The Pebble and the Boy

Last updated
The Pebble and the Boy
Directed byChris Green
Written byChris Green
Produced by Michael Knowles
Jo Mifsud
Starring
CinematographyMax Williams
Production
company
NOW Films
Release date
  • 27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Pebble and the Boy is a 2021 British comedy drama film written and directed by Chris Green. The film centres on the mod subculture and stars Patrick McNamee, Sacha Parkinson, Patsy Kensit and Ricci Harnett. It was released on 27 August 2021.

Contents

Plot

The film starts with John, a teenager living in Manchester, learning that his father (who he barely knew) has died in a scooter accident. Deciding as a tribute he will take his father's ashes to Brighton, he embarks on a road trip from his home in Manchester, riding his father's prized Lambretta. [1] On the way, he stays with a friend of his Dad's, and meets his daughter Nicki (Sacha Parkinson), a feisty contrast to his rather understated character, who decides to accompany him on the trip, keen to get to a Paul Weller concert in Brighton.

After staying a night at a pub, and befriending some bikers (Stuart Wolfenden) and (Emma Stansfield ) Nicki decides to visit other mod friendd of John's Dad, Ronnie (Ricci Harnett) and Sonia (Patsy Kensit) & their son Logan. They stay at their house overnight, where, after telling John about his father, they start drinking and taking drugs. Late in the night, Ronnie inexplicably flips out in a jealous rage, talking about someone called Ali causing trouble with his wife. Ronnie tries to stop them from leaving, then gives them money for their trip. Logan joins them on his scooter.

They continue on their journey, encountering various incidents as they travel until they get to Brighton.

At Brighton they go to a shop where they see a picture of John's dad on the wall, a front page newsclipping. They decide to get a copy of it, but instead get another article that shows that John's Dad was in a violent incident and was put in jail. John is shocked at learning this about his father, and despondent about the fact that no one had told him.

John, Nicky and Logan spend more time in Brighton, meeting some more mods, eventually learning his father's full story. [2]

Cast

Production

The film was shot in 2021, and delayed for release substantially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Various Mod tracks from classic 80's bands are used on the soundtrack, including the Jam, Paul Weller, Secret Afair, The Chords , The Style Council and The Electric Stars . . The director, Chris Green, had spent 10 years getting the project off the ground, [3] and he had been a mod himself in the 1980s [4]

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews from critics. Rich Johnston, writing for Bleeding Cool , referred to it as "an infectious film ... a delightful trip down memory lane". [5] UK Film Review rated it four out of five stars, calling it "an emotional road trip movie loaded with classic jams and stylish fashion"; [6] while Blazing Minds—also giving it four out of five stars—believed it to be a "quintessential comedy-drama of Mod culture and music". [7] Maryam Philpot, writing for The Reviews Hub, rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars and said that, while the plot was "fairly unsurprising", the film was still "a journey worth taking". [8] The Guardian however was more critical in its appraisal, writing, "Not even a storming soundtrack of mod classics can save a humdrum scooter-to-Brighton caper". [9]

References

  1. "Our Ladies review: Raucous and very funny take on Alan Warner's Oban/Edinburgh novel The Sopranos". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  2. Johnston, Rich (2021-08-23). "The Pebble And The Boy, Review: They Didn't Die Before They Got Old". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  3. Griffiths, Dave (2021-08-26). "HEAVY Cinema" . Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  4. Higgins, John (2021-08-24). "Interview Special: Chris Green: 'The Pebble And The Boy'". Film and TV Now. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  5. Johnston, Rich (23 August 2021). "The Pebble and the Boy, Review: They Didn't Die Before They Got Old". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  6. Olson, Chris (2021-08-17). "The Pebble and the Boy Film Review". www.ukfilmreview.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  7. Woodham, Karen (2021-08-16). "Film Review: The Pebble and the Boy". Blazing Minds. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  8. "Film Review: The Pebble and the Boy". The Reviews Hub. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  9. "The Pebble and the Boy review – mod nostalgia scraped thin". The Guardian. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-26.