Pubs, brewing, and second chances: fisherman's friends finds a niche
Post-Brexit Britain yields unexpected cultural dividends. Fisherman’s Friends, the film troupe known for its sentimental takes on British maritime lore, has stumbled upon a surprisingly lucrative vein: the slow decline of the traditional English pub.
A coastal town's brewing drama
The latest offering, Mother’s Pride, pivots from sea shanties to the struggles of the West Country pub trade. The film centers on the Drovers Arms, a quintessential spit-and-sawdust establishment in a Cornish village, teetering under the pressure of a grasping brewery. Its emotionally reserved owner, Martin Clunes, finds his business suffocating under supply chain constraints.
Meanwhile, the same brewery’s glossy gastropub, run with improbable enthusiasm by the city-slicker Pritchard (Luke Treadaway), represents a stark contrast. The film charts the simmering tension between Clunes’ character and his wayward son, Jonno Davies, until Jonno proposes a radical solution: homebrewing.
The narrative includes a predictable romantic entanglement with old flames – a reunion with Gabriella Wilde, now linked to Treadaway – and resolutions that feel almost too convenient. A local who sabotages the microbrewery is swiftly crowdfunded to rebuild it within minutes. The film’s climax culminates in a real ale awards ceremony, a predictable tableau of industry politics.
While Clunes delivers a serviceable performance, crafting a character from the available material, Mark Addy shines as the town drunk, providing a welcome dose of absurdist humor with an asthmatic running gag involving disco-infused morris dancing. Brief appearances from Josie Lawrence and Miles Jupp hint at a funnier film that might have been. Nods to contemporary culture feel forced, like a backbench MP attempting a TikTok dance. The film offers a defense of pubs that rings hollow, suggesting they’re merely the “last refuge for middle-aged depressives.”
Mother’s Pride isn't a bold reimagining of a familiar story; it’s a mild, somewhat lackluster offering. It struggles to capture the depth and resonance of films like Ken Loach and Paul Laverty’s The Old Oak (2023).
Mother’s Pride arrives in UK and Irish cinemas on March 6.