There's Only One Jimmy Grimble

It's hard being a small, shy, sensitive, lone Mancunian with unrealised dreams of footballing glory, and though Jimmy Grimble's mum (McKee) gives him her best, her penchant for dodgy boyfriends raises another obstacle between him and the world. Confidence doesn't come easy, but when it does, it seems to be in the form of an old pair of magic boots. What follows is unashamed wish-fulfilment - a Maine Road final beckons if Greenock High's unlikely lads can mount a run in the schools' championship - grounded, to a degree, by its breadth of human interest. Jimmy's are far from the only insecurities on show. Indeed, if anything the film's over-generous, with its range of characters and therapeutic wisdom. Winstone is improbably wholesome as the exiled ex of Jimmy's mum; Carlyle, on the other hand, gives a consummately restrained performance as sulky football coach Wirral; McKee is typically good value; and newcomer McKenzie is most watchable as Jimmy.