A One Mann’s Movies review of “Bank of Dave” (2023).
“Bank of Dave”, new on Netflix, is a story VERY loosely based around the achievements of Burnley mini-bus-hire owner amd businessman Dave Fishwick. In 2011, against all the odds, he set up the first new bank in the UK in 150 years, for the betterment of businesses and lives all around his home town.
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear) has been helping out his friends and associates in Burnley with informal loans. The first of these, to Maureen (Cathy Tyson), was for her husband’s funeral. But from there it has snowballed to support multiple local business ventures. Encouraged by his wife Nicola (Jo Hartley), Dave recruits the help of London lawyer Hugh (Joel Fry) to prepare an application to the Financial Conduct Authority to set up his own bank to ‘formalise things’. But the FCA, led by Sir Charles Denbigh (Hugh Bonneville) don’t think that a ‘northern oink’ like Fishwick should be able to do such a thing. And they try everything, fair and foul, to scupper his plans.
Certification:
UK: 12; US: NR (Not yet available). (From the BBFC: “Language”).
Talent:
Starring: Rory Kinnear, Joel Fry, Hugh Bonneville, Jo Hartley, Phoebe Dynevor, Angus Wright, Cathy Tyson.
Directed by: Chris Foggin.
Written by: Piers Ashworth.
Twitter Handles: #BankOfDave.
Like looking in the mirror. Rory Kinnear (L) as Dave Fishwick and (R) the man himself. (Sources: independant.co.uk / burnleyexpress.net).
“Bank of Dave” Review:
Positives:
- The film is imbued with a certain charm that makes you like it (even when it’s a bit ropy in places). The gentle northern humour and the karaoke maulings of classic songs in the “Duck and Drake” made me smile.
- And what an uplifting and heartwarming story this is based on! A real-life hero of the people, giving back to his own community and wanting nothing back in return. (I did a bit of googling, and I can’t see that Dave has been given any formal honours for his work: perhaps he was offered an award and rejected it? But if not, this seems to be a crime).
- The cast make for a nice ensemble and Kinnear makes for an endearing Dave. This also gives a chance for one of my favourite character actresses, Jo Hartley, to shine as Dave’s wife Nicola, and she’s great in this. Hugh Bonneville also has fun, getting another chance to play ‘nasty’ (after the ‘ramped-up-to-11-on-the-evilometer’ serial killer role in the recent “I Came By“). (Lou Hannon during my regular BBC Radio Solent film review slot couldn’t BELIEVE that dear Hugh could play a nasty character!)
- The will they/won’t they romance between Hugh and Alexandra (Phoebe Dynevor from “Bridgerton”) is quaintly, and delightfully, old-fashioned. Each time I saw Hugh wake up, I expected to see a semi-naked Alexandra snuggled in next to him. But no! Although in her apartment, he’s sleeping on the couch! (Perhaps he needed a prompt from a dodgy flatmate called Spike to “give her one”!) It’s all remarkably coy, which frankly made a refreshing change and nicely reflected Hugh’s rather shy and retiring manner.
- It was fun seeing Def Leppard in the film. (This was totally fictitious – no Def Leppard concert happened in reality – and only included because Dave Fishwick was a big fan!)
Negatives:
- My main issues were with the script, which had some clunky ‘head in the hands’ moments for me. Some of the dialogue grated on me, BIG-TIME. I thought that Hugh’s negativity and moroseness at the start of the film (on being sent “up t’North” was over-played. And the film leans rather too heavily into its left-wing agenda: that all bankers are complete and utter bastards and ‘power to the people’ is the only way forwards.
- With no disrespect to Joel Fry, was I the only one that looked at Hugh and Alexandra as a couple and said to themselves “Wow – he’s #punching”!?
Summary Thoughts on “Bank of Dave”
As I thought for “M3gan“, it’s really nice that amongst all the heavy and earnest ‘Awards-movies’ there is a little light-relief scattered about. This isn’t going to win any awards, is pretty formulaic and has some rough edges. But it is a nice ‘feel-good’ movie for these dark January nights, and noone’s going to argue with having one of those in the kit-bag at the moment.
Trailer for “Bank of Dave”:
Bizarrely, there doesn’t seem to BE a trailer for this film. I’ve emailed the production company and will update this if I get a response!
In the meantime, here is a link to a pretty poor and badly formatted clip that I found on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=684660853442758
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