TRAWLING FOR COMPLIMENTS (FISHERMAN'S FRIENDS: ALL FOR ONE)

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We've reached that stage where even the sequels to gentle English comedies no longer have numerals in their title anymore.

'Fishermen's Friends: One and All' is a sequel to Chris Foggins' wistful 2019 comedy 'Fisherman's Friends' which was based on the true story of a group of Cornish trawlermen whose album of sea shanties became an unlikely music industry sensation.

This time Foggins has ceded the director's chair to two of the original's scriptwriters Nick Moorcroft and Meg Leonard following the modest success of his low budget film.

What emerges is a movie which, like the original 'Fisherman's Friends,' is not the most daring or challenging film you are ever likely to see.

© Entertainment Film Distributors

At the start of Moorcroft and Leonard's follow-up, the Fisherman's Friends group has been riding the crest of a wave - touring extensively across the UK after the success of their debut album.

However they have been rocked by the unexpected death of their leader, David Hayman's Jago.

They are also boozing on the road - especially Jago's son, James Purefoy's Jim.

Women are throwing themselves too at the youngest member of the group Sam Sainsbury's publican Rowan.

© Entertainment Film Distributors

Add into the mix the tendency of Dave Johns' Leadville to regularly put his foot in it in media interviews and you have is a reputation that is quickly going down the pan which is beginning to make their record label nervous.

With Ramon Tikaram's CEO Jez Chandra reluctant to extend their deal and release their new album, Jade Anouka's executive Leah Jordan dispatches Joshua McGuire's underling Gareth to Cornwall to get the guys in gear and identify a replacement for Jago.

The obvious replacement during auditions is Richard Harrington's Welshman Morgan Jenkins, a local farmer with a great voice who knows all the songs and can even speak a little Cornish.

However Jim resents his presence and in his often inebriated state he seems to look for any excuse not to treat the new recruit as a proper member of the group.

© Entertainment Film Distributors

Jim's mum, Maggie Steed's Maggie and his young daughter, Meadow Nobrega's Tamsyn are aware something's up.

Unbeknown to them Jim is so overcome with grief, he keeps having visions of his late father and and imaginary conversations with him.

Enter Imelda May's rock n'roll exile, Aubrey Flynn - a disillusioned Irish singer who is searching for creative inspiration in Cornwall.

Aubrey initially stays in Maggie's bed and breakfast and identifies a property on the coast which she buys.

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Like Jim, she has been burnt by her moment in the sun and also by addiction.

After a bumpy start, the two connect as Aubrey tries to help Jim heal, knowing his recovery might help the group secure a fresh record contract.

Jim's recuperation may also persuade Jez Chandra to  release the second album.

Not only that, it could also help them land a prestigious slot on the Main Stage at the world famous Glastonbury Festival.

© Entertainment Film Distributors 

So what can you say about 'Fisherman's Friends: One and All' that hasn't already been said about the first film?

Very little, it turns out, as 'Fisherman's Friends: One and All' simply replicates the previous formula.

It's a gentle comedy which is very content to sit in the slow lane at 30 miles per hour.

Moorcroft and Leonard, who wrote the screenplay with Piers Ashworth, aren't really all that interested in stretching themselves or their film.

© Entertainment Film Distributors

So it is just the same old same old with the same clunky dad jokes, the same hearty Cornish sea shanties and the same pleasant scenery.

Moorcroft and Leonard's movie is not the worst film of 2022 by a country mile.

Nor it is anywhere near the best.

'Fisherman's Friends: One and All' just doesn't have any ambition.

© Entertainment Film Distributors

Its humour is so quaint, it might as well be commissioned by the BBC as a replacement for 'Last of the Summer Wine'.

As for the cast, Purefoy, Johns, Sainsbury, Harrington, Steed, Anouka and McGuire are all okay, dutifully trotting out laboured gags that are so wheezy they really need an antibiotic.

The same is true for Imelda May who at least proves she can act and is a natural screen presence.

The Dubliner, though, could do with much better material to test her acting mettle.

© Entertainment Film Distributors

Lacking drama, real belly laughs or suspense, 'Fisherman's Friends: One and All' is pleasant Sunday afternoon viewing.

It's the type of film you can doze in front of after a heavy lunch, wake up and still feel you've missed very little.

It isn't earth shattering and it just doesn't make a compelling case for a third outing - with or without a numeral.

('Fisherman's Friends: One and All' was released in UK and Irish cinemas on August 19, 2022)

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