The Bromley Boys is a 2019 comedy about a teenage boy’s devotion to the worst football team in the country.
In late 1960s Britain, Dave Roberts (Brenock O’Connor) is a 15-year-old with a bit of a popularity problem. He has none. It’s not helped that he then decides to put his full time waking efforts into supporting Bromley FC, a football (soccer) team that his mother (Martine McCutcheon) sort of chose for him via a knitted scarf. Either way, he’s all in and committed to being their number one fan, even though his father (Alan Davies) bans it from the house (he has a handwritten list of such things). So, sneaking out under the guise of being a local Cub Scout, he attends the home games, watching his team fail over and over, soon making friends with a few local supporters. However, when he accidentally ends up in the team owner’s office, he can’t resist doing a little digging on the goings on. Unfortunately, he comes upon a stunning revelation, one that will change everything.
Based on the book of the same name by the real Dave Roberts, The Bromley Boys is a charming little coming-of-age film from director Steve M Kelly, that uses the sport as playing field for a young man to discover his true potential. Narrated by Davies, playing the older grown-up Roberts looking back at his youth, the film is bit like if Wes Anderson had directed Gregory’s Girl. It keeps just left of reality, painting everyone quirky and slightly cartoonish, layered in purposefully saturated pastel colors and stylish direction.
That said, there isn’t much here you haven’t seen before of course, this a spirited lament on youth with a youngster struggling to deal with the hurdles and obstacles of these ungainly years, dealing with his narrow dedication to the sport and a sudden crush on a real girl, that of Ruby (Savannah Baker), the team owner’s teenage daughter. Naturally, things are slightly exaggerated and to a degree, this helps a lot in elevating the warped nostalgia one has when looking back. This makes it endlessly identifiable and not without plenty of warmth.
Decidedly British, The Bromley Boys is a fun little romp that works hard to be a feel-good movie, with a slew of hearty performances from the lot with O’Conner entirely wrapped into the part, all stringy and curly-haired, pulling off awkward with all kinds of honest. His equal is Baker, donning big rimmed glasses and an off-center pigtail, the two giving the story its soul.
While that story does see some stumbles and a few stretches in reaching for comedy, it finds it footing best in the circles of authenticity these characters share. The Bromley Boys is a pleasant little gem and though having no knowledge of British football certainly weighs on this, it’s pulled up by its spirited performances and genuine love of reflection. Boosted further by an upbeat last act, this makes for an easy recommendation.