Ah, Fisherman’s Friend, the world famous strong menthol lozenges that have been around for over 150 years and have 20 different flavours of the “friend in your pocket” throat lozenges. But as much as I like them when the time calls for them, I am not here to talk about them, but some real fisherman – the 2019 biopic film Fisherman’s Friends, starring Daniel Mays and is a film based around fisherman and sea shanties.
Fisherman’s Friends, available on Blu-ray and DVD, stars Daniel Mays, James Purefoy, Tuppence Middleton, Noel Clarke and David Hayman. Written by Nick Moorcroft, Meg Leonard and Piers Ashworth, it was directed by Chris Foggin. It is a feelgood film based on true events about a group of sea shanty singing fishermen from Port Talbot in Cornwall and one man’s quest to make them famous with a record deal.
Fisherman’s Friends is a biographical comedy-drama, based on the events surrounding a group of 10 real fishermen from Port Issac in Cornwall and how they were discovered by a music manager, going on to land a record deal and a Top Ten hit with the singing of their work songs, 19th century rock ‘n’ roll, the sea shanty.
For those that don’t know, sea shanties are centuries old traditional communal folk/work songs that used to be sung by working fishermen when out labouring on their boats, usually accompanying repetitive labour-intensive tasks such as scrubbing the deck or hoisting the sails (you will all have heard of such shanties such as (What Shall We Do with the) Drunken Sailor). Or for the TikTok generation, not too long ago the internet went overboard with a video called The Wellerman, sung by a Scottish postman Nathan Evans.
The premise of the story is that whilst on a stag weekend in Cornwall (if you watch Doc Martin you might recognise where this film is set), music executive Danny (Daniel Mays) is ordered by his boss Troy (Noel Clarke) to do whatever it takes to sign a group of fishermen and coastguards/lifeboatmen singing sea shanties on the harbour. Unbeknownst to Danny, his boss wasn’t actually serious and was just playing a prank on him. Whilst the rest of the stag party return back to London, Danny is left behind and told not to return until he has signed the fisherman to their label.
The story that follows is the delightful tale of how Danny tries to win over the trust of the band, tries to integrate himself into the local community, gain the friendship and trust of the locals, and get a record deal in the process. His experience forces him to re-evaluate what is really important in life.
Overall, Fisherman’s Friends is an excellent and really enjoyable, uplifting and light-hearted comedy-drama. Daniel Mays is perfect as the sceptical cockney music executive, an outsider, who believes in the band, the town and their way of life. And it is all based on a true story.
The fishermen are brilliant with James Purefoy leading the group and David Hayman providing the comedy. There are cameo appearances from the real Fisherman’s Friends and even Two-Michelin-starred Port Isaac chef Nathan Outlaw.
Whilst the film is ultimately about a group of friends and a traditional band (a boy band like no other) and Danny’s attempts to get them a record deal, it also has undercurrents of a love story, a story of friendship, community and trust.
Fisherman’s Friends is an easy going, feel-good and cosy, light-hearted biopic comedy. You don’t have to be a music fan or like sea shanties to enjoy this film. The comedy is good, but the sea shanties are excellent, performed using a mixture of the real Fisherman’s Friends group singers and the voices of the actors.
I really enjoyed watching it first at the cinema and several times since on DVD. It is a good film to sit down and relax to whilst watching it (and maybe even join in and sing the odd shanty yourself). It is a film that will leave you with a smile on your face. There is some infrequent bad language and some jokes about sex but on the whole, it suitable for family viewing with children aged 12 plus.
Rating: 4.5/5
Available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD from Amazon here.