Genre: Comedy
Related Titles: The Full Monty, Shaun of the Dead, Monty Python
By Leanne Harragan
When their local pub faces closure, some old wrestlers from the 1980s suit up one more time in an attempt to save their beloved pub.
A trailer and film that we caught by chance and I'm very glad we did, it's funny and classically British. By the people who made 'The Full Monty' I already knew that it'd be funny and it was. There were plenty of moments where not only me but the rest of the cinema were laughing out loud (a rarity!)
The plot is standard tried and tested, the underdogs trying to beat the bad guys/corporate people. It works so well because I personally related to many of the characters I saw on the screen, they reminded me of people I've met or that I know and it made me root for them and want them to win.
The boxing was a great sport to choose because it is something that like the film says, ties everyone together, people of all ages, generations and classes enjoy the camaraderie of boxing. My favourite things about British film is the language and slang that they use, it is relatable and things that people always say, making it that little bit more funny and realistic.
The entire cast of this film make it great, the delivery of lines and the bonds that are formed, make it work so well. Lena Headey makes a small cameo and despite her character being completely irrelevant, she gets another great line (after the iconic "you're a wanker number 9!" in Imagine You and Me.) Stephen Graham as the main character and owner of the pub does a great job. I thought the entire cast was wonderful and could easily mention all of them for one thing or another that they brought to the film.
Overall, this is a good British film that captures the spirit of Britain and small-town communities. It's funny and easy to watch!
Rating: 8/10
By Rebecca Mannick
So what a surprise Walk Like a Panther was. It was so funny and uplifting, so glad we were able to catch it, as there was no real advertising campaign or promotion for this picture. It follows Mark Bolton (Stephen Graham) who is the son to Trevor 'The Bulldog' Bolton, who at his prime was a high performing wrestler. The Panthers were hugely popular and always put on a top quality show. One of the Panthers Ginger Frost owned the local pub in which the whole community went to. Ginger was more of a father figure to Mark and he bought the pub off of him. When the pub is being closed down, Mark brings the panthers together to put on one last show to save the pub which is so vital to the community.
This film was such a feel good movie. Firstly I love films that involve any kind of sports and the whole underdog story really resonates with me for some reason. It was able to balance the comical element and also the emotional and serious moments when it had to. What made this film what it is was the character development. In such a short space of time they were able to show the backstory to each of the panthers. You found out what they were doing after the wrestling lifestyle fell through and could see how much they missed the community and comradery of the Panthers. Each of the characters were so different but they all worked so well together to put on a show. They all had a different persona and character to play while having to perform physically challenging wrestling moves. Which was a challenge when trying to turn the clock back over 30 years.
Overall this was such a fab movie and I would highly recommend. Specially if you like wrestling as any film with your favourite sport as the topic is cool to see. While being serious in some scenes and elements, ultimately it was a comedy which definitely lived up to the genre. It had me laughing at loud which is a good sign lol.
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