Best: His Mother's Son
Encyclopedia
Best: His Mother's Son is a 2009
drama
television film that chronicles the life of the late footballer George Best
's mother, Ann, and her battles against alcoholism
that would ultimately lead to her death at the age of 54. The film was originally broadcast on BBC Two
and BBC Northern Ireland
on 26 April 2009, receiving ratings of 2.74 million viewers.
Best: His Mother's Son was filmed at County Antrim
and Belfast
in Northern Ireland
, the country where George Best was born in 1946. It starred Tom Payne
as the title character, with Michelle Fairley
playing his mother Ann and Lorcan Cranitch
appearing as his father Dickie. Des McAleer was also featured as the Manchester United
manager during George's playing career, Matt Busby
.
before the age of 40. However she became so addicted that it killed her within 10 years. The film focuses upon how much this was influenced by her son's fame and also whether she had an effect on her son, who died in 2005 from organ failure.
There was also controversy over how accurately events are portrayed, despite the fact that real game footage and interviews are used within the film. Tom Payne was quoted in an interview saying "It's meant to be based on real events but there are some parts which are made for TV". He also said that he had done lots of reading to prepare for the role but "as far as the family are concerned, they were unconnected to the film".
, gave it 3 stars out of 5 said of Tom Payne's performance "Tom Payne as George surprised early on by emphasising his shyness and naivety but he did not grow sufficiently to convince us that he had the charisma and stature of a fifth Beatle
". Sky Television
wrote that it was a "much hyped drama, but one thing is for sure that the compelling story of the boy from Belfast who went on to become a world class footy player - will always be in the nation's hearts." The Daily Telegraph
s Damian Thompson wrote that it was a "gloomy drama" in terms of the material it was dealing with but "the recreation of late-Sixties Belfast was accurate and...intelligently subdued" and described Michelle Fairley's portrayal of Ann Best as "magnificent, pulling off the difficult trick of conveying the hidden drunkenness of the respectable woman alcoholic." Tom Sutcliffe
, writing in The Independent
, drew comparisons with Five Minutes of Heaven
, a recent drama that was also set in Northern Ireland. He said that the film "remained penned in by biographical fidelity" and "it somehow seemed smaller than the tale it was telling...it consciously offered the back-story to a larger and better-known melodrama...it never seemed entirely sure what to do with the material it had."
The Belfast Telegraph was extremely critical of the film, calling it "an intrusive film that failed to tell the full story".
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
television film that chronicles the life of the late footballer George Best
George Best
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
's mother, Ann, and her battles against alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
that would ultimately lead to her death at the age of 54. The film was originally broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
and BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
on 26 April 2009, receiving ratings of 2.74 million viewers.
Best: His Mother's Son was filmed at County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
and Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, the country where George Best was born in 1946. It starred Tom Payne
Tom Payne (actor)
Thomas "Tom" Payne is an English actor. He is best known for playing Brett Aspinall in television drama series Waterloo Road from January 2007 to March 2008....
as the title character, with Michelle Fairley
Michelle Fairley
Michelle Fairley is an Northern Irish actress of film, stage and television.-Life and career:Born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland to well known publicans Teresa and Brian Fairley, she grew up in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland she appeared in a range of British television shows including The Bill,...
playing his mother Ann and Lorcan Cranitch
Lorcan Cranitch
Lorcan Cranitch is an Irish actor.Born in Dublin, Cranitch became involved in drama while a student, and moved to London where he entered RADA in 1980. His first major role on British television was as Tim Healy in the 1991 BBC drama series, Parnell and the Englishwoman...
appearing as his father Dickie. Des McAleer was also featured as the Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
manager during George's playing career, Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
.
Background
The film looks at the later life of George Best's mother, Ann, who became an alcoholic despite having never touched alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
before the age of 40. However she became so addicted that it killed her within 10 years. The film focuses upon how much this was influenced by her son's fame and also whether she had an effect on her son, who died in 2005 from organ failure.
Cast and characters
- Tom PayneTom Payne (actor)Thomas "Tom" Payne is an English actor. He is best known for playing Brett Aspinall in television drama series Waterloo Road from January 2007 to March 2008....
as George BestGeorge BestGeorge Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders... - Michelle FairleyMichelle FairleyMichelle Fairley is an Northern Irish actress of film, stage and television.-Life and career:Born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland to well known publicans Teresa and Brian Fairley, she grew up in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland she appeared in a range of British television shows including The Bill,...
as Ann Best - Lorcan CranitchLorcan CranitchLorcan Cranitch is an Irish actor.Born in Dublin, Cranitch became involved in drama while a student, and moved to London where he entered RADA in 1980. His first major role on British television was as Tim Healy in the 1991 BBC drama series, Parnell and the Englishwoman...
as Dickie Best - Lisa HoggLisa Hogg-Career:Hogg voiced the character of Ellen in Folklore, a video game from PlayStation 3.She has appeared in various film and television productions including as Molly , in the film Across the Universe .-External links:...
as Carol Best - Laura DonnellyLaura Donnelly (actress)Laura Donnelly is an actress from Northern Ireland. She made her on-screen debut in 2005 in the Channel 4 drama Sugar Rush, where she featured as a love interest of the female protagonist in two episodes. She is also known for appearing in Casualty, Hex, and as a main character in the Irish film...
as Barbara Best - Des McAleer as Matt BusbyMatt BusbySir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
- Stephen HaganStephen HaganStephen Hagan is an Australian author, activist and campaigner against racism. He is also a newspaper editor, documentary maker, university lecturer and former diplomat....
as Steve Fullaway - Bronagh Taggart as Ruby Emerson
- Niamh McGradyNiamh McGradyNiamh McGrady is a Northern Irish actress who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She featured in Patrick Stewart's Macbeth, which had a critically acclaimed run in both London's West End and also on Broadway...
as Martha Devine
Controversy
The film has been met with controversy, with claims from the Best family that the writers and producers had not been given permission to make the film. George Best's sister gave an interview to the Belfast Telegraph in which she said "Everyone declined to participate in [the filming]. The family was asked but we weren't prepared to give the BBC any information on my mum's alcoholism." Julia told the newspaper that she was also a recovering alcoholic and would have found it very difficult to allow the film to be made. She went on to say "As a recovering alcoholic myself I am totally aware of the need for publicity for this subject, but I totally object to anyone using my family to do it — especially since the three main characters in this drama are dead and can’t defend themselves." Barbara McNarry, the sister of George Best, said that the film's portrayal of alcoholism showed a "simplistic and limited understanding of this complex disease".There was also controversy over how accurately events are portrayed, despite the fact that real game footage and interviews are used within the film. Tom Payne was quoted in an interview saying "It's meant to be based on real events but there are some parts which are made for TV". He also said that he had done lots of reading to prepare for the role but "as far as the family are concerned, they were unconnected to the film".
Critical reception
The film received a mixed response from television critics. Andrew Billen, writing in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, gave it 3 stars out of 5 said of Tom Payne's performance "Tom Payne as George surprised early on by emphasising his shyness and naivety but he did not grow sufficiently to convince us that he had the charisma and stature of a fifth Beatle
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
". Sky Television
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
wrote that it was a "much hyped drama, but one thing is for sure that the compelling story of the boy from Belfast who went on to become a world class footy player - will always be in the nation's hearts." The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
s Damian Thompson wrote that it was a "gloomy drama" in terms of the material it was dealing with but "the recreation of late-Sixties Belfast was accurate and...intelligently subdued" and described Michelle Fairley's portrayal of Ann Best as "magnificent, pulling off the difficult trick of conveying the hidden drunkenness of the respectable woman alcoholic." Tom Sutcliffe
Tom Sutcliffe (broadcaster)
Thomas Sutcliffe is a British journalist and arts broadcaster.Sutcliffe studied English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge...
, writing in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, drew comparisons with Five Minutes of Heaven
Five Minutes of Heaven
Five Minutes of Heaven is a British/Irish film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a script by Guy Hibbert. The film was premiered on January 19, 2009 at the 25th Sundance Film Festival...
, a recent drama that was also set in Northern Ireland. He said that the film "remained penned in by biographical fidelity" and "it somehow seemed smaller than the tale it was telling...it consciously offered the back-story to a larger and better-known melodrama...it never seemed entirely sure what to do with the material it had."
The Belfast Telegraph was extremely critical of the film, calling it "an intrusive film that failed to tell the full story".