Pride certainly follows in the tradition of great British comedy-dramas such as The Full Monty, Brassed Off and even Billy Elliot, but it takes a typical mix of culture clash, political background and bittersweet human situations into unusually heartfelt and entertaining territory. Taking the true story of gay activists supporting the striking miners in the mid-80s and then putting each group into each other's territories provides the expected (at times predictable)dramatic and comedic elements, but the writing and performances here elevate the material considerably. After a somewhat strident and tub-thumping tone in the opening scenes, once the human story threads take over - and Pride is remarkably rich in this respect - the film settles into something both heartwarming and consistently engaging. At times, some of the harsher issues are inevitably glossed over in the need for creating an entertainment package, but both the older cast - notably Imelda Staunton (barnstorming) Bill Nighy (immensely dignified), Paddy Considine (sincere) - and the younger cast - Joe Gilgun (genuine), George MacKay (immensely sympathetic) - give the film huge warmth and credibility.
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