Synopsis

Storyline:

A portrait of Morrissey and his early life in 1970s Manchester before he went on to become the lead singer of seminal alternative rock band The Smiths.

User Reviews: My criteria for movies:

Do I believe the characters? Yes.

Do I care about the characters? Yes

Do I believe the story? Yes

Do I care about the story? Absolutely

I struggled a little through the first half of the movie, finding it tedious, slow, and a little difficult to become engaged in. As I watched, however, I realized that this is Morrissey we’re talking about — someone whom one of the indie/alternative radio stations in America constantly referred to as "Miserable Morrissey". Very slowly, but surely, everything began to make sense in Morrissey’s environment and how his experience shaped him into one of the great lyricists of pop music: No way out of the drab working class existence, with a local music scene that says nothing to anybody about their lives, and simply a unique person trying to fit in to a type-cast world. From that backdrop, Morrissey finds some semblance of salvation in poetry and music, friends and family.

I suspect the low IMDB score — currently 6.1 out of 10 — may in part be due to the slow pace and the fact that Morrissey almost never smiles. But that’s what’s so good about the movie — in the final analysis, it makes me a believer.

The Smiths-less soundtrack is excellent as is the cinematography, the latter adding to the gloomy, grey, drab feel of life in Manchester and its working class. The poetic element, where Morrissey and his friend frequently practice their poetic chops together complements the soundtrack perfectly well.

"England is mine" has its flaws here and there, but nothing so significant as to tarnish a very good, captivating movie. 8 of 10.