Whisky in the Jar

Glenrothan has been sold as "a love letter to Scotland" and given that it features two of Scotland's most accomplished actors, whisky, folk music and stunning landscape shots, it's hard to argue. Is it anything more than that? Not really, but maybe that's OK.

Alan Cumming and Brian Cox (who also directs) are Donal and Sandy Nairn, estranged brothers and heirs to a beloved whisky distillery. Growing up, big brother Sandy was desperate to leave their idyllic village and its distillery behind, while Donal wanted to be nowhere else. Family issues resulted in them both leading the life that the other used to dream of, as Donal left for America and Sandy took over the family business when their father's health began to fail. When his blues bar burns down, Donal makes his first trip back to Scotland in forty years, accompanying his daughter and granddaughter to visit his ailing brother.

A quick look at the trailer tells you everything you need to know about Glenrothan. It's a syrupy and predictable story of two grouchy old men learning to bury the hatchet and open up to each other. There is some light observation on the connecting power of music, the nature of home and legacy, but really it's just a sentimentality hose that knows its audience.

This is Cox's first stint in the director's chair and his philosophy is very much, "point the camera at the actors and let them do their thing". There are some sumptuous panning shots of the countryside but in dialogue scenes it is all by the numbers, resulting in a very stagey feeling production. This might be for the best as it helps Cumming and Cox sell some of the predictably cheesy dialogue, although some of the other cast members don't fare as well.

To give an idea of exactly what the actors are tasked with getting over, there is a scene in a barn where Donal talks about how he "used to fix things in here...but now I'm better at breaking them". It's real Hallmark stuff and pretty much every line is in this neighbourhood. The whole script is so committed to being overly earnest that it's hard to call it a fault.

The only slightly surprising thing is how close to unlikeable it lets the two leads get at points. Donal walked out on his brother, hasn't given a jot for four decades and may now only be returning partly for financial reasons, yet spends the first half of the film rebuffing his brother's attempts to welcome him home and mostly ignoring the family he brought with him as he pouts around the village feeling sorry for himself. Sandy meanwhile, acts the martyr for having the family distillery foisted on him when being handed a successful business and large country house in one of the world's most beautiful places doesn't exactly seem like the destiny from hell. Fortunately, the performances are strong enough that you never feel too harshly about either and are always fully onboard for the inevitable cosy conclusion.

Glenrothan doesn't just venture into twee territory, it buys a house and sends the kids to school there, but if you are in the right mood that can be just what the doctor ordered and it's perfect rainy Sunday afternoon fodder. Does it need to be seen in a cinema? Probably not, but seeing sweeping shots of the Scottish countryside on a big screen is quite nice.

6 venison stews out of 10.

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