Fisherman's Friends 2: One and All

Story

The Fisherman’s Friends are mourning the loss of their lead singer Jago (David Hayman), Jim’s (James Purefoy) father and husband of Maggie (Maggie Steed). Jim is having a particularly hard time coming to terms with his loss and starts drinking heavily. Maggie, meanwhile, is determined to get their second album released as a tribute to Jago. Island Records is reluctant to record it but Leah (Jade Anouka), the managing director, manages to persuade her boss to give it a go. The Fisherman’s Friends first need to find a replacement for Jago, which they do in Welshman, Morgan Jenkins (Richard Harrington). Jim doesn’t take kindly to Morgan, however, which causes a falling out.

Island Records decide to bump the album due to the instability of the band. Maggie again manages to do a deal with them. If the Fisherman’s Friends get a gig at Glastonbury, Island Records will reconsider recording the album. In the meantime, Maggie is out walking one day with her granddaughter, Tamsyn (Meadow Nobrega), when they fall into an unused mineshaft and Maggie is knocked unconscious. A search party is sent out and Jim eventually locates them. With the help of Morgan, Jim manages to pull Maggie and Tamsyn out of the shaft, cementing a friendship between the 2 men. They go on to get their gig at Glastonbury and are able to record their album.

Themes

Grief; death and loss; musical bands; alcoholism

Violence

Fisherman’s Friends: One and All has some violence. For example:

Rowan, a member of the band, is confronted by his wife Sally after she finds a text from a woman on his phone. She shouts at him and tells him not to come home.
Jim attacks Morgan and punches him on the nose. A bit of a fight breaks out.
Jim has a go at a media photographer and pushes him away.

Sexual references

Fisherman’s Friends: One and All has some sexual references. For example:

A media training expert advising the band on gender neutral pronouns states that, ‘you don’t know if she’s ever been married or had sexual intercourse’.
Jim refers to Morgan as a ‘sheep shagger’.
Rowan tells Sally about the woman in Grimsby, saying that he liked the attention and it made him feel wanted. He’d felt neglected after the baby arrived.
A female singer called Aubrey has a relationship with Jim. She tells him about how she found out her husband had been having an affair. Jim tells Aubrey that he found out his wife had been having an affair for a few years.
One of the band members tells Maggie, who is worried about losing Jim, that he’s a grown man and entitled to take a woman.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Fisherman’s Friends: One and All has some substance use. For example:

There’s quite a lot of drinking, including in pubs, at home, and at events.
Jim obviously has a drinking problem and is often seen drinking from a flask, which causes him to be aggressive.
A female singer called Aubrey had a meltdown on stage due to alcohol abuse. She is now a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for over 3 years.

Nudity and sexual activity

Fisherman’s Friends: One and All has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

Leadville drops his pants to pee, exposing his buttocks.
Jim and Aubrey kiss passionately. They are seen in bed together; Aubrey has a black negligee on.

Product placement

Fisherman’s Friends: One and All has some product placement. For example the following products are displayed or used in this movie: Island Records, Universal Studios, Independent Newspaper, and the Glastonbury Music Festival.

Coarse language

Fisherman’s Friends: One and All has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Fisherman’s Friends 2: One and All is a light drama about a musical group finding its way after losing its lead singer and father to one of the other singers. The cinematography of the Cornish coastline is breathtaking and the music is very uplifting. However, the movie deals with topics such as grief and infidelity, and contains quite a bit of coarse language For these reasons the movie is unsuitable for children under 12 years.

The main messages from Fisherman’s Friends: One and All are that it’s okay not to be okay, and that no-one should be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help.

Values in Fisherman’s Friends: One and All that you could reinforce with your children are forgiveness, acceptance of differences, redemption, kindness, and friendship.

Fisherman’s Friends: One and All could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of keeping your feelings inside and not expressing them. For example, Jim publicly owns up to his bad behaviour caused by the death of his father. The band forgives him and he’s able to move on. Jim says that boys aren’t supposed to cry but he has. It’s important for boys (and all of us) to learn how to express their feelings and not to bottle things up, which can lead to poor mental health.