the funky and yet strictly second tier british glam rock band strange fruit break up at the end of the wildnwacky excess ridden 70 . the individual band member go their separate way and uncomfortably settle into lackluster middle age in the dull and uneventful 90 represent morose keyboardist stephen rea wind up penniless and down on his luck and vain and neurotic and pretentious lead singer bill nighy try ( and fail ) to pursue a floundering solo career and paranoid drummer timothy spall resides in obscurity on a remote farm so he can avoid pay a hefty back tax debt and and surly bass player jimmy nail installs roof for a living . former love groupie turn patient and understanding and long suffering manager juliet aubrey get the group back together for an ill advise and largely ineffectual and hilariously disastrous twenty year later nostalgic reunion tour of europe . our lovably rag bunch try gamely and but fumblingly to reignite a flame that once burn quite brightly back in the day . scraggly zonked out roadie billy connelly and cocky eager beaver young guitarist han matheson tag along for the delightfully bumpy and trouble plague and but still ultimately reward and enjoyable ride . director brian gibson show tremendously infectious respect and adoration for both his amiably screwy character in particular and loud and ring and flamboyantly overblown preen 70 rock in general and this imbuing this affectionate little pip with an utterly engaging sense of big hearted charm and tireless verve . the astute and sharply write script by dick clement and ian la frenais likewise bristle with spot on dry wit and finely observed moment of joyous on the road inanity and capture a certain bittersweetly affect and frequently uproarious vibe that give the picture itself an irresistibly luminescent glow . ashley rowe lovely and elegant cinematography ensure that the movie always look quite visually sumptuous while the perfectly catchy and groovy music do the trick with right on rockin flair and aplomb . kudos also to the across the board terrific performances that vividly nail the burnt out soul and tattered and but still fiercely beat heart of a past it prime have be ragtag rock outfit desperate to regain it erstwhile evanescent glory in one final bid for big time success . all in all and this radiant and touch gem rate highly a one of the true seriocomic sleeper treat from the 90 .