"You don't often hear the phrases 'feel-good' and 'Financial Conduct Authority' in the same sentence," said John Nugent in Empire. "But 2023's 'Bank of Dave' was as feel-good as they come, telling the 'true-ish' story of David Fishwick (played by Rory Kinnear), a businessman and Burnley bloke who defied the odds and snooty financial regulators to open a charitable community bank for his fellow Lancastrians."
A "proper heart-warming Brit-com in the classical mould", it became a surprise hit on Netflix – and now, "Dave is back".
'Force of feel-goodery'
The action picks up two years on from where the last film left off, with Dave – "now a minor celebrity" – taking on predatory payday-loan firms on behalf of the good people of Burnley.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"As with the first film, Piers Ashworth's script hammers its well-meaning message home with the subtlety of a Lancashire hotpot to the face", but "by God, it remains a powerful force of feel-goodery, powered in large part by the almighty piston of Rory Kinnear's gregarious, charismatic performance".
'Script is dire'
I'm afraid I found this sequel "a bit thin and crap", said Robbie Collin in The Telegraph. It feels "about as tethered to reality as 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'"; and the script is dire. Dave's wife tells him: "You're an ordinary bloke standing up against corruption, standing up for ordinary people who don't have lawyers and who don't have a voice!"
The film sticks to the formula that made the original work, said James Mottram in Radio Times.
And while it does "stretch credulity", underlying it is "a very serious topic, smartly presented in a way that never feels too forced".
-
Bad Bunny, Lamar, K-pop make Grammy historySpeed Read The Puerto Rican artist will perform at the Super Bowl this weekend
-
Political cartoons for February 2Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include ICE getting schooled, AI in control, and more
-
Democrats win House race, flip Texas Senate seatSpeed Read Christian Menefee won the special election for an open House seat in the Houston area
-
The Beckhams: the feud dividing BritainIn the Spotlight ‘Civil war’ between the Beckhams and their estranged son ‘resonates’ with families across the country
-
6 homes with incredible balconiesFeature Featuring a graceful terrace above the trees in Utah and a posh wraparound in New York City
-
The Flower Bearers: a ‘visceral depiction of violence, loss and emotional destruction’The Week Recommends Rachel Eliza Griffiths’ ‘open wound of a memoir’ is also a powerful ‘love story’ and a ‘portrait of sisterhood’
-
Steal: ‘glossy’ Amazon Prime thriller starring Sophie TurnerThe Week Recommends The Game of Thrones alumna dazzles as a ‘disillusioned twentysomething’ whose life takes a dramatic turn during a financial heist
-
Anna Ancher: Painting Light – a ‘moving’ exhibitionThe Week Recommends Dulwich Picture Gallery show celebrates the Danish artist’s ‘virtuosic handling of the shifting Nordic light’
-
H is for Hawk: Claire Foy is ‘terrific’ in tender grief dramaThe Week Recommends Moving adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s bestselling memoir
-
Our Town: Michael Sheen stars in ‘beautiful’ Thornton Wilder classicThe Week Recommends Opening show at the Welsh National Theatre promises a ‘bright’ future
-
Music reviews: Zach Bryan, Dry Cleaning, and Madison BeerFeature “With Heaven on Top,” “Secret Love,” and “Locket”
