thing, the winning four young leads attack the songs with infectious enthusiasm, while Peter Mullan and Jane Horrocks add moving colours.

When it moves away from its musical numbers, the film feels less certain, falling into soap-opera shenanigans around rejected marriage proposals, long-lost daughters and plot-changing heart attacks. The Proclaimers’ song-writing also offers tougher insights into bruised masculinity, call-centre banality and Scottish identity than this wants to grant them — it’s a film with a decidedly soft centre. Still, by the time we get to the finale, inevitably set to the aforementioned signature anthem — on disc a shout-y stomper; here a Glee flash mob — you’ve already succumbed to Fletcher’s peculiarly Scottish romantic streak. Not bad for a North London boy.

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Sunshine On Leith review

Dexter Fletcher directs the unapologetically breezy musical Sunshine On Leith. Mark explains why it's the perfect accompaniment to Filth...

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One of these days, Edgar Wright is going to make a musical. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is the closest he’s come so far, playing much as a musical would if the musical numbers were replaced by fights, but his films are all about characters reacting and expressing themselves extravagantly, albeit through genre tropes rather than through song.

Until something like that comes along, it feels like it’s becoming increasingly easy to sneer at feel-good musicals. In my humble opinion, feel-good often pans out better than your average feel-bad musical movie, ( Repo! The Genetic Opera ) and it’s especially better than a frankly-feel-embarrassed-about-the-whole-thing musical ( Rock Of Ages ).

And in a market in which Mamma Mia! became the UK’s highest grossing movie ever back in 2008, you can certainly understand the rationale behind Sunshine On Leith, Dexter Fletcher’s cinematic adaptation of an acclaimed Dundee rep theatre production, based on the music of The Proclaimers.

The story, such as it is, follows two Scottish squaddies, Davey (George Mackay) and Allie, (Kevin Guthrie) returning home from service in Afghanistan after one of their mates is killed by a roadside bomb. Both of them take jobs in a call centre, and are left wondering what to do with the future.

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Allie is pretty certain that he wants to settle down and marry Davey’s sister, Liz (Freya Mavor), while Davey embarks on a whirlwind romance with an English nurse called Yvonne (Antonia Thomas). Elsewhere, Davey and Liz’s parents, Rab (Peter Mullan) and Jean (Jane Horrocks) celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, but face the greatest crisis of their marriage when an old dalliance is revealed.

As plots go, it’s hardly Inception . Musicals are typically more character-led than story-driven, unless they’re based on pre-existing source material ( Les Mis, Sweeney Todd et al) and the strength of Sunshine On Leith is in its likeable characters rather than in the way that the story develops.

In the case of the young leads, this is more to do with the charisma of the actors than the depth of character on display, and their stories are more obviously led by the song sheet. Allie wants to get married, ( Let’s Get Married ) Liz wants to take up a research degree in Miami, ( Letter From America ) and Yvonne hopes that Davey would travel a long way to make it work with her (the inevitable 500 Miles ).

But the leads are all terrific singers, and they’re involved in some of the most raucously enjoyable numbers. After an uncharacteristically downbeat opening in Afghanistan, Mackay and Guthrie open the film with what looks like a guerrilla-filmed rendition of I’m On My Way through an Edinburgh street, complete with apparent non-extras reacting to their sudden singing and dancing.

The stronger romantic arc is between Rab and Jean. True, one of them is named especially so that they can be serenaded with a certain track by the other at some point ( Oh Jean ), but there’s some beautifully written and played stuff between them.

Peter Mullan has a surprising vocal range, starting out in growly Tom Waits form, and lightening up a bit as he goes along. In terms of both acting and musical performance, though, Jane Horrocks is the highlight of the whole film. She’s a veteran of musical theatre and cinema, which means she’s got some great pipes on her, but she’s utterly brilliant every time she pops up onscreen.

Given how there’s so much location filming in Edinburgh, it’s slightly disappointing that the film didn’t find more opportunities to carry on in the way that it opens, even if the finale has a couple of confused-looking civilians amidst the flash mob that erupts on the Mound. But this isn’t a film that’s taxing itself with meta-textual questions about the medium, as you can imagine someone like Wright would do.

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Instead, director Dexter Fletcher brings a refreshingly un-ironic sentimentality to the proceedings. The numbers are all pretty well judged, including a particularly enjoyable version of Over And Done With that overtakes a whole pub, and although the story has big emotional beats, Fletcher is never cloying at the audience.

It’s a quality that was also present in his debut feature, Wild Bill, which brought Western trappings to a family drama on a council estate, and works wonders here. There’s no star-led karaoke gubbins here, and the tone generally befits the folksy quality of The Proclaimers’ discography.

Sunshine On Leith is about as charming and delightful as you would expect. Accepting that the default setting of a musical is to be slightly over-powering, this is a film that is irresistibly enthusiastic without ever becoming annoying or overlong, and the strength of the cast and the music serves to carry a slightly weaker script throughout.

Moreover, it’s a pretty terrific depiction of Edinburgh, which I’m sure will thrill the tourism bods. In the same week as the superior but harrowing Filth came to UK cinemas, we have the essential double bill of the year – though I recommend that you watch the more harrowing film first, because this serves as a lovely cinematic upper.

Sunshine On Leith is out in UK cinemas now.

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Mark is a writer from Middlesbrough, who once drunkenly tried (and failed) to pitch a film about his hometown to a director from Pixar. Fortunately, he…

Sunshine on Leith (2013)

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Sunshine on Leith Review - By Callum Stott

Who could have thought in 2007 that an in-house Dundee Rep production with the music of The Proclaimers would become a highly successful movie, tour countless times, and win many awards. The key to the success of Sunshine on Leith is firmly routed in The Proclaimers' sound and in the band’s ability to tell Scotland’s story through emotionally charged vocals and powerful music.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre has become a real staple in Scottish theatre. Following on from a busy summer season with Gypsy being the musical offering, this winter the theatre revives its celebrated production of Sunshine of Leith. Sunshine on Leith follows Davy and Ally, who return home from serving in Afghanistan and try to settle back into Scottish life. Ally returns home to his girlfriend Liz, and Ally then sets up Davy with Liz’s pal, Yvonne. Davy’s mum and dad, Jean and Rab, are celebrating a special anniversary, but an appearance from someone unexpected alters the course of events. In exploring the relationships of the characters, the music of The Proclaimers becomes the voice and energy of the show.

Having a mix of Pitlochry alumni and some new faces, this in-house production’s cast is immensely talented. Robbie Scott and Finlay Bain lead the cast as Ally and Davy. Both are fantastic performers being very boisterous in the song’s big number’s “I’m On My Way” and “Let’s Get Married” whilst showing heart in the show’s more emotional moments. Sinead Kenny and Fiona Wood deliver strong performances as Yvonne and Liz with Sinead shining in the number “Misty Blue” and Fiona delivering strong vocals leading “What Do You Do?”. The four lead performers have a great energy between them, and all are very believable in their relationships. Keith Macpherson also delivers a strong Rab with him having a perfect blend of comedic ability in the show’s lighter moments and can be emotionally engaging and make you feel for his character when things aren’t going well. Alyson Orr delivers a powerful rendition of “Sunshine on Leith” in the role of Jean. Five actors play multiple roles serving as the ensemble and are all very talented.

This production is an updated version of the original 2007 version with many tweaks to the score to make the music come alive. Actors in this production often play instruments throughout the scenes giving the show a more folk-rock feel and this allows the instruments to come alive. The set design by Adrian Rees is beautifully reflective of the city skyline of Edinburgh and is very adaptable to each scene and musical number.

With an uplifting story, great cast, and incredible songwriting, Sunshine on Leith remains one of Scotland’s favourite musicals. If you can make it to Pitlochry this festive season, you will have a brilliant night out.

This production has been rated ☆☆☆☆

Sunshine on Leith runs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until the 23rd of December. Book tickets here: https://pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/whats-on/sunshine-on-leith-2023/

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Sunshine on Leith review: A Scottish musical? See it, Jimmy

It's doubtful there's ever been a better scottish musical than this effort built around the songs of the proclaimers., by paul byrnes, save articles for later.

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Och, people will think I’m heavering* when I say that this is a Scottish musical both charming and original. In fact, if there is a better Scottish musical I’ve nay seen it (and no, I don’t mean to slight Brigadoon but that was shot in the Hollywood ''highlands'', in a well-dressed studio).

I will now suspend the fake brogue, but it will take some effort. A Hibernian ebullience has descended upon me, after watching a film that so lovingly adopts and adapts the tenets of the movie musical in order to celebrate Scottish culture. Lovers of the musical genre have had so few examples to savour since the form curled up and died in the late 1960s.

This one started as a theatre piece at Dundee Rep, a so-called jukebox musical (one that uses previously known songs), but actor-director Dexter Fletcher does a fabulous job of transferring it to the open air. Edinburgh has rarely looked this good, from Arthur’s Seat to Princes Street Gardens. The sun really does shine on Leith (Edinburgh’s port), which must have presented major schedule difficulties.

The songs are by the Proclaimers, and of course, I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) gets a good workout, as two ex-squaddies return from an unhappy tour of Afghanistan in which their troop transport ran over an IED. Davy (George MacKay) harbours a deep sense of guilt about what happened; his friend Ally (Kevin Guthrie) just wants to settle down with Davy’s sister Liz (Freya Mavor), the love of his life. Davy’s parents, Jean and Rab (Jane Horrocks and Peter Mullan) welcome them home with relief. They are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and all is well – except that Rab discovers he has a daughter, from a secret fling just after he got married. And nurse Liz wants to go to America rather than settle down, and Davy finds himself falling for a girl who doesn’t want to get serious. Worse, Yvonne (Antonia Thomas) is English!

Peter Mullan in Sunshine on Leith.

As in many great musicals, the story is flummery, expertly constructed to allow transitions between songs. The hard part is to make the singing seem the most natural thing in the world, a skill we’ve all but lost in modern movies. Fletcher’s acting training helps him here: he makes sure the characters feel real before he lets them sing. That bedrock is essential, especially when an actor is hardly a singer. Mullan’s croaking is one of the film’s odd charms.

The innovation comes from this buoyant sense of realism. When Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen made Singin’ in the Rain in 1952 they took off into flights of surrealism and stylisation, because they were largely dependent on sound stages to control light and sound. They made a virtue of artifice. We don’t need studios any more. Sunshine on Leith takes place in pubs, on the streets, in dowdy Scottish bedrooms and municipal halls. Plenty of other films have done that sort of location shooting, but Fletcher packs this one with a sense of street life. The flash mob finale, with what looks like 500 dancing Edinburghers, is about the most fun I’ve had in a cinema this year.

So if you go out, make sure you’re gonna be, you’re gonna be the man that goes along to the nearest house of projection for this joyful romp. And I’m not heavering*.

*A Scottish expression meaning to tell tales, or tall stories.

On Twitter @ptbyrnes

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Sunshine on leith: toronto review.

Director Dexter Fletcher brings to the screen this stage musical built around songs by Scottish sibling duo The Proclaimers.

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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Director: Dexter Fletcher  Stars: Peter Mullan, Jane Horrocks The Buzz: A feel-good romp based on Stephen Greenhorn's critically acclaimed play with a heavy dose of music from 1980s Scottish band The Proclaimers.

TORONTO – Who could resist what appears to be half the population of Edinburgh gathering out front of the Scottish National Gallery to perform The Proclaimers’ rousing declaration of love, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” as a flash mob-style production number? Such moments of ebullient joy explode throughout Dexter Fletcher ’s film of the local stage hit Sunshine on Leith . Shamelessly contrived in the manner of most jukebox musicals, and more than a wee bit precious, the movie has little use for emotional shadings as it flogs its feel-good charms. But given the hordes that sat through Mamma Mia! without cringing, that might not be a deterrent.

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Of course, The Proclaimers are not Abba and there’s no cavorting Meryl Streep here. But the songs of identical twins Craig and Charlie Reid have more going for them than just catchy pop hooks. Becoming The Proclaimers in 1983 after cutting their teeth in high school punk bands, the Reid brothers built their initial following playing pubs. Those roots are evoked in screenwriter Stephen Greenhorn ’s adaptation of his 2007 homegrown stage musical, created for Dundee Repertory Theatre. The songs thrum with proud national identity and raw feeling, be it plaintive or euphoric, which makes it disappointing that too many of them here are coated in generic sentiment.

The Bottom Line The corn is thicker than the Scottish brogues, but plenty of Proclaimers fans won't mind.

The film starts strongly, with a combat-zone scene in Afghanistan during which U.K. soldiers in an armored vehicle face possible death while singing a stirring a cappella version of “Sky Takes the Soul.” That visceral opening jumps to Edinburgh two months later, where squadron chums Davy ( George Mackay ) and Ally ( Kevin Guthrie ) have returned from active duty, ready to reclaim their lives. The abrupt shift from claustrophobic mortality to freedom and possibility is captured as the two map out their path “from misery to happiness” in one of the band’s biggest hits, “I’m On My Way.”

This disarming introduction shows director Fletcher comfortably embracing the old-fashioned notion of characters bursting into song within a naturalistic frame. It also sets the emotional stakes high for Davy and Ally, given the experience recently behind them and the fact that one of their mates wasn’t so lucky. But as the returned soldiers reintegrate into civilian life, much of that edge evaporates from the film, making way for familiar romantic situations.

Ally dives headfirst back into his relationship with Davy’s sister Liz ( Freya Mavor ), who sets up her brother with her English best friend and fellow nurse Yvonne ( Antonia Thomas ). Alongside this quartet are Davy and Liz’s parents, Rab ( Peter Mullan ) and Jean ( Jane Horrocks ), approaching their 25 th wedding anniversary in blissful harmony until a discovery from Rab’s past rocks the boat.

Greenhorn breathes some credibility into Liz’s uncertainty about committing full-steam-ahead with Ally, contrasting his urgent desire to build a home and family with her itch to broaden her horizons. But the conflicts that stretch out the film’s midsection mostly feel manufactured, particularly for Yvonne and Davy. While the naturalness of the four young actors compensates, the writing is thin.

It’s dispiriting to watch a gifted actor like Mullan reduced to playing clichés, and as people who squirmed through Little Voice will recall, a smidgen of Horrocks’ winsomeness goes a long way. (I prefer her in the lunatic mode of Bubble on Absolutely Fabulous .) She does, however, make touching work of the lovely title song, its unadorned expression of sorrow, regret and gratitude resonating as Jean sings by a hospital bedside.

Generally, the intimate numbers like “Sunshine on Leith” or “Letter From America” are more effective than the strained exuberance of the expansive song treatments, with the happy exception of “500 Miles.” Dance elements have a pleasing rough-edged scrappiness to them, but jolly pub sing-alongs like “Over and Done With” and “Let’s Get Married,” or “Should Have Been Loved,” led by a mugging Jason Flemyng , made me wince.

That’s not to say there won’t be plenty of audiences eager to check their cynicism at the door and get on board with the unabashedly romantic spirit. But the musical could have used more of the restraint that’s shown in the use of beautiful instrumental versions of Proclaimers songs as underscoring. As for the crisp, clean visuals of pristine city architecture under pastel skies, Sunshine on Leith could double as a Scottish tourist board commercial.

A curious footnote: Fletcher, whose first feature as director was the well-received 2011 crime drama Wild Bill , began his career as a child actor in 1976 in another idiosyncratic U.K. musical, Alan Parker ’s Bugsy Malone .

Venue: Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentation)

Cast: Peter Mullan, Jane Horrocks, George MacKay, Freya Mavor, Kevin Guthrie, Antonia Thomas, Jason Flemyng, Paul Brannigan, Sara Vickers

Production companies: DNA Films, Black Camel Pictures

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Screenwriter: Stephen Greenhorn, based on his stage musical

Producers: Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Arabella Page Croft, Kieran Parker

Executive producers: Nigel Green, Trevor Green

Director of photography: George Richmond

Production designer: Mike Gunn

Music: The Proclaimers

Costume designer: Anne Robbins

Editor: Stuart Gazzard

Music director: Paul Englishby

Choreographer: Rosie Kay

Sales: Focus Features International

No rating, 99 minutes.

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Sunshine on Leith review: Proclaimers musical is maudlin and misty-eyed but very hard to resist

Revived show remains significantly more sophisticated than most jukebox musicals, article bookmarked.

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It’s hard to go wrong with Sunshine on Leith , the jukebox musical written by Stephen Greenhorn and inspired by the greatest hits of folk-rock duo The Proclaimers . The original production started life in Dundee in 2007, toured several times, then became a film starring Jane Horrocks and George MacKay in 2013. Now it returns in a new production from Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Edinburgh’s Capital Theatres, two institutions currently shaking up the industry in Scotland. It may be maudlin and misty-eyed, but – more importantly – Sunshine on Leith remains heartfelt and nicely homespun. It’s ultimately hard to resist.

The 11 albums by The Proclaimers – aka twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid – are perfect for a work like this. Their songs are relatable and often raucous tributes to universal experiences – first loves, engagements, marriages, break-ups. Throw in some rowdy choruses stuffed with catchy call-and-response hooks, and the show basically writes itself.

Not that Stephen Greenhorn – creator of soap opera River City , among many other things – did a cut-and-paste job when slotting the songs into a storyline back in 2007. His plot is significantly more sophisticated than that of most jukebox musicals, incorporating themes of Scottish identity, industrial decline, the problems of post-military life, and, yes, romance. It revolves around two squaddies, Ally and Davy, who are adjusting to life after time in the army. Both want to settle down and start families, but their respective love interests aren’t sure if they want the same thing. Davy’s parents’ 30-year marriage, meanwhile, is shaken after the sudden appearance of an unexpected daughter.

As a vehicle for Proclaimers tunes, Sunshine on Leith really works. “I’m On My Way” slots neatly into the soldiers’ returning romp down Leith Walk at the show’s start. “Hate My Love” is perfect for when things start to go wrong for our characters just before the show’s interval. “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” is the perfect foot-stomping, hand-clapping closer. Only a couple of songs – notably “Over and Done With” and “Throw the ‘R’ Away” – feel shoehorned into the story. They all at least sound great courtesy of David Shrubsole’s heavily harmonised arrangements, played live by an ensemble of actor-musicians.

Directors Elizabeth Newman and Ben Occhipinti keep things simple with their staging. An Edinburgh skyline and rolling furniture help scenes shift between Leith Harbour, Blackford Hill and beyond. Keith Macpherson and Alyson Orr provide stand-out performances as Rab and Jean, the long-married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. Orr’s soft and sweet rendition of the titular tearjerker – habitually belted out by emotional Hibs football fans – proves to be the evening’s best moment. Its biggest disappointment, though, is that some of the younger cast members aren’t quite big or bold enough to match them, and their storylines suffer as a result.

Sunshine on Leith will return to Pitlochry after its two-week run in Edinburgh, after which the King’s Theatre will go dark for a lengthy and long-awaited renovation. It’s tough, whatever the show’s flaws, to think of a more fitting show to go out on.

‘Sunshine on Leith’ is at the King’s Theatre Edinburgh until 18 June

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‘Sunshine on Leith’ movie review

It helps that the songs themselves come from a style of song-writing that isn’t far removed from storytelling, and with a few contrivances the story is able to be down-to-earth and relatable compared with its nonsensical forbears. However, it still retains their feel-good factor despite this.

The story starts in Afghanistan, and is abruptly curtailed by a roadside bomb. It then follows Davy and Ally back to Edinburgh, to visit Davy’s family: his dad Rab (Peter Mullan), his Mum Jean (Jane Horrocks), and his sister – and Ally’s girlfriend – Liz (Skins star Freya Mavor). Davy visits survivors of the blast in hospital, gets used to his new job in a call centre, and starts a relationship with Liz’ English colleague Yvonne. Ally is sleeping in a bunk-bed with his nephew (a scene-stealing nephew at that) at his sister’s. It’s all very low-key (and somewhat at odds with the picture-postcard, helix-geography shots of Edinburgh).

Where the film coasts by is in its easy charm. Ally and Davy singing on the streets of Edinburgh in army gear elicits some laughs from the responses of the public, and Jason Flemyng gamely dances through the National Gallery while largely maintaining a Scottish accent (his Dad was Glaswegian). There’s a steady string of laughs to be had from little details in the background, such as reactions of the public or spontaneous dancing.

However, the emotional beats fail whenever music is involved. Obviously this is a problem for a musical. Betrayals are revealed, difficult decisions are made, and much regret is had by all. It’s well acted, and well-sung for the most part (Peter Mullan has a voice that makes Tom Waits sound like Justin Timberlake, and Jane Horrocks is well-versed in this art form, even if she can’t pronounce ‘Leith’), but whoever decided on those musical arrangements needs to have a long, hard look at themselves.

Imagine, if you will, an X-Factor Proclaimers weekend, where everyone sang slowed-down versions of ‘Letter from America’ while the entire musical kitchen sink demanded your emotions in the background. Like a knock-off karaoke CD, this hugely detracts from potentially devastating moments, leaving the film feeling slightly hollow.

Come the finale, though, we’re back in the enjoyably daft territory with a flash-mob dance routine to (inevitably) ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by the National Gallery. It’s a cheery note to end on, and as long as you subtract the synthetic strings from the ebullient enthusiasm on display, reminds you of what worked really well in the film. By the time the credits roll, there’ll be dancing in the aisles.

Released in UK cinemas on Friday 4 October 2013.

> Buy the soundtrack album on Amazon.

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[AD – PR invite*]

Captivate Theatre are back at the Edinburgh Fringe with their production of The Proclaimers musical: ‘Sunshine on Leith’. Set to the band’s renowned songs, the production follows Ally and Davy and their return to life in Leith, following a time in the military. At its core it is a heartfelt romantic comedy focusing on daily life in Edinburgh, packed full of uplifting songs.

Concert versus musical

The staging is brave, with the theatre company choosing to position the band at the back of the performance space throughout the show, constantly in the audience’s line of view. With a vocalist at the helm, initially it looked like the singer was going to remain with the musicians for the duration of the performance, but part of the way through they became part of the ensemble and the principal performers took over. For a musical, there needs to be visual separation between the band and the actors, with this production feeling like a concert in places and not a consistent piece of musical theatre.

Sound quality and musical numbers

For such a large scale show at Fringe, it was a little disappointing to see issues with the microphones and sound. On various occasions voices weren’t being picked up and it affected the overall quality of the performance. Sound is so important when staging a musical and a little more care to the microphones would allow the production to soar.

That being said, the vocals themselves are strong, none more so than in Hazel Beattie’s rendition of ‘Sunshine on Leith’ as Davy’s mother Jean and the finale slowed down interpretation of ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’. The songs also slot very naturally into the script, with the catchy Proclaimers tracks feeling secondary to the narrative, which in my opinion is how it should be.

Charismatic ensemble

The ensemble are fantastic, really committing to their roles as the various supporting characters. Their performances are a highlight of the show, adding so much collective power to the musical numbers and group scenes. Showcasing Danielle Logan’s choreography with energy and charisma, the company navigate many different stage entrances and exits, turning this into a musical production that takes over the entire Ballroom performance space at Assembly Rooms.

A musical that radiates the soul of Edinburgh

Whilst the sound quality needs refining, this interpretation of ‘Sunshine on Leith’ is full of joy and a definite crowd pleaser. The cast are fantastic, making you laugh and cry along with them, as they bring to life the emotional script focusing on family and relationships. The show has also found a very appropriate home at the Edinburgh Fringe, offering audiences a chance to see a musical that really reflects the spirit of city life. The show is based at Assembly Rooms – Ballroom until 25th August, with performances starting daily at 17:35. Tickets can be purchased via the festival website .

Thanks for reading my blog today.

Love Kat xxxx

*My ticket for ‘Sunshine on Leith’ was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Sunshine On Leith

Enthusiastic performance from one of Edinburgh’s leading amateur groups on a showpiece stage

Captivate Theatre are regulars on the Edinburgh Fringe, often showcasing multiple productions from their base at Rose Street Theatre. This year, you’ll find them adorning one of the Fringe’s newest venues, the glorious Multistory in the NCP car park on Castle Terrace, with a single production, Stephen Greenhorn’s infectiously optimistic Sunshine on Leith .

If you’ve seen the film, the story will be at least half familiar. Davy and Ally are just home after serving in Afghanistan. Liz, his girlfriend, is delighted to see Ally and in a quest to share the happiness around, introduces Davy to her mate, Yvonne. No surprises for guessing what happens next. Alongside the trials and tribulations of the young lovers, we also meet Liz’s mum and dad, on the eve of their 30th wedding anniversary. It’s a somewhat formulaic plot but the ending is just bittersweet enough to get away with it.

This performance of the production is blighted with sound issues. Indoors, mics not working would’ve been no great shakes but on Castle Terrace, with the hubbub of Edinburgh jostling for your attention, even on a dry and not terribly windy day, it is problematic. A good portion of the dialogue is lost so if you don’t know the story, you may struggle to keep up. Sally Lyall ‘s direction is brisk and the scene changes in particular, tightly choreographed. The group scenes lack finesse but pandemic restrictions have likely meant the cast haven’t had a whole lot of time to rehearse together.

The band is brilliant. Caitlin Morgan is a zippy Musical Director and the musical numbers are slick. Potentially the sound issues are also troubling the singers and some of the harmonies could be tighter. But Hazel Beattie ‘s Should Have Been Loved is great fun and her heartfelt Sunshine on Leith is gently poignant. And the final outing, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)  has the audience clapping and stamping along.

Tech issues aside, this amateur cast have bundles of enthusiasm. There won’t be many people braving a production with such a sizeable cast this Fringe. Here’s to a safe and enjoyable run.

Claire Wood

14 August 2021 17 August 2021

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Reviews of books and movies by Louise Hector

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Sunshine on Leith

A complete joy from start to glorious finish.

I think it’s somewhere in Scots’ law that if you are a Scot, especially if you no longer live in the home country, you must love The Proclaimers. You don’t have to know many of their songs or even think that they are great singers, but you must be eager at any opportunity to burst into 500 miles or Letter from America. More than anything else, this is the mark of a real Scot. Given the infectious nature of the music, it was only a matter of time before a jukebox musical based on the work of the Reid brothers emerged.

Ally and Davy are two recently demobbed soldiers and best mates who return home to Edinburgh following a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Ally rekindles his romance with Davy’s sister Liz while Davy finds love with Liz’s best friend Yvonne. As both relationships progress, Davy’s parents Rab and Jean find the celebrations of their silver wedding anniversary threatened by a decades old secret. The characters sing and dance their way through this fairly standard romcom storyline.

Within the first five minutes of watching Sunshine on Leith a big, stupid grin appeared on my face and it didn’t leave for the duration of the film. Yes, the songs are a bit shoehorned in at places and I do wonder how much of the script was written to fit the songs – a character decides to travel, where to and how will they communicate with family and friends? By Letter from America obviously.

Every member of the cast plays their part to perfection, but I particularly enjoyed George MacKay and Kevin Guthrie as Davy and Ally. The singing isn’t the best but every member of the cast throws themselves into it with fabulous enthusiasm which is, like the songs terribly infectious. Craig and Charlie Reid will admit that they are not themselves the greatest singers in the world, so would perfect voices have kept the spirit of the songs intact? I doubt it. Sometimes though the singing really hits the mark – Peter Mullan’s gruff Oh Jean tells a story of a stoic Scotsman not used to expressing his feelings.

The soundtrack is, of course, wonderful and includes great songs including the title track Sunshine on Leith (one of my Desert Island Discs), Letter From America, On My Way and a delightful flashmob rendition of 500 Miles which will make all but the stoniest of hearts fly.

Sunshine on Leith hasn’t got the most original story in the world, for a musical the singing can be a bit ropey and there’s an element of the songs leading the story rather than the other way around but I loved this film. It’s one of the happiest films I’ve seen in a long time and I know that I’ll happily watch it over and over again. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

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Movie Review: Sunshine On Leith (PG)

After his impressive directorial debut with Wild Bill (2011), actor Dexter Fletcher set himself the ultimate challenge – making a Scottish musical on the streets of Edinburgh.

Sunshine On Leith (PG)

• 14:44, 3 OCT 2013
• Updated 18:23, 25 NOV 2013

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Are you ready to walk 500 miles and then 500 more... to be at the cinema when they open up the doors?

Because if you turn up late there might well be 500 people in front of you asking for more!

And the result is the kind of heart-melting, family-friendly film you didn’t know you’d been waiting for.

The opening music rhythmically builds up to an off-camera roadside bomb in Afghanistan, sending Davy (George MacKay) and best friend Ally (Kevin Guthrie) home to Leith without one of their own.

Girlfriends Yvonne (Antonia Thomas) and Davy’s sister Liz (Freya Mavor) look set to lighten their mood.

The 25th wedding anniversary of Liz’s parents Rab (Peter Mullan) and Jean (Jane Horrocks) seems like a good time for Ally to propose – except that Rab is harbouring a dark secret.

Like me, Fletcher didn’t think he was a fan of The Proclaimers.

But their potent, honest lyrics and irresistibly-infectious rhythms are astonishingly suited to this story of two squaddies trying to find their place on Civvy Street where the pop star twins Charlie and Craig Reid make an early blink and you’ll miss ‘em cameo appearance.

Adapted from Stephen Greenhorn’s stage musical, Sunshine On Leith is rousing entertainment – a totally different (and superior) style of film to Mamma Mia with which it is being erroneously compared.

The script’s three different threads stealthily delivering a multi-pronged attack on our national sense of family, regardless of background.

Like Brassed Off (1996), there is pessimism and uncertainly woven into this cinematic tartan cloth – but never at the risk of extinguishing its candle for the human spirit.

Like The Full Monty – a monster hit in the wake of the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales – it will send you skipping out into the street feeling entertained, uplifted and not a little bit moved.

Like Irish film Once (2006), Fletcher’s feast will simply be a joyous surprise.

As the drama builds up to I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) you’ll know exactly what’s coming, but will be swept along regardless by what is surely one of the greatest pop songs ever written.

Sunshine On Leith might not be as funny as the best Richard Curtis films, but it’s telling that while his recent release About Time tried to reach this level of emotion he never got anywhere near.

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Movie review: Sunshine on Leith

Scottish musical Sunshine on Leith.

It would be almost impossible to leave the theatre without a smile after watching this charming and proudly Scottish musical.

An adaptation of a stage play by Stephen Greenhorn, and directed by Dexter Fletcher, Sunshine on Leith is a comedy following the relationship dramas of three couples, set to the music of the Proclaimers.

Translating stage musicals to screen is a fraught business, but Fletcher does a good job, making bursting into song feel like second nature to his characters, and us. Well, as natural as it can be.

Jane Horrocks and Peter Mullan ground the story as Rab and Jean, a couple whose relationship is thrown into turmoil when a secret from Rab's past surfaces on the eve of their 25th wedding anniversary. Their children provide the other couples, with son Davy (George MacKay) returning from Afghanistan and falling for English girl Yvonne (Antonia Thomas), and daughter Liz (Freya Mavor) dreaming of escaping Scotland, which is news to boyfriend Ally (Kevin Guthrie). It all makes for heartfelt swooning and heartbreak.

Brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (the Proclaimers) prided themselves on singing in their thick Scottish accent, and the cast have responded in kind. The younger performers have lovely, quality voices that sit nicely with the slickly produced tracks, but the fabulous Mullan channels Tom Waits as he growls his way through Oh Jean, and it's a nice distraction from the prettier Glee -like voices.

Scotland, too, is picture-postcard perfect, with wonderful shots of Edinburgh bathed in glorious sunlight, and pubs filled with joyful punters who happily break into songs such as Let's Get Married and the rousing Over and Done With . It's in the quieter moments though when you're reminded how poetic the Proclaimers' post-punk pop songs were. In the hands of Horrocks in particular, the music drives the story on while laying on the emotion.

Sunshine on Leith drags a little in the middle and could have done with one song less, but thanks to a slightly chaotic grand finale, featuring the band's best-known anthem I Would Walk 500 Miles , all is forgiven.

This is bright, breezy and charming entertainment at its best, even if you're not a mad fan of the musical genre.

Cast: George Mackay, Jane Horrocks, Peter Mullan Director: Dexter Fletcher Running time: 100 mins Rating: PG

Verdict: Scottish band the Proclaimers live on in this infectious, fun musical.

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Sunshine on Leith

Short takes

Not recommended under 13 (Themes; Violence; Sexual references)

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details of classification and consumer advice lines for Sunshine on Leith
• a review of Sunshine on Leith completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 26 May 2014 .

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare or disturb children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie’s message

A synopsis of the story

Sunshine on Leith is a musical about two recently discharged British army servicemen who return to their homes and families in Edinburgh after completing a tour in Afghanistan. Ally (Kevin Guthrie) returns to his long-term girlfriend Liz (Freya Mavor), who is a nurse and also the sister of Davy (George MacKay), Ally’s fellow serviceman. Davy is introduced to Liz’s English colleague Yvonne (Antonia Thomas), and the relationship between the two develops into a romance.

The film also follows Davy and Liz’s parents Rab (Peter Mullan) and Jean (Jane Horrocks) who are celebrating their 25th anniversary. Before the celebration, Rab is shocked to receive a letter from a daughter of whom he was previously unaware.

During the anniversary party, Liz turns down a proposal from Ally in front of the large crowd, while Jean finds out about Rab’s earlier infidelity. Fighting ensues, and Yvonne begins to doubt her feelings for Davy after witnessing his aggressive response. The relationships of the three couples are thus under threat and the film follows what happens to each.

Themes info

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Love and friendship; war and sacrifice; personal growth and independence; infidelity

Use of violence info

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie including:

• As soldiers are travelling in a truck during the war, there are gunshots heard and the screen fades to white. It is presumed that the truck was hit.
• Davy goes to visit a friend and fellow serviceman of his who is undergoing physical therapy – the soldier has lost both legs, and it is implied that he lost them during the violence of the war.
• At the party, Ally punches and beats up another man who insults him after Liz turns down his proposal.
• Davy also gets involved in the fight at the party, and begins shoving another man – he nearly hits Yvonne in the process.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under five info.

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

Children in this age group are likely to be disturbed by the violent scenes described above.

Aged five to eight info

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

Aged eight to thirteen info

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Younger children in this age group may also be disturbed by the violent scenes described above

Thirteen and over info

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children in this age group are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in this film.

Product placement

None of concern

Sexual references

There are several sexual references within the film, including:

• Liz tells Yvonne that her date Davy is “just going to be staring at your tits”.
• While singing karaoke in the bar, one woman stands up and references that it feels as though her “sex life is all history”.
• Liz drags Ally into a bathroom at the bar, presumably to have sex.
• Talk about Rab having an affair and a daughter resulting from this.

Nudity and sexual activity

There are several mild instances of sexual activity within the film, including:

• Liz and Ally share a brief kiss.
• Yvonne and Davy share a kiss after their date.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in the film, including:

• Throughout the film, the characters meet up in a bar and have multiple drinks, including shots and beer

Coarse language

There is some mild coarse language such as “bloody” and “crap”.

In a nutshell

Sunshine on Leith is a film based on a stage musical that depicts the joys and problems of relationships. It tells the story of a group of individuals who are forced to decide between what they want, what is best for them, and what their loved ones expect of them. It speaks about the importance of freedom, but also highlights the necessity of giving people second chances and learning how to forgive.

Although younger viewers are likely to enjoy the lively musical scenes, the film’s themes, violence and sexual references make it more suitable for a teenage and adult audience.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss:

• The nature and impact of war, and the heightened awareness that any day could be the last for a soldier.
• The consequences of infidelity and the difficulties of marriage.
• Issues of employment and life direction in relation to young adults.

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‘Sunshine’ Trailer Debuts Ahead of Toronto Premiere, Spotlights Teenage Pregnancy and Olympic Dreams in the Philippines (EXCLUSIVE)

By Naman Ramachandran

Naman Ramachandran

• Mel Brooks, Asa Butterfield Join Ewan McGregor in ‘The Land of Sometimes’ Animated Feature (EXCLUSIVE) 1 hour ago
• ‘Sunshine’ Trailer Debuts Ahead of Toronto Premiere, Spotlights Teenage Pregnancy and Olympic Dreams in the Philippines (EXCLUSIVE) 2 hours ago
• ‘Delhi Crime’ Creator Richie Mehta Teams With Imagine Entertainment on ‘Boy From Andaman’ (EXCLUSIVE) 3 hours ago

Filipino filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone ‘s latest feature “ Sunshine ,” set to world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival , has unveiled its trailer.

The film, selected for TIFF’s Centrepiece program, tackles the sensitive issue of teenage pregnancy and abortion in the Philippines , while also highlighting the struggles of aspiring Olympic athletes.

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The film stars Maris Racal as the titular character. Racal said: “I am grateful to have played this important role especially since abortion is such a sensitive topic in the Philippines. I learned the weight that you carry when you are an athlete, the things that you have to give up and the hours that you have to dedicate to training.”

The film also addresses the struggles of athletes in underfunded sports, with the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines partnering to ensure accurate representation. This aspect of the story resonates with the current climate in Philippine sports, as Jadaone notes: “With the meteoric rise of Filipinos going for gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics, now more than ever is the time to tell stories about local athletes fighting everyday for their dream.”

“Sunshine” is produced by Project 8 Projects, Anima Studios, Happy Infinite and Cloudy Duck. It received support from various film development programs, including Busan Asian Film School, Full Circle Film Lab, Film Development Council of the Philippines and CreatePH. 

Producer Bianca Balbuena of Anima Studios said: “‘Sunshine’ tackles a taboo subject that is of paramount importance in a world that constantly hinders women’s freedom over her own body.”

Watch the trailer here:

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Chinese Tennis Star Zheng Qinwen Has ‘Yao Ming’ U.S. Marketing Potential

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

Knots Landing Is Streaming in Full for the Very First Time — Find Out Where