RAINING STONES, in its quietly observant, almost documentary-like style, is typical of director Ken Loach's understated approach to his left-leaning politics. It stars Bruce Jones as Bob, a man in an impoverished town in the north of England, struggling to survive on the dole while hustling for any odd jobs he can find, or otherwise pushing the envelope with edgy, foolhardy gigs, such as stealing sheep with his friend Tommy (Ricky Tomlinson) with the hope of reselling them--and when that plan fails, repackaging them as mutton for door-to-door sales. While he's looking the other way, his van is stolen, an event typical of Bob's chronic bad luck. When his wife, Anne (Julie Brown), reminds him of their daughter, Coleen's (Gemma Phoenix), forthcoming first communion, Bob insists that she will have a new dress, although the parish priest, Father Barry (Tom Hickey), advises him that a secondhand dress would be a wiser choice. Bob's quest to raise the money for the dress has surprising repercussions. A humane, extremely moving yet clear-eyed portrait of the rigors of working-class life, the film is devoid of sentimentality, as are its stoic characters. The soundtrack features music by the Police's Stewart Copeland.
Reviews:
"...[Loach's] films leap beyond politics, beyond genre, to a life in what might be called pure cinema..." -Vincent Canby, The New York Times
"brilliant...the cast is superb...gripping" -Hal Hinson, Washington Post
"The funniest of Ken Loach's films about working-class life in modern Britain" -Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"...Ken Loach has a taste for humanity and a gift for involvement....Both playful and sad, often at the same time, RAINING STONES also has moments of lacerating power..." -Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"Here's another of director Ken Loach's working-class beauties more jocular than expected before two surprising twists near the end." -Mike Clark, USA Today
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