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10/18/08
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Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2003)
51
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:72
Fresh:37
Rotten:35
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Though the concept is interesting and quirky, the drama fails to deliver.
Theatrical Release:Aug 29, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: A British family drama with a Western flare, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDLANDS starts out as a chaotic comedy of familial dysfunction and then changes into an emotional tale of love and loss. At the... [More]
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Rhys Ifans, Shirley Henderson, Ricky Tomlinson
Director: Shane Meadows
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Reviews for Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
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12/30/06
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/26/06
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07/21/05
Top CriticThe title and the music suggest a Sergio Leone spaghetti western, but the setting and characters would be more at home in a Mike Leigh film.
04/14/05
...a wry and likable movie that contents itself with the petty concerns, complications and conflicts that compose modern life.
01/29/05
Clever and generally successful attempt to present a British domestic drama with comedic overtones, all in the style of a Sergio Leone western.
12/08/04
The top-notch cast makes this movie work. Carlyle is born to play the hard-to-resist rogue, and Henderson conveys a sexy vulnerability …
04/01/04
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands gets off some rapid-fire comic shots. . . . a daffy, charm-your-pants-off kitchen-sink comedy.
01/16/04
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12/15/03
In the end, Meadows' film lacks the bite it needs to make us care about this oddball trio, endearing though they are.
11/16/03
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11/07/03
Top CriticPut in Shirley's shoes, most women would be hunting around for a Door Number 3, and that's where Midlands ultimately fails to connect.
10/31/03
The cast fleshes out Meadows' thin storyline with some comically rich character work.
10/24/03
It's safe to say that Leone has never in his career made anything as goofy -- or as sweet -- as this comedy.
10/17/03
Only Ifans, with his hangdog expressions and dithering double-talk, generates any laughs or sympathy.
10/17/03
The family dynamics are intriguing, and the performances mildly diverting.
10/10/03
It's never as funny as we'd like, and the characters seem too cartoony to hook us.
10/10/03
What Leone did for cowboys and crime, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands does for a more contemporary genre.
10/10/03
Top CriticSome strong performances make it go by fairly painlessly, but inconsistencies involving plot and character keep it from ever being more than marginally involving.
10/09/03
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