melaniedudley
As others have said the title of this film sums it up perfectly. Neil or Nello is a little different, but manages through his own innocence, love of life and the fear switch turn firmly to off to have a more interesting life than most of us. The film does not gloss over his difficulties or the fact that he is not always treated kindly. It does however show that he expects things to work out and for others to be as nice as he is. Mostly his faith in human nature is justified. The relationship with his mother is so touching. She wants to protect and look after him but her advancing age makes her realise that the only way she can do this is to make him more independent. He struggles with everyday tasks much more than he does with the less than ordinary places which make up his daily life, Keele University, Stoke City FC and even the House of Commons. This film made me laugh and cry. I was a student at Keele in the 1980s, I knew Nello quite well. Seeing him appear as his older self in the film was great. This story is true, if anything it slightly underplays just how marvellous Nello is.
santiagocosme
I came across this movie and after reading a few reviews, I thought it was worth giving it a go. Well, I am glad I did because it has to be one of the best I have seen this year.The story of a man with learning disabilities who goes through life without a care in the world and gets pretty much all he wishes for by simply asking for it. People who come across him just fall in love with his personality, to the point that they feel blessed to have met him and have him in their lives.In a world as critical as ours, it's magical to see that a man like Nello can become such an icon. Not only is he a sports personality and a circus celebrity. He is now also a movie star!! This may well be his first and last movie, but it could not be a better way to start. Or finish.
tr91
Don't you just love it when you watch a film without knowing much about it and it absolutely goes above your expectations? That's what Marvellous did for me. It is an outstanding TV movie. Everything about this film is simply Marvellous! The film is an incredible true story which gives a great message to the viewers; it's a real heart warmer. Neil Baldwin is an incredible man who is portrayed so well by Toby Jones. The supporting cast were also very good and I liked how in parts of the film we also saw cameos from the real life people that the actors were portraying. A really unique way to shoot a film but it worked.As I watched this film I had a huge smile on my face the whole way through, it played with my emotions. Some of the one liners are incredibly funny and then some scenes are so happy that you want to laugh and cry.Some people may look at this and be put off by thinking that it's a film about football, please don't let this put you off. It is about so much more than that and overall is an incredible true story. "There's only one Neil Baldwin"9/10. – A film so good that it will probably end up in my top 10 for 2014 – Watch it!
Prismark10
Marvellous is actually based on a true person. Neil Baldwin lives with his mum, deeply religious and wants to run away to the circus to be a clown and make people happy.Neil is also a person with mild learning difficulties, his mother is worried how he could cope on his own but Neil never lets setbacks hold him back. He makes friends whether its bishops, Archbishops, politicians or football managers.After being abandoned by the circus, he becomes a greeter at Keele University, he becomes a kit-man to his beloved Stoke City and befriended by their manager Lou Macari. He even turned up regularly at the Oxbridge boat race standing behind the race referee.Neil was eventually awarded a honorary degree in 2013 at Keele University. Its a life affirming film with the real Neil Baldwin popping up with Toby Jones who portrays him alongside other real life individuals such as Lou Macari. Its almost a fantasy but you keep getting reminded that this is based on true facts as these real people pop up. When you see Neil having tea with Tony Benn in the House of Commons is because he really did know his son Stephen.Jones does a good job in getting under the skin of Neil, channelling his optimistic spirit and also the doldrums that he enters when his mother dies. Its moving as well as funny with tinges of sadness.The film is supposedly a period piece but you are never sure when in the past its based, I guess much of the events took place in the 1970s but Macari became manager for Stoke in the early 1990s and Neil has been an unofficial greeter for Keele University for around 50 years when he got there as a schoolboy.It surely is an individualistic, rather left field film, well it had to be made that way if they wanted to display Neil's indomitable spirit.
AD
