Beautiful Thing
1996 · Movie · R · 92 min · ★ 7.2 · 87% critics
On a sweltering summer in a Southeast London housing estate, three teenagers hover on the edge of adulthood while dealing with bullying, family strain, and a tough neighborhood. As two of them grow closer, their bond is tested by gossip, prejudice, and the need to find safety and acceptance at home and beyond.
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Details
- Years
- 1996
- Release date
- 1996-06-21
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Critic score
- 87/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.2/10 (350 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a tender, working-class coming-of-age romance with humor and heart, in the vein of Sex Education or Dating Amber; not for you if you want a purely light, conflict-free watch.
Pros: warm, hopeful tone; memorable supporting characters; relatable coming-of-age | Cons: some stereotypes; uneven romance tension; a bit melodramatic
Themes
- coming out
- london, england
- sexuality
- based on play or musical
- male homosexuality
- summer
- single mother
- teenage love
- teenage sexuality
- lgbt
- dancing in the street
- lgbt teen
- +6 more
Awards & recognition
- Young European Film of the Year · 1996 · nominated
Cast & crew
Glen Berry
as Jamie Gangel
Scott Neal
as Steven Pearce
Linda Henry
as Sandra Gangel
Tameka Empson
as Leah
Ben Daniels
as Tony
Meera Syal
as Miss Chauhan
Garry Cooper
as Ronnie Pearce
- JE
Jeillo Edwards
as Rose
- TD
Terry Duggan
as Kevin
Anna Karen
as Marlene
Directed by Hettie Macdonald