271. Wild Rose; movie review

WILD ROSE
Cert 15
98 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex

It's taken me too long to get around to watching Jessie Buckley's star turn in White Rose.
If I had seen it before we were at Glastonbury Festival, I would have made a special effort to see her live.
That is how much I was impressed with the little-known singer whose performance as a hardened Glasgwegian is all the more impressive because she is not even Scottish.
However, despite Buckley's memorable lead, Wild Rose wasn't quite as good as it should have been because it slipped into too many cliches.
Buckley plays Lynn-Rose, a self-obsessed country singer who has just finished a year-long stretch in jail for drug peddling.
She has two children to whom she struggles to relate but who seem fairly normal thanks to the upbringing of her mother (Julie Walters).
Despite the latter's continued disapproval, Rose-Lynn chases her dream of going to Nashville and making it big.
Her barriers are money and influence - but she finds the potential of both in a woman (Sophie Okonedo) whose house she cleans.
And so, the foul-mouthed young woman who couldn't give a fig for anything or anyone suddenly takes life seriously and grabs a conscience.
As said, Tom Harper's film follows a predictable path and has come so soon after A Star Is Born that it pales next to the obvious comparison.
I am afraid it doesn't tug at the heartstrings quite as much as I had hoped it would.
Nevertheless, there is no doubting the dazzling contribution of Buckley and the brilliant foil of Walters as a traditional Scottish mother/grandmother.
And there is some great music. It's not a must-see but well worth a watch.

Reasons to watch: Jessie Buckley's star turn
Reasons to avoid: A little bit predictable

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Bare bum
Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? Jessie Buckley's career began in 2008 as a contestant on BBC TV talent show I'd Do Anything in which she placed second. In the same year, she appeared as Anne Egermann in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.

The final word. Jesse Buckley: “Life doesn’t get handed to you on a gold plate. What I love about these characters is that we can all relate to that struggle in ourselves.” Harpers Bazaar

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