Morrissey biopic slammed by childhood friend as 'insulting'

Inaccurate... Morrissey's childhood friend slams biopic - Credit: Edinburgh Film Festival
Inaccurate… Morrissey’s childhood friend slams biopic – Credit: eOne

A close childhood friend of Morrissey has slated ‘England Is Mine’, the forthcoming biopic of the Manchester singer.

James Maker, who occasionally performed on occasion at early Smiths concerts, and later formed a music career of his own, called the film ‘disingenuous’ and ‘a historical fiction’ in a hilarious post on Facebook.

“According to the trailer of ‘England Is Mine’, Morrissey was an autistic, retiring creature with both curly hair and a natural crimp, who had to be physically pushed into becoming a singer by a well-meaning friend (one who did not actually communicate with Morrissey throughout The Smiths’ success),” he wrote.

“Worse, they have put him in a green duffle coat and given him not one line of the Morrissyean wit we have all come to know. It is not a biopic, but historical fiction. A strange move, considering that those formative years have been so abundantly well-documented.

“I knew him then, and I knew the house at 384 Kings Road. Morrissey’s mother should sue the filmmakers on their misrepresentation of her curtaining, alone. But the fact is, this is not Morrissey. The premise that if Morrissey could be a singer, then anybody could, is disingenuous, and rather insulting to his original talent as an artist.

“At the time, and previous to the formation of The Smiths, Morrissey had very few close friends. This is documented in Morrissey’s memoir, ‘Autobiography’, and my memoir, ‘AutoFellatio’.

“I do not appear in the film, and characters who did not exist in real life are invented​ by the film-makers.

“I am relieved not to be included, because if they can portray the protagonist as a person with crimped hair who relies upon guiding hands on shoulders, to thrust him through life’s revolving doors, then I am merely someone who, miraculously, managed to venture further than the ‘NO BALL GAMES’ sign posted adjacent to my bedroom window.”

Ouch.

It adds to the thus far muted reception the movie has received, following its premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Though many more notices are yet to come in, The Hollywood Reporter called it ‘unremarkable’ and ‘half-cocked’, while The List added that ‘Smiths fans may well despair… and not in a way they’d enjoy’, though Screen International added it is ‘a suitably abrasive study of one of British pop’s spikiest characters’.

Starring ‘Dunkirk’s Jack Lowden in the lead role, it’s due out on August 4.

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