Purely Belter

2000

1h 39m

Drama

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Reviews

78%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Two teens (Chris Beattie, Greg McLane) from broken homes try to figure out how they can raise enough money to buy season passes for their favorite soccer team.

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Shaun D

Being a Newcastle fan made this watchable, but it was pretty poor and sad that people live like this. Wasn't that funny, so the football parts were the only interesting scenes.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/10/20

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Audience Member

Essentially it is kitchen sink realism. Flawed in many ways but gets the message across about football supporters getting priced out of the game. It was made some sixteen years ago and things have gotten even grimmer. Some decent gags, one liners and a cameo from Alan Shearer.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

Nothing special, but decent enough. Fans of Byker Grove can do a lot of star watching.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

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Audience Member

Very funny movie two young boys wanting football tickets

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

mint movie for the magpies

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Soccer is without any doubt the most popular sport in Europe. The supporters can be very fanatic and for some every excuse is good enough to spend a lot of money on their favorite team. But it's also in this stadiums that people from all classes come together and not everybody is able to buy a ticket week after week because they are too poor. Their love for a soccer club can sometimes get out of hand and that's where this movie has found its inspiration. It tells the story of two young boys who live in a rough neighborhood of the industrial city of Newcastle and who want to buy season tickets for their local football team Newcastle United. But because they don't have any money they will have to try anything to find some. They try to find some scrap metal which they can sell, but will also steal, try to rob a bank and do many other illegal stuff. But their actions don't go by unnoticed and soon they are caught by the justice department. Their dream of going to the football that season is over or isn't it... The movie makers in the UK seem to prefer socially realistic dramas over other genres of movies (although costume dramas are popular as well) and I must say that I can appreciate that. It's that feeling of realism that keeps me interested time after time and when they add some very fine humor to it like they have done in this movie, I only like it more. There are people who will say that it is hard to like little criminals like the boys in this movie, but personally I don't have any problem with it. Fact is that there are indeed still a lot of impoverished areas in the industrial cities and why should these areas or the people that live there not be shown in a movie? Is it because that only disrupts some people's image of a perfect society? I don't know, but it isn't so that the movie glorifies the actions of the boys. It actually gives some biting social commentary on the broken families where they come from, the poverty which they live in,... Even though I'm not a soccer fan I really had a good time watching this movie. That's why I would like to say that, even when you hate the game, you can still like the movie. Watch it for the biting criticism, the fine humor, the good acting by the boys,... and you'll notice that this movie is underrated by many.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Mark Herman

Director

Chris Beattie

Gerry McCarten

Greg McLane

Sewell

Charlie Hardwick

Mrs. McCarten

Jody Baldwin

Gemma

Kerry Ann Christiansen

Bridget

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Michael Thomson

BBC.com

Rated: 3/5

Oct 12, 2001

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Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Oct 12, 2001

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Ian Mantgani

UK Critic

So bad in so many different ways that a review threatens to become a list.

Rated: 1/4

Oct 12, 2001

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Andrew Howe

eFilmCritic.com

An engaging, bittersweet ode to family, friends and football.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 9, 2001

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Synopsis

Two teens (Chris Beattie, Greg McLane) from broken homes try to figure out how they can raise enough money to buy season passes for their favorite soccer team.

Director: Mark Herman
Producer: Stephen Woolley
Screenwriter: Mark Herman
Production Co: Channel Four Films, Mumbo Jumbo Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 3, 2017
Runtime: 1h 39m