Billy Liar

The genius of this kitchen sink drama, and the reason it is the finest film from the British new wave, is that it dares to deliver a bleak social realist message through bonkers flights of fancy.

I still can’t bring myself to join in the chorus of praise. It is however a lovely performance from Courtenay, an enduringly amazing actor who is still doing outstanding work right now.

Finally, of course, the film is Tom Courtenay's. In this, his finest part so far, no praise could be too much and yet all seems impossible.

...a relentlessly erratic endeavor that remains, for much of its running time, unable to wholeheartedly capture the viewer’s interest and attention...