One Chance

A music film drawn from a true story. Paul lives in Wales and works in a mobile phone shop. He has listened to and sung opera since childhood but has no courage for the stage; he was beaten at school, mocked at work, and has no confidence left. He gets one chance to go to Italy and study. He steps out on stage there and freezes. He comes back and returns to the shop. Years later he enters a television competition. That is the film's peak; when he walks out nobody in the hall expects anything of him. At the centre is his wife Julz. The relationship starts through messages online and she is the one pushing him throughout. James Corden plays Paul, Alexandra Roach plays Julz and Julie Walters his mother. David Frankel directed. The film follows the real events closely; Paul Potts won a talent competition in 2007 and his album reached international sales. A heartening choice for anyone who likes music films based on true stories. For a viewer who wants restraint, the film keeps its emotional pitch high and softens some passages too far.