I am tempted to begin by saying that I watched the movie “Fisherman’s Friends,” so that you don’t have to. Perhaps a better introduction would be to paraphrase Abe Lincon. “If this is the sort of movie you, you may like this movie.”  To be fair, I am not a fan of rom-coms and why making a romantic comedy about a real-life group of shanty-singers in Cornwall was a good idea is still a mystery to me. 

If you are not familiar with the actual story of the Fisherman’s Friends, they are a group of shanty singers, including some actual fishermen, from Port Isaac, Cornwall. They are described as the original “buoy band.”

They have been performing together locally since 1995 and signed a record deal with Universal Music in March 2010. Their albums have done well. Their first CD with Universal went gold, the only folk music album to land in the UK Top 10 charts, becoming the biggest selling traditional folk album of all time. So, when the title of the movie says, “Based on a true story,” there is at least a little truth to it. 

In a nutshell, the movie’s plot is that a group of sleazy music industry types find their way to Port Isaacs, Cornwall, and by chance hear a local group singing shanties. As a joke, the boss sends one of his number to sign the group, describing the music as “the rock ‘n’ roll of 1752.” What follows is a fairly tame culture clash between the fishermen and the music industry lout. Soon, the lout is falling in love with the daughter of one of the fishermen, while learning important life lessons about priorities and values. Surprise, surprise, after seeing the error of his ways, the lout turns out to be a pretty nice guy after all. And after various twists, turns, and pointless subplots, the group gets their record deal and their album is a hit. 

Basically, the screenplay is weak and cliched. That would be OK if only the music made up for it. The singing sounds great. The director mixed the voices of the actual Fisherman’s Friends with the voices of the actors, so the harmonies are wonderful. There just aren’t that many shanties in the movie and those featured range from fine old classics to the tired and hackneyed. “What Do you Do with Drunken Sailor?” (which shows up twice) and “Blow the Man Down” both make an appearance. Some classics are included. “South Australia”, “New York Girls” and “John Kanaka” are featured, as is the modern shanty by Andrew Cadie, “Keep Hauling.” Unfortunately, so is lots of British pop music used in the soundtrack as background filler. The producer or director seems to lack confidence in their source material. 

I may be being too harsh. I love songs of the sea but not fond of rom-coms. Your mileage may vary. The movie was notionally a “hit” in Great Britain, notwithstanding only bringing in somewhere over 10 million pounds at the box office. There is even talk of a sequel set in Australia. 

The movie “Fisherman’s Friends” is streaming on Netflix and is available for rent on Amazon, Hulu, and other online services.

Here is some recent music from the group.