This is a great black comedy. A bunch of losers down at the job centre have no hopes of getting a job. As the film progresses, it picks up momentum as the big date approaches. Some great scenes of 80's Britain, the job centre, the clubs, the houses with paper-thin walls and low ceilings. You know what the finale is going to be, but it doesn't detract at all from the enjoyment of the film. It doesn't get political, as some other commenters have complained, but why should it? This is about the consequences of 80's Britain, not the causes. The characters are 100% believable, in their appearances and their behaviour. The fat one is the sort you see on a Saturday night in just about every city centre pub in England (and at the football matches too!). A pity some viewers from across the pond couldn't pick up the accents, that's not altogether surprising but consider that this film was probably not originally intended for worldwide distribution and if you had taken the accents away you'd have taken away also a lot of its charm.
PS: Sheffield, where the film was based, is actually quite a nice town in many areas.
PS: Sheffield, where the film was based, is actually quite a nice town in many areas.