Fisherman's Friends is the second feature film by English director Chris Foggin, to whom we owe in 2016 Kids in Love, a film released rather unnoticed. It is a comedy that is freely inspired by real events, and follows the rise of a folk band like no other. The group, Les Fisherman's Friends, composed of ten robust sailors who sing traditional songs of the sea in their hearts. True story : In 1995, ten fishermen from Port Isaac, Cornwall, got into the habit of getting together to sing sea songs, which allowed them to raise money for charity. They gave birth to the group Les Fisherman's Friends. In 2010, they were spotted by Island Records who signed them to a contract of one million pounds sterling. Their album Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends went gold and allowed these amateur singers to become the first traditional folk band to appear in the UK top 10. Danny, a hip London music producer, travels to Cornwall for a bachelor party. When his boss and friend challenges him to get local fishermen to sign a contract for an album of sailors' songs. Danny falls into the trap. Far from his city landmarks, he tries somehow to win the trust of this unlikely boy band, which attaches more importance to friendship than celebrity.
A "feel good" scenario without too much ambition
No, this is not the origin story of the famous menthol pellets that we have here. This is the story of the music producer, accustomed to his totally urban life, which is not a new subject. Indeed, here we have a simple story that takes the direction of a fairy tale. An enchantment that works from the moment the 30-minute mark of the film has passed. The tone of the film is not really gripping until the first half hour. Stereotypical humour, overplaying actors and unconvincing staging. The script, seasoned with dialogue and easy gags, tarnishes the film a bit. However, the film takes a different turn as Danny's acolytes leave Port Isaac. Danny, a little silly on the edges, will undertake this mission of recruiting folk sailors and it is not a foregone conclusion. Alongside these sailors and life away from the big cities, we begin to attach ourselves to the characters and their daily lives. 
The little adventure takes us to the southwestern tip of England. Between mountains, cliffs, hills and seashores, the film takes us to a total change of scenery. That's a big highlight of the film. Hilly on the Cornish peninsula, this Celtic land is discovered after crossing the Tamar River. A rocky and windy coast, which in many ways resembles the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The wide shots of this panorama are really captivating and give a certain freshness to the viewing. They also make the viewer feel a real closeness. Music film obliges, the soundtrack is really a success. The songs of the Fisherman's friends (who describe themselves as "a rock 'n' roll band from 1752") are beautiful and take us out to sea. There is great harmony when their voices unite. We come out with a fierce desire to discover the albums of the historic group including the adaptation, very particular of their first album Suck'em and Sea.
Fisherman's Friends, Clash of Cultures
There is a systematic and insistent opposition between the arrogant or even ungrateful financiers of a London music label and these unfortunate fishermen who are not well behaved, certainly subjected to difficult living conditions, but blessed holders of ancestral know-how and certain values. The background of the film is structured as follows. 
"There is a sailor deep inside each of us"
When he doesn't get lost in moral lessons from another time, he shamelessly weighs himself down with a love story sewn with white thread between the daughter of a fisherman and a repentant member of the record company. The confrontation between these young people of modern life and these fishermen in yellow waxes sometimes falls into the water because of a somewhat clumsy staging. A Manichean fable that arrives for a time or little to port. Nevertheless, several themes such as family, abandonment, suffering in love, finding one's way or honor wisely integrate these life lessons that may seem backward for the urban world. It's a good way to remind us of the essentials.
A stormy cast
The Anglo-Saxon interpreters are as usual perfectly in tone. The VO allows as always to better immerse oneself in the story. We find Daniel Mays as the main character in this British production. After a minor role in Sam Mendes' 1917, he indulges in a moderately convincing role but remains an endearing character. The character of Danny is a cliché but a cliché to whom we gladly let ourselves be carried. 
Tuppence Middleton as Awyn, the daughter of the troupe leader is the main female character. The actress who appeared in Downtown Abbey and Mank takes on the role of a single mother who raises her daughter in this remote corner of England. She delivers the best interpretation of the film with James Purefoy (He plays the role of the father). Credible, bold and fearless, she meets the expectations of a mother seeking escape and a stable environment. Jim, the father and crew leader, is the most believable of all the actors. Under the false air of Hugh Jackman, he plays a tough man who sacrificed his life to raise his daughter. A man who struggles with modernity. He prefers to keep his values and protect the little he has. It embodies the villagers' distrust of the modern world. The rest of the cast is also very satisfying as Jago the prankster with a big heart. His wife Maggie who manages the village bar and has a hot temperament! As well as the youngest sailor, Rowan, who embodies the bridge between past and modern world.
Verdict:
The story remains coherent without being shattering but does not suffer a loss of rhythm finally offering entertainment and a nice moment typical of a "feel good movie" dear to the Anglo-Saxons. Like a sinking ship, the feature film vacillates between social realism, musical film and romantic comedy. The film is released on July 7, 2021. Here's the trailer for the movie:
