Though danger lurks around every corner, it’s a testament to Meadows’s upbeat worldview that the film never once lurches into grim miserablism.

| Dec 15, 2022

An amusing tale of new friendships and lust set in and around St Pancras International. This is Meadows' most feel-good outing and a pleasant return to irreverent comedy.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 4, 2018

| Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 24, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 17, 2011

Shares a gentle, observant tone with the early films of Ken Loach.

| May 6, 2010

A verite touch of observation, Somers Town is kind and airy, a perfect cinematic meal for someone in need of small pleasures, explored through Meadows's undeniable taste in locations and near-masterful work with actors.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 14, 2010

...Meadows' method of working with improvised scenes shot in long takes gives it a sense of emotional truth which is lacking in many more ambitious films.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Oct 9, 2009

Nothing much happens, but its workaday plot lines are universally relatable -- the key to keeping this slight film engaging.

Full Review | Sep 25, 2009

Turgoose continues to convince as a kid whose personality wavers daily if not hourly, while Jagiello playfully suggests that Marek is becoming the perfect straight man.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 17, 2009

Somers Town is gentle, funny, blue-collar humanism, much like the early films of Ken Loach.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 3, 2009

Meadows gives his film so much forward thrust it feels like a road movie as it follows the ramblings of his two young leads.

| Original Score: B | Aug 30, 2009

Somers Town is a small-scale jewel that will surprise you with its buoyant look at blighted lives.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 28, 2009

Shot in the same beautifully desolate black-and-white as Meadows' boxing film TwentyFourSeven, Somers Town takes on the feel of dreamlike instant nostalgia.

| Aug 14, 2009

As in all of Meadows's films, Somers Town emphasizes the importance of character and particularly of camaraderie amongst male characters--here, teenagers who nick clothes from the local laundry, get drunk in the park, and furtively investigate masculinity

| Aug 8, 2009

Somers Town is a funny and endearing character comedy whose extra-brief, 70-minute running time proves perfectly adequate for its slender, episodic story.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 7, 2009

Sweet...at times reminiscent of "Y Tu Mama Tambien."

| Original Score: B+ | Aug 6, 2009

However thin, the story of these rootless youths, estranged from mothers and native cities, has a certain universality and appeal.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 30, 2009

What Somers Town lacks in story arc, it makes up for in charm, as Meadows and company create an endearing and thoroughly enjoyable portrait of a young British bromance.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 21, 2009

A small but important film about small but important lives, the latest drama from Shane Meadows further confirms that more people should know about this gifted director.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 17, 2009

It may seem slight but Meadows is a master of the art of revealing human foibles and weaknesses, which means the film lingers long after its extremely modest running time. A wee gem.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 17, 2009