The Singing Club – Military Wives (2019)

Directed by: Peter Cattaneo | 110 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan, Emma Lowndes, Gaby French, Lara Rossi, Amy James-Kelly, India Ria Amarteifio, Greg Wise, Jason Flemyng, Laura Checkley, Laura Elphinstone, Roxy Faridany, Robbie Gee, Stephen Thompson, Robert Whitelock , Colin Mace

Every December in the UK there seems to be just one topic that everyone is on about: who is at the top of the holiday charts this year? The ‘Christmas Number One’ is so coveted that artists and record companies deliberately wait until the most favorable moment to release their song, in order to have the best chance of eventually finishing at the top of the charts in the week of December 25th. The bookmakers also benefit from it (Brits bet on everything anyway, so certainly also on the Christmas Number One). It all started in 1973, the year when glam rock bands Slade and Wizzard tried to outdo each other with those so-wrong-that-they-are-right Christmas classics “Merry X-Mas Everybody” and “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.” ‘. Since we only remember Slade’s hit almost fifty years later (because it’s played again around the holidays), we can guess who won that battle. In the twenty-first century, it is mainly the stars from talent shows such as X-Factor and Popstars: The Rivals that try to conquer a place in the list of Christmas Number Ones, but every now and then an unexpected contender creeps in and outruns the teen idols. stands out. They often have a philanthropic slant in one way or another. It’s still Christmas after all!

In 2011, the Christmas Number One was claimed by the Military Wives, who, led by choirmaster and TV personality Gareth Malone, conquered the hearts of the British with ‘Wherever You Are’. The self-written song contains phrases from letters that soldiers’ wives and partners had received while they were stationed in Afghanistan. Since 2010, choirs of wives and partners of military personnel have sprung up at 75 locations across the UK. Women who sing together to clear their minds and not have to constantly think about their loved ones who are fighting for peace far from home. Ordinary people who come together to cheer each other up, that appeals to filmmaker Peter Cattaneo. In 1997, he used a similar premise for his unexpectedly successful debut film ‘The Full Monty’ (1997). That hilarious comedy in which a group of unemployed metalworkers decides to strip to make a living turned out to be the frontrunner of an entire subgenre (which also includes ‘Calender Girls’ (2003) and ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ (2019)). Cattaneo continued to make films, but ‘Lucky Break’ (2001) and ‘The Rocker’ (2008) were nowhere near equaling the success of ‘The Full Monty’. That’s why he threw himself into TV work from 2010 and left the movies for what they were.

Until he was sent the script of ‘Military Wives’, written by Rachel Tunnard and Rosanne Flynn. Although this story also fits seamlessly into the pattern of ‘The Full Monty’, Cattaneo was immediately intrigued. “In films where the men go on a mission, the camera usually follows them. How interesting it is to turn your gaze to those who are left behind.” After a meeting with the women, he was done. ‘Military Wives’ (2019), published in the Netherlands under the title ‘The Singing Club’, focuses on a group of women living on the fictional army base of Flitcroft Garrison, somewhere in the north of England. The men leave for a peace mission to Afghanistan and the women stay behind and are dependent on each other. Kate (Kristin Scott Thomas) used to be the queen bee because her husband (Greg Wise) was the highest ranking, but that role is now taken by Lisa (Sharon Horgan). The two are quite different from each other and Kate struggles to fit into her new role. When newlywed Sarah (Amy James-Kelly) comes up with the idea of ​​starting a choir during weekly coffee morning, Kate and Lisa go about it in their own way. Despite their differences, the women grow closer, especially when Kate shares her grief over the loss of her son Jamie, who died on a previous mission.

Movies like this often follow a set formula and ‘The Singing Club’ is no exception. You can pretty much plan out beforehand that the fragile friendship between the two opposites will break down again towards the end, that one of the women in the choir will receive that one message that no one wants to hear and that the group of women will overcome setbacks along the way together. Cattaneo also knows exactly how to best play on the emotions of his viewers. It is therefore not so much the road to the obvious climax that makes this film worthwhile, but the road to it. ‘The Singing Club’ is carried by two top actresses, who both play a role as they have played it so many times before, but with their charisma, talent and charm still allow the film to rise above itself at times. Scott Thomas is, as so often, the posh snob who has a hard time taking a step back. But she also turns out to be a shoulder to cry on, because she knows what it means to lose a loved one in the violence of war. She also turns out to be surprisingly good with Lisa’s teenage daughter, who has to learn to deal with alcohol. Lisa herself is naturally relaxed and a bit chaotic, but discovers that sometimes she should be a little more tactful about things. The women around them are less well developed, but they are all engaging and sympathetic and provide a warm smile.

Despite its predictability and manipulative tendencies, ‘The Singing Club’ still manages to conquer the hearts of the viewer. This is in large part due to the convincing playing of the lead actresses Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan, the music and the uplifting tone. It’s not ‘The Full Monty’, but Peter Cattaneo shows that he still has it under control.