CommentsXp Best movie ever!

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Dave This drama is about the kidnapping and false imprisonment of Shannon Matthews in West Yorkshire in 2008. This bizarrely has Shannon's mother Karen's friend as the protagonist. It centres on the search to find Shannon, rather than on the crime. There's nowhere near enough about Karen (who isn't shown saying or doing much), or her partner's uncle (who kidnapped and held Shannon). There's no depiction of the kidnapping or the planning of it - and Shannon isn't shown at all. That means that the viewer doesn't know much about what happened, or how heavily involved Karen was.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning A dramatisation of the real life tale of Shannon Matthews, a nine year old girl from the Dewsbury area of Yorkshire, who went missing for a short while in early 2008, and sparked a nationwide appeal for her safe return (but received substantially less coverage than Madeleine McCann, from a more affluent background...but who's never been found.) Julie Bushby (Sheridan Smith), a close friend of Shannon's wayward mother Karen (Gemma Whelan), spearheaded the local community into action, and all the local residents turned out to look for Shannon in a unified show of solidarity, while Karen's behaviour was just disinterested and odd. Eventually, in what appeared to be a rare happy ending for this type of case, Shannon was found...but the truth, in it's own way, was as earth shattering as if she hadn't, when it was discovered Shannon had been abducted by her own mother and her friend Michael Donavan (Sam Chapman), while her current partner Craig Meehan (Tom Hansen) was arrested for possessing child pornography.There are many who subscribe to the mediums of film and television, strictly as a means of escapism, to retreat into a world of fantasy, with limitless possibilities and an almost certainly predetermined happy ending. There is not much interest, from these people, in seeing re-enactments of tales constrained by the boundaries of real life, even happy tales, played out with all the grubby, unavoidable trappings of reality. A tale set somewhere like Dewsbury Moor, a place that perfectly encapsulates the gritty, unglamorous surroundings/way of life that are probably the norm for a no doubt many unidentified number among us. In bringing this dramatisation to the screen. director Paul Whittington has shoved this bleak landscape straight in our face and left us to witness the car crash that proceeded.In what appears to be the most meagre common ground with a fantasy film as opposed to the hard, brutal depiction of reality that it is, the lead character is the good guy, or certainly the person with the most noble intentions, even at the expense of not really being the main antagonist of the story. In this role, as the bright, bubbly spark of flickering decency in a sea of relentlessly, depressingly immoral, grubby people, Sheridan Smith truly exemplifies what a terrific actress she is, demonstrating her ability to transform and really immerse herself into any role she's doing, and really bringing the character of Julie Bushby to life like no other. The supporting performers are also strikingly accurate, but it is truly her who steals the show.The dichotomy of Matthews is simply as a figure who took dysfunctional to a whole new level, who skipped her appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show and gained public notoriety in a different, far more shocking way. The Daily Mail/Tory Party would probably have you believe she's symptomatic of hundreds of others across the country, and while that's most likely very debatable, this is still a well made and hauntingly accurate portrayal, spread out over two series, of a case that'll probably never be forgotten. *****

jc-osms This BBC dramatisation of the kidnap of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews by her own mother and young step-father's uncle in 2008 made for uncomfortably tough viewing. Controversially alluding to the nearly contemporary disappearance of young Madeleine McCann, it seems that the two accomplices sought to benefit financially from the reward money after the little girl's disappearance had been extensively publicised thanks in no small measure to the local community campaigning tirelessly to find her. It's a crime that seems completely inexplicable and we the viewer get to share the initial incredulity and later sense of betrayal at Matthews for taking them in for so long a period.The drama almost completely ignores the uncle who actually hid the young girl for days and instead concentrates on the mother, a hapless, feckless individual with numerous children to different men, who looks a fright throughout with her comb-over hair and slovenly appearance. How she interacts with her two best friends and neighbours, played by Sheridan Smith and Sian Brooke, the one tirelessly supportive the other increasingly sceptical, underpins the dramatic tension of the piece.The depiction of this poor working-class community and their surroundings is convincingly done and the acting by the three leads is very good. Gemma Whelan as Karen Matthews is particularly compelling as a woman desperate for love and attention but who takes her need way too far in shamefully exposing her own daughter to harm. Smith looks almost unrecognisable in her dressed-down, fattened-up role as the community's main cheer-leader and Brooke is also very good as the doubting Thomasina of the town who suspects Matthews almost from the first.Throughout we were given no scenes at all showing the daughter's imprisonment, indeed she is barely seen at all in the whole two hours running time. I accepted this as we all knew how the story played out anyway although I did think the uncle, who got the same eight year jail sentence as Matthews, should have been given more prominence for his connivance in the scheme. I did think at times there was too much focus on Smith's character. Even though I get that we were meant to see the whole thing through her eyes and thus feel with her the disappointment of her disillusionment and revulsion at the crime committed by her so-called friend, perhaps more could have been done to highlight the effect of all this on the innocent eight year old girl herself.Was the BBC right on taste grounds to make this film when it's still fresh in the viewers' memories and with the young girl at the centre of it still presumably trying to get on with her life? That's perhaps debatable, but it certainly made for gritty, compelling above-average TV drama.

James Graham Found this disappointing. It told the story from mostly From Karen Matthews friend, Julie's viewpoint. It didn't tell us anything new from what was reported at the time. It didn't show much of the police investigation. The ending felt like an afterthought. Trying to make excuses for what she did and suggesting it was everyone else fault than her own. I did agree that in all honesty she wasn't evil just misguided and was overwhelmed by what happened. While she wanted and enjoyed the attention, once the estate was involved it was hard to find a way out.However it did not ever really show her in a bad light or confirm she was involved. It also didn't show how the estate felt about being lied too when they were so passionate about finding the girl.It was acted well but it didn't tell us anything you can't read about on the internet. It also seemed to be saying that if you are poor then you can't be held responsible for your actions. The estate was also shown as all wonderful people. I have worked for Kirklees Council in Dewsbury on a number of occasions. While there are some lovely people there, some people are really awful. A shame this was so much of a lecture and waste of a decent cast.