Marvellous

Marvellous

Directed by Julian Farino and written by Peter Bowker, this film tells the story of Neil Baldwin as he goes through his life following his ambitions. Early in his life Neil is considered to have learning difficulties, but this never stops him. He joins the circus because he wants to and becomes Nello the Clown. When the circus leaves him behind his mothers tells him he needs a job, but it's ok, he finds his way to Keele University where welcome new students and runs the football team. When his mother mentions that he needs financial stability, it is ok because he gets a job at his beloved Stoke city as a mascot and kitman. Along the way he meets Tony Benn in the House of Commons, he meets and befriends Prince Andrew, he plays in a testimonial match for Stoke City and (almost) scores the winning goal (ok, nowhere near!), he gets to sit with the race officials at the Oxbridge boat race - all because he just asks to do it. Neil goes to prove that with the right attitude and outlook on life, anything is possible and that we are only restricted by ourselves. Toby Jones brings Neil "Nello" Baldwin to life in this biopic and he does a fantastic job. There are scenes scattered through this film where the real Neil Baldwin sits alongside Toby Jones and it's plain to see that they aren't identical, but what Jones does is bring the character to life in all his glory, and importantly he brings Baldwin's story to life. As Hollywood often discovers, you can throw millions and billions of dollars and special effects at a movie and sometimes it lacks a heart to make it noteworthy. This film does quite the opposite, like it's source material it has a massive heart, and that is enough to really engage the audience and let them fall in love with Baldwin, like so many people who have met him have done too. This is a fun and uplifting film that has the ability to warm the heart and give its audience a range of emotions. You would be forgiven for thinking that some parts of the film are made up due to how bizarre they are, but in truth the only things that are really made up are some of the scenery and environments that Jones is filmed in (for example, Stoke City had moved to the Britannia Stadium long before the film was made and their old Victoria ground had been knocked down. The film used Crewe Alexandra's ground as well as Wrexham's to get around this.). I could happily recommend this to anyone as a down to earth, feel-good film that would suit a wide audience and have something there for everyone. It is comparable to other kitchen-sink British media experienced and it uses some old-school approaches to present itself, as well as some more modern techniques too. A joy to watch and deserving of the name on the box, this truly is "Marvellous".

As others have said the title of this film sums it up perfectly. Neil or Nello is a little different, but manages through his own innocence, love of life and the fear switch turn firmly to off to have a more interesting life than most of us. The film does not gloss over his difficulties or the fact that he is not always treated kindly. It does however show that he expects things to work out and for others to be as nice as he is. Mostly his faith in human nature is justified. The relationship with his mother is so touching. She wants to protect and look after him but her advancing age makes her realise that the only way she can do this is to make him more independent. He struggles with everyday tasks much more than he does with the less than ordinary places which make up his daily life, Keele University, Stoke City FC and even the House of Commons. This film made me laugh and cry. I was a student at Keele in the 1980s, I knew Nello quite well. Seeing him appear as his older self in the film was great. This story is true, if anything it slightly underplays just how marvellous Nello is.

Human quality is the greatest thing and this true story has that in abundance - Toby and Gemma put in superb character performances and bring to the screen the wonderful life story of Nell Baldwin. It's films and stories like these that make life worth living. The pace and scene making is superb it doesn't rush through or over dramatise but takes you gently through this marvellous man's life. The real life cameos are just perfect and add so much depth to the whole movie, A must see and beautifully made movie.

A good little film this with even the real life person being featured. It's interesting with quirky humour but maybe not as heartwarming as it might liked to have been. Good that such it was thought that such a person was worthy of being subject matter but Marvellous perhaps is a bit strong for the title. A nice watch.

Just stumbled upon this little gem 7 years after it's release & had no idea what I was about to watch! Brilliant heartwarming true story of a very unique & lovable character....

That is something I truly wish I could say. I stumbled across this after watching a few episodes of The Detectorists and I wanted to see what else Toby Jones was in. Saw the picture of the Marvellous title and something just told me this was gonna be gold!!! Now, I know I'm late to the party on this one with the majority of the reviews being British since they've seen this 2 years ago, but for someone here in the U.S., where there is absolute garbage on television and in the movie theaters, Marvellous is a welcomed and sorely needed story. As such, my faith in humanity has been restored after watching it. I really believe that anyone who watches this will be a better person for having seen it. I'm not kidding. No sarcasm here. This was excellent. Times a hundred. Toby Jones nails it. As well as everyone else in this film. I don't know what else to say besides "Can you drop me off?" "Its not really on my way." "It is if you go that way to drop me off." Hahaha. Perfect.

Funny, uplifting, sad, thought provoking and utterly brilliant

This film is the true story of Neil Baldwin, a man diagnosed with learning difficulties as a child but one who counts royalty and bishops among his close friends, has connections across the world of English football, was given an honorary degree by Keele University, and worked as kit man for Stoke City. I guess to deliver this film there were many ways that the film could have gone, but it was a very wise decision to make the film very much in the style of Neil himself – gentle, unassuming, self-assured, and totally unthreatening. The story opens with Neil abandoned by his circus employer, although hardly put out by it, he simply walks to a church where he is able to get help – not by charm or force, but just by an apparent lack of awareness of "normal" society. This continues through the film and we see someone who just put his mind to things, decided he would do something, and did it. It is a story that is very well told by the film because it manages to be uplifting, funny, sad, hopeful, and genuinely warming to watch. It is not that he deserves great awards or knighthoods as some have suggested, but there is certainly something cheering about a life well lived without seemingly any trace of malice, spite or harm in the man's body. This gentle, honest approach extends to my favorite device of the film, which is to integrate the real Baldwin and the real Lou Macari into the film, to have them sit with the actors while the actors are in character; this device works surprisingly well, not only because it lets us see that us Baldwin really does seem to be the person that we are told, but also so that Baldwin can contribute directly his views on the thing we just saw. It sounds like it shouldn't work, but it works tremendously well. A big part of it working is that Toby Jones is excellent. He is wonderfully human, determined, and very much in keeping with a simple man with determination and no ill-will. To consider what some actors would do with a "learning difficulties" character, Jones makes it a base for his character but never what or who he is playing; I particularly liked him staying in character while sharing the scene with the real Baldwin – it not only showed how well the character was being delivered, but it also doubled up on the warming effect and gave an unusual device of getting inside the character's head at that moment. The supporting cast are all very good, but the film belongs to Jones and Baldwin. You will have heard many good things about this film, and maybe it is a bit over-hyped, but that is not to say that it isn't really good. It is a gentle, unassuming little film that will surprise you by how much it does and how well it does it – again, just like Baldwin himself.

I saw small segments of the advert on television, and the article in the television schedules for this TV made film, at first I didn't know what it was, but because of the leading actor, and reading the description, it definitely sounded worthwhile. Based on the true story, Neil Baldwin (Toby Jones) was born just after World War II in Westlands in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, he is a man considered to have learning difficulties, but he has an appetite for life, and lives by the philosophy "I've always wanted to be happy, so I decided to be." With encouragement from his mother Mary (Gemma Jones) Neil joined the circus to become Nello the Clown, having left his job at the butchery, but he seems undaunted when the circus moves on without him, so he finds a cleaning job in Keele University, he also appoints himself unofficial greeter to new students, a role rewarded by an honorary degree in 2013. Neil has a passion for football, he manages the University's unofficial football team, named after him, and in 1992 he goes to meet and support the new manager of Stoke City, Lou Macari (Tony Curran), his beloved football team, and talks his way into becoming the team's kit man and unofficial mascot. With his friendly personality, his religious faith, and unflinching attitude there are no boundaries for Neil, he is able to turn up at the House of Commons and have tea with MP Tony Benn, he becomes a friend of Prince Andrew at Cambridge University which results in his name being on the Queen's Christmas card list, and claims to be friends to many religious and celebrity names, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, with their autographs and photographs in books, including Bibles. Neil overcomes setbacks through his life, including the death of his beloved Mother, who had been showing signs of being sick, but he never lets his limitations and unknown people's negative visions of him stop him from seizing opportunities, making many friends (close and distant) and living a marvellous life. Also starring Nicholas Gleaves as Rev Mark and Fresh Meat's Greg McHugh as Malcolm, and cameo appearances from Gary Lineker, Uriah Rennie, Norman Barrett, and the real Lou Macari and Neil Baldwin himself. Jones gives a fantastic and highly believable performance as the man with learning difficulties who always seems to remain positive, this biographical film has many elements to it, it has the realistic serious scenes, but in moments it becomes comedy, a musical, and clashes the scenes with both acted and the real footage which is really clever to watch, a great comedy drama. Very good!