Beautiful Thing

R

Released Oct 9, 1996

1h 29m

Comedy

List

92%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Shy Jamie (Glen Berry) and athletic Ste (Scott Neal) are teen boys who live near each other in the London projects. Both boys think they could be gay, and finally explore their feelings when Ste is allowed to stay over at Jamie's place after an incident with his abusive father. There, the boys grow close and open themselves up to the idea of homosexuality, while Jamie's caring mother, Sandra (Linda Henry), and quirky teen neighbor, Leah (Tameka Empson), offer much needed emotional support.

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Critics Consensus

An engaging slice of life drama that happens to double as a gay coming-of-age story, Beautiful Thing captures its place and time with deceptive depth and skill.

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Robson C

Jaime e Ste são vizinhos em um conjunto habitacional em um subúrbio de Londres. Jaime foge das aulas de Educação Física e sofre bullying dos colegas. Ste é o típico atleta e todos gostam dele, porém na sua casa sofre violência nas mãos do seu pai e do seu irmão mais velho. Uma noite, a mãe de Jaime encontra Ste chorando e expulso do seu apartamento. Ela o acolhe e o convida adormir junto com seu filho. Aos poucos, os dois jovens vão desenvolvendo sentimentos um pelo outro. Temos aqui uma simpática e modesta comédia inglesa que trata da descoberta da sexualidade por dois garotos e o impacto disso na comunidade ao seu redor. O roteiro é muito bem escrito, com personagens bem desenvolvidos. E o nosso interesse acaba caindo nos personagens secundários: a mãe de Jaime que criou o filho sozinha e que tenta melhorar de vida, mas você percebe que ela é uma mulher que adora uma balada; Tony, o namorado da mãe de Jaime, que se mostra um homem sensível e preocupado com as pessoas ao redor e Leah, uma menina negra fã de Mama Cass, a melhor personagem do filme, muito bem interpretada por Tameka Empson. Sobre o elenco, ele é muito bom, não possui nomes conhecidos, mas todos entregam um excelente trabalho. É uma comédia, mas não espere dar gargalhadas. O humor está mais nas situações que permitem um sorriso. Algumas pessoas podem considerar que tudo é um pouco rápido, mas elas devem se lembrar que os personagens já se conhecem há muito tempo e que foi um evento que levou a descoberta de tudo por Jaime e Steve. A cena final encerra de maneira poética o filme, convidando a todos a se juntarem Jaime e Ste e sonharem um pequeno sonho com eles.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/04/24

Full Review

PridePosterStudios

“…cos it’s got a bloody great pink neon arse outside of it!”

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

Kyle S

I don't know how I missed this film. For 25 years I've heard it is lovely. I heard a podcast with the writer and he was so charming I bought it immediately and I must say I love it. I did miss some dialog because of the strong accents but that wasn't important. I love a gay themed movie that does not end with tragedy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/01/23

Full Review

Deryk A

Great coming out movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

isla s

I found this a surprisingly sweet film, mainly focussing on companionship as well as sexuality but it doesn't feature any graphic sexual content. However, there is quite a lot of strong language and some sex references. There were some fairly amusing moments too but I'd say the topics were dealt with quite well. I thought this was a pretty decent, understated British film thats worth a watch, if only for the 90s nostalgia and/or for the music played, such as 'Dream A Little Dream of Me' by The Mamas and the Papas and numerous tracks by 'Mama Cass', Cass Elliot, like 'Make Your Own Kind of Music'.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

andy n

The movie is so boring! The script is frankly crude. Very primitive life. A lot of some cheap household abuse.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Hettie MacDonald

Director

Linda Henry

Sandra Gangel

Glen Berry

Jamie Gangel

Scott Neal

Ste Pearce

Ben Daniels

Tony

Tameka Empson

Leah Russell

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

Beautiful Thing might be the most beloved of all the gay-youth movies released in the late 90s

Apr 27, 2003

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Because the film is so effective for its first two-thirds and because it has its heart in the right place throughout, audiences may be willing to forgive its final third.

Feb 14, 2001

Full Review

Lee Hanson & Anthony Bell

Our Own Community Press (Norfolk, VA)

Beautiful Thing is a four-star mix of joy, discovery, survival, and humor.

May 3, 2023

Full Review

Nick Levine

NME (New Musical Express)

It's still heartwarming to see Ste (Scott Neal) and Jamie (Glen Berry), two teenage boys from a tough south London estate, fall in love and win acceptance from their friends and neighbours.

May 10, 2021

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Mostly though, Beautiful Thing works both as a gallery of life in the faceless but commodious blocks thrown up to house the working (and non-working) classes, and an intimate tale of two lonely boys.

Rated: 2.5/5

Apr 25, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Shy Jamie (Glen Berry) and athletic Ste (Scott Neal) are teen boys who live near each other in the London projects. Both boys think they could be gay, and finally explore their feelings when Ste is allowed to stay over at Jamie's place after an incident with his abusive father. There, the boys grow close and open themselves up to the idea of homosexuality, while Jamie's caring mother, Sandra (Linda Henry), and quirky teen neighbor, Leah (Tameka Empson), offer much needed emotional support.

Director: Hettie MacDonald
Screenwriter: Jonathan Harvey
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Channel Four Films, World Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 9, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 25, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.5M
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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