Film

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands

Name: Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Released: 2002
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Rhys Ifans, Shirley Henderson, Kathy Burke, Ricky Tomlinson

Family drama

A Midlands love story where a sweet, ordinary man's televised marriage proposal fractures when his girlfriend's ex—a charming drifter—rolls back into town. Tender and funny, occasionally darker than it lets on. For anyone who's felt the weight of reinvention or watched someone you love get seduced by possibility.

TMDb rating

3.1

If you liked this

In the Loop2009

Sharp, humane British comedy about people colliding, their flaws on full display. Armando Iannucci's screenplay finds the comedy in desperation and miscommunication without ever losing sight of the humans underneath.

But Heavy on profanity and political jargon; the satire can feel airless if you're not in the mood for it.

This Is England2007

Shane Meadows' portrait of belonging and disillusionment in working-class England. Feels lived-in and honest about how easily kindness turns to cruelty, and vice versa.

But Bleak and occasionally brutal. Long stretches have little plot momentum; it's all texture and dread.

Nil by Mouth1997

Gary Oldman's directorial debut captures South London grief and rage with visceral precision. Ray Winstone is devastating as a man drowning in circumstance. Doesn't look away from suffering.

But Brutally downbeat, with unflinching depictions of domestic abuse and addiction. Punishing to watch.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Once Upon a Time in the Midlands

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Secrets & Lies1996

Both films hinge on a man outside the family arriving to expose what everyone's been pretending isn't there. Both understand that love and resentment are rarely separable.

Mike Leigh's masterpiece about family secrets and the lies we tell to stay together. Ensemble cast of raw vulnerability. When it hits, it absolutely demolishes you.

But Nearly three hours of improvisation-based naturalism; some find it formless and exhausting rather than liberating.

Raining Stones1993

Ken Loach's study of a working father caught between duty and dignity. Bruce Jones is extraordinary. Small in scope, enormous in empathy.

But The pacing is deliberate to the point of stillness. Very little happens; the film trusts you to feel the weight of it.

Dead Man's Shoes2004

Paddy Considine's revenge thriller operates in moral grey. Intimate, paranoid, shot through with friendship and betrayal in equal measure.

But Disorienting chronology and a deliberately withholding structure make it harder on second viewing, not easier.

Shallow Grave1994

Danny Boyle's debut—proof that sometimes the best character study wears the clothes of a thriller. Brilliant ensemble cast discovering how quickly ethics fracture.

But Stylish to the point of slickness; some feel it values its own visual cleverness over genuine stakes.

The Straight Story1999

David Lynch made a film about an old man driving a lawnmower to see his estranged brother. Pure kindness and human connection. Unlike anything else in his oeuvre.

But Plotless and slow. If you're expecting darkness or narrative incident, you'll be disappointed.

Under the Skin2014

Scarlett Johansson submerged in Glasgow. Hypnotic and strange, more mood and dread than plot. A film that trusts you to do the work.

But Deliberately obscure, demanding, and sometimes glacial. The meaning stays just out of reach—some find that liberating, others infuriating.

Penelope2006

Both explore how much of love is about being seen—and what we risk when we let ourselves be truly known. Both are ultimately hopeful without being sentimental.

A fairy tale romance built on shame, acceptance, and the radical choice to be yourself. Whimsical and strange, genuinely moving beneath its quirk.

But Aggressively stylized fantasy aesthetic; the twee factor is real, and the plot resolves almost too easily.

Buster1988

Both turn on the seduction of a man with charisma and a dream. Both ask: what do we owe to someone's potential, and when do we stop believing in it?

Phil Collins stars as Buster Edwards, Great Train Robber. A film about charm, loyalty, and the man you thought he was versus who he turned out to be. Haunting and oddly tender.

But The tone wobbles between romance and crime thriller. Some of its period details feel uncomfortably soft on lawbreaking.