Fisherman’s Friends, rated PG-13
***

This delightful 2019 film, available on Netflix, is based on the true story of a group of English fishermen who love to sing together. Scotty Smith mentioned the film in a recent sermon, and my wife and I decided to watch it later that evening – and we were glad that we did.
The film is set in Port Isaac, Cornwall (which is changed to Portwenn in the popular television series Doc Martin, which is filmed there). We visited Port Isaac in July 2019 on a family vacation and really enjoyed the scenery captured so well in this film by cinematographer Simon Tindall. The film was directed by Chris Foggin, and was written by Piers Ashworth, Meg Leonard and Nick Moorcroft.
The film begins with four music industry executives from London throwing a stag weekend for a colleague in Port Isaac. While there, the men see a group of ten men singing sea shanty songs, which they find humorous. As a gag, the boss Troy (Noel Clarke) tells Danny (Daniel Mays) a snobby music manager, to sign the men to a recording contract. Then, the others leave in their car for London laughing, leaving Port Isaac, and the unsuspecting Danny behind. Continue reading →