Northern Soul

R

Released Oct 2, 2015

1 hr. 42 min.

Comedy

Drama

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List

76%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A disc jockey (Joshua Whitehouse) introduces his new friend (Elliot James Langridge) to Northern soul, a combination of American soul and distinctive dance styles that takes the United Kingdom by storm in the 1970s.

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Critics Consensus

Northern Soul overcomes its spotty narrative with a likable cast, rich period atmosphere, and a killer soundtrack that perfectly captures the time.

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Bill F

Fairly low budget and gritty coming of age film, but the music is infectious.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

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dave s

The premise is interesting – disaffected youth in the north of England in the mid-70s finding salvation in American soul music. The soundtrack is great, featuring songs from Edwin Starr, Frankie Valli and a bunch of other lesser names. The performances from the cast, mostly unknowns, are solid from top to bottom. And the production values are pretty decent. If there's a problem with Northern Soul, it is the fact that it is relentlessly dreary with a bunch of characters that you just don't give a toss about. Unlike The Commitments, a similar film in many ways, Northern Soul leaves you with the impression that there is no hope for these angry and surly ne'er-do-wells. The movie seems to operate on a tedious cycle – take drugs, do a dance, get angry, repeat cycle. While it has its merits, it eventually becomes a tedious viewing experience.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

It's a good film let down by the storyline.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

Amazing sound track mixed with realism of the northern mentality. Top watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

The film gives a little insight into the Northern Soul scene in 1974 England and the music is very enjoyable (much better than the computer-generated rubbish today!). However, there is a ridiculous amount of swearing in it that detracts from the film and lessens the realism. Antonia Thomas, for me gives the most genuine performance as Angela, one of the girls who frequents the Northern Soul venues and ends up being John's girlfriend. The other characters are OK. I was very disappointed that, despite the suggestion on the info about the film stating John and Matt would "Chase a dream of travelling to the US, unearthing unknown soul 45s" and bring them back to England to play to the crowds, plus John's passport arriving through the post, they never go to The States!! If you know nothing about Northern Soul, then this film will show you a snapshot of what it was like back then, but if you want a more fuller account then do a general search for Northern Soul in YouTube to see some great video clips!! If you want detailed info on it, do a search in your web browser and a number of options will display in the search results that describe it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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dax h

The acting was fine, and I did find it interesting to see a time, place and music scene I had never been exposed to. I simply don't enjoy drug fueled movies, at some point it becomes too much, same way over the top action can be too much, or a movie can be too sappy. And then I also felt like the soul music that the characters enjoyed didn't have any affect on who they were, as though it didn't affect their soul, and soul music to me, is something that changes you to the core when it's music you love. They seemed unchanged by it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Elaine Constantine

Director

Elliot James Langridge

John Clark

Josh Whitehouse

Matt

Antonia Thomas

Angela

Jack Gordon

Sean

James Lance

DJ Ray Henderson

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Northern Soul: Trailer 1

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Linda Barnard

Toronto Star

The movie is carried by the two hard-dancing leads, whose sweat-soaked strutting demands attention.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 23, 2015

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Nathalie Atkinson

Globe and Mail

Rich in period detail, it's as transportative to the shuffling spins, fashion subculture and euphoric, amphetamine-fuelled all-nighters of 1974 Lancashire and the cult-following DJs of the Wigan Casino as a documentary, turned up to 11.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 23, 2015

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Katie Walsh

Los Angeles Times

The film has a ferocious, shaggy energy that mirrors that of the testosterone-, amphetamine- and adrenaline-pumped boys.

Oct 7, 2015

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Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Tone deaf.

Rated: 1.5/4

Apr 4, 2020

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Sophie WIng

One Room With A View

Aggressively nostalgic and a little bit contemporary, Northern Soul expands a small corner of history into a living, breathing, sweating universe...

Rated: 4/5

May 31, 2019

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Adam Lowes

CineVue

Elaine Constantine's fictional account of her own experiences is an age-old tale of friendship forged through shared passions, but it's told with heart and a dogged determination to document the time.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 3, 2019

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Synopsis

A disc jockey (Joshua Whitehouse) introduces his new friend (Elliot James Langridge) to Northern soul, a combination of American soul and distinctive dance styles that takes the United Kingdom by storm in the 1970s.

Director: Elaine Constantine
Executive Producer: Robert Little, Henry Normal, Kevin Loader, Kevin Phelan, Marco Santucci, Richard Searling
Screenwriter: Elaine Constantine
Distributor: Freestyle Releasing
Production Co: Baby Cow Productions
Rating: R (Drug Use|Brief Sexuality|Language Throughout)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 2, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.8K