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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent adaption of the book, 12 Mar 2005
By A Customer
Based on the 1980 novel by Julian Barnes of the same name, "Metroland" is an excellent adaption featuring the under-rated Christian Bale in the lead role.It's 1977 and Chis Lloyd (played by Bale) has a pretty wife (played by the simply gorgeous Emily Watson), a young child, a job in the City and a comfortable home in one of the "cosy" suburbs north-west of London served by the Metropolitan Line of the Underground. Chris's best friend Toni (Lee Ross) is a drifter, and still very much "one of the lads" at 30. He despises what Chris has become and, after turning up on Chris's doorstep after 5 years, does everything he can to try and convince Chris that the life he has chosen is a big mistake. This leads Chris to start questioning his "Metroland" existence of wife, mortgage, job, and commute into London everyday on the Met. Look out for the very funny scene where all the residents of the street are outside washing their cars at the same time, as if by some sort of unspoken agreement. The story is told in flashback mode for a lot of the time as Chris reflects on his young, free and single days in Paris 1968 and compares it to his settled (but more secure) life in the suburbs in 1977. This tells a story from a male perspective. Many men, especially who are married and settled down, in their early 30s will be able to relate to the story here. Chris contemplates sex with other women (and the consequences) and the memories of an amorous relationship with a sexy French girl are brought back to him by the discovery of some old photographs. But comes to realise that his life in Metroland is actually OK, and really he is happy with his lot. The acting is excellent and the story is told exceptionally well. There are some genuinely touching moments without it ever becoming overtly sentimental or syrupy. I would give the film 5 stars but it loses a point because some of the period detail in the movie isn't quite right. Most of the time the 1970s sequences are believable but the 'punk' band look and sound far too 1990s (the film was made in 1997).
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