Bank of Dave
Rory Kinnear and Joel Fry star in a rum sitcom with a warm heart and a predictable beat, apparently inspired by real events (sort of).
Invested in hope: Rory Kinnear
Bank of Dave ticks every available box in the subgenre of the feel-good, unbelievable-but-true crowd pleaser. The clichés stack up so high that it’s a miracle neebody actually gobs “ee bah gum!” Inevitably there’s the cultural divide between the North and South (one character even mutters, “nothing works north of Watford”), while another counters, “we’ve got Google up here!” And south of Watford another says – I promise you – “toodle pip!” And so there’s an insurmountable objective, some funny accents, a pretty girl, a load of eccentrics, a local rock band, various corporate villains and even a stirring court case. Just add gravy.
The film is largely set in Burnley, one of the most deprived towns in the country, but one with an indomitable community spirit. Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear) is a businessman and karaoke enthusiast who likes to support local enterprises with glue and altruism. Never one to back down from a challenge, Dave decides to set up his own bank, to serve the needs of the people of Burnley. In commercial terms, he sees it as a corner shop sitting side-by-side with the giant supermarket chains, but without the phony, insulting “sharing, caring bank” catchphrase. So he hires a top-drawer law firm from London to sort out the paperwork.
Enter Hugh Stockwell (Joel Fry), a foot soldier from the London Mile who, at a handsome hourly rate, is despatched to the North to essentially pop Dave’s bubble. There hasn’t been a new bank in England for over 150 years and following the economic crash when the financial institutions were bailed out by the government – at a huge cost to the taxpayer – the financial sector has earned itself a pretty poor rap. Hugh is a true caricature, then, a downtrodden type who walks with his shoulders hunched and dreads his time away from the familiar embrace of the M25. But, you know what?, the good folk of Burnley are a friendly lot and Hugh starts to warm to the benevolent charms of Dave and his crazy plan…
There’s a lot of acting going on in Bank of Dave, and some of it is pretty iffy, and the score can’t help itself coming to the rescue at the drop of a hat. But the film’s message has a relevant, powerful punch and that fine actor Rory Kinnear manages to keep the histrionics on an even keel. It may come as no surprise that the director Chris Foggin previously brought us the feel-good, unbelievable-but-almost-true Fisherman’s Friends, which followed on from such mainstream high achievers as Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham and Pride. Yet for all its improbabilities and stereotypes, Bank of Dave knows how to deliver a good time, and builds up to an emotive, rousing climax just as the formula demands. And to cap it all off there’s the now-standard supply of photographs of the real-life characters and statements of how Dave and his mates changed Lancashire, and possibly the rest of Blighty, for the better. And you shouldn’t really argue with that, mate.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Joel Fry, Phoebe Dynevor, Jo Hartley, Rory Kinnear, Naomi Battrick, Paul Kaye, Adrian Lukis, Harry Michell, Cathy Tyson, Angus Wright, Hugh Bonneville, Darwin Taylor, Katy Taylor, Alan Hargreaves, Michael Hawkins, Florence Hall, Drew Cain.
Dir Chris Foggin, Pro Matt Williams, Karl Hall, Ridoyanul Hoq and Piers Tempest, Screenplay Piers Ashworth, Ph Mike Stern Sterzynski, Pro Des Andrew Holden-Stokes, Ed Martina Zamolo, Music Christian Henson, Costumes Lance Milligan, Sound Adam Armitage, Dialect coach Sarah McGuinness.
Tempo Productions Limited/Future Artists Entertainment/Ingenious Media/Rojovid Films-Netflix.
107 mins. UK. 2022. UK Rel: 16 January 2023. Cert. 12.
