Fisherman’s Friends: One and All
Cert 12A, ★★★✩✩


Set in Port Isaac and loosely based on the real life events, Chris Foggin’s 2019 romantic comedy Fisherman’s Friends told the story of a group of ageing sea shanty-singing fishermen who become an overnight sensation after being discovered by a London music executive on holiday in Cornwall.

Now back for more of the same, this totally unnecessary sequel sees the return of James Purefoy as taciturn band leader Jim and features an impressive turn from Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May as his love interest.

Piers Ashworth and Meg Leonard who are credited as screenwriters on both films alongside Nick Moorcroft,have now taken their rightful place behind the camera in this glossier second instalment. The film is executive-produced by Purefoy, while prolific TV cinematographer Toby Moore (Call The Midwife, Death in Paradise ) brings that unmistakable Sunday evening BBC drama aesthetic to the proceedings.

After the sudden death of his father Jago (David Hayman), Jim (Purefoy) finds himself at a loss and struggling to keep up his enthusiasm for the band, deciding to spend most of his time drinking alone on his small fishing boat. Things get further complicated for Jim when he finds himself at continuous loggerheads with Morgan (Richard Harrington), the band’s latest recruit who was hired to replace Jago.

As his heavy drinking spirals out of control, Jim is befriended by former hell-raising pop star Aubrey Flynn (May) who offers to help him get over his own predicament. The story culminates with a promise of a slot at the upcoming Glastonbury Festival, but first the band must convince the record label that things are truly back on track for Jim and the boys.

With more of the same formulaic romantic comedy tropes and corny one-liners, Fisherman’s Friends: One and All does a fair bit of box-ticking about local politics in Cornwall, if that’s your thing, without straying too far from what made the first film such a success. And although the film is at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, the addition of a love interest for Jim makes the story into much more than any of us had bargained for.

While far from earth-shatteringly original, the film does manage to be hilariously funny one moment and poignant when it needs to be.

It is undeniably Purefoy’s West Country brooding charm that elevates this sequel from its uneven predecessor.