Film review: Bank of Dave

Rory Kinnear as Dave Fishwick in Bank of Dave. Photo / Netflix

Bank of Dave (PG, 107 mins)

In cinemas now

Directed by Chris Foggin

From the team that brought us the first Fisherman’s Friends (2019) comes another heart-warming comedy. This time, director Chris Foggins and screenwriter Piers Ashworth show the triumph of Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear), a self-made businessman with a generous heart, over the powerful world of banking.

Hard-working, honest Dave from Burnley, Lancashire, is a sharp contrast with London lawyer Hugh Stockwell (Joel Fry), sent from his flash office to represent Dave in his application to set up a small local bank. London regulators, including ultra-pompous Sir Charles Denbigh (Hugh Bonneville), impose tricky rules. Burnley has been impoverished for decades and Dave’s been helping to change that by giving people financial support for their businesses.

As soon as Hugh arrives, popular Dave takes him to the pub where he coaxes him to join in with karaoke, one of Dave’s favourite pastimes. Soon, Hugh’s surprising himself by relaxing among the good people of Burnley. He becomes their hero when he does a star turn as Dave’s barrister in a court case, based on a setup by self-interested Londoners who want Dave’s application to fail. Hugh’s court victory and his friendship with NHS A&E doctor Alexandra (Phoebe Dynevor) help him find his feet in the north. In London, everyone’s out for themselves. In Burnley, people help one another.

In playing the role of Dave, Rory Kinnear brings the acting skill he’s shown in his many stage roles to the fore. His performance as Dave is terrific: energetic, determined, public spirited and thoroughly likeable.

Dave builds up from gruff-voiced karaoke to exuberant singing with none less than Def Leppard in a massive stadium full of people who have bought tickets to help him raise the capital required by the regulators.

Both Phoebe Dynevor and Hugh Bonneville have reinvented themselves for their roles in Bank of Dave, shrugging off Bridgerton and Downton Abbey. Alexandra’s NHS and Sir Charles’ City of London become believable in their capable hands.

It’s true that big banks have a lot to answer for, particularly after the global financial crisis; it’s true there’s a great divide between London and Burnley in culture and the way English is spoken; and it’s true there’s a big-hearted man called Dave Fishwick in Burnley who is still, in June 2023, in the process of opening a small bank called Burnley Savings And Loans, subtitled Bank of Dave, that distributes its profits to charity.

But almost everything else in Bank of Dave is “true-ish”, but that’s not to say it’s far-fetched. There are plenty of real, topical issues to think about. It’s a David-and-Goliath story, in which snooty Oxford-educated bankers get their comeuppance. Dave’s message about their exclusivity and greed is clear, but Bank of Dave isn’t just another movie with a message. It’s thoroughly good entertainment, ideal fare to lift any pre-winter blues.

Highly recommended

The first person to bring an image or hardcopy of this review to Starlight cinema Taupo qualifies for a free ticket to Bank of Dave.

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