Mother’s Pride review: Like an inoffensive light ale, slips down more pleasantly than you might expect

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A star rating of 3 out of 5.

British comedies like Local Hero, The Full Monty, and Fisherman’s Friends are always popular, and Mother’s Pride fits right in. This heartwarming film, set in Somerset, is aimed at fans of traditional pubs and real ale. It tells the story of a struggling independent pub, The Drovers Arms, and its fight to survive against a large chain. Martin Clunes stars as Mick, the somewhat grumpy owner trying to save his beloved pub.

I totally get why Mick is the way he is. He’s still really hurting after losing his wife, and things are complicated with his son Jake, who’s raising a family on his own. To make matters worse, his other son, Cal, just showed up after disappearing to chase his music dreams. Cal had one small hit – you might remember ‘Guiding Light’ – but now he’s broke and basically asking for help. And honestly? Mick isn’t exactly thrilled to see him.

The pub is in serious trouble – they’re behind on bills and could be closed down. Cal decides to try and save it by brewing his own beer, inspired by his grandfather’s old recipes. He believes brewing is a family tradition. There’s a rocky start – his first batch is far too sweet and gives everyone a terrible headache – but he eventually creates a promising brew. Their plan is to enter the beer into a regional competition, and hopefully win, to get the pub some much-needed attention and save it from closure. If they win the regional competition, they’ll go on to the finals in London.

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I’ve seen a few films from director Nick Moorcroft now, and he really has a knack for heartwarming, small-town comedies. He and Meg Leonard previously brought us the delightful Fisherman’s Friends and its sequel, and this new one feels very much in the same spirit – predictable, maybe, but consistently charming. Honestly, the story tries to tackle a lot – dealing with loss, mental health struggles, and the challenges of being a single parent all get thrown into the mix. And while a little playful humor is fine, some of the innuendo felt a bit forced and frankly, didn’t quite land – those jokes about dogging just seemed out of place.

What I really liked about this movie is that it brought in some actors I already knew and loved. Mark Addy plays a great, down-to-earth pub regular, and Josie Lawrence is hilarious as a cheeky local. Then there’s Luke Treadaway as the competition’s main rival, Pritchard – he comes from a pub family and has actually won the brewing contest twice! And the story gets a little more complicated with Gabriella Wilde playing Abi, a teacher who was Cal’s girlfriend back home, but now she’s reluctantly getting involved with Pritchard. It adds a nice layer of drama, you know?

Hugh Clunes is charmingly self-deprecating, continuing his impressive comeback after his excellent performance in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Tom Davies gets a chance to reveal a more vulnerable side, a departure from his CGI-monkey role in the Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man. Joe Buckley demonstrates his growth as an actor, a clear step forward from his immature character, Jay, in The Inbetweeners. He still manages to deliver some witty lines, though – one describing something as “like something Keith Richards coughed up” after a night of homemade beer.

The show has some genuinely funny moments, like when Addy and Jake unexpectedly perform Morris dancing to funky 70s tunes such as ‘Daddy Cool’ and ‘DISCO’. The creator also subtly points out the alarming rate at which British pubs are closing, reminding us to protect cherished traditions from being lost to big business. Overall, it’s surprisingly enjoyable – like a smooth, easy-drinking beer.

Mother’s Pride is now showing in UK cinemas.

Authors

James Mottram

James Mottram is a London-based film critic, journalist, and author.

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2026-03-09 16:35