16 Years of Alcohol

This is a strange morose film. At times it felt like a full length student movie with little in the way of plot development but some interesting themes. It had some interesting points to make on alcoholism but was more... Full review

The title of this film is a very simplistic black and white understatement to a richly colored piece of art. The subject matter, alcoholism, and the toll it takes on society, it's children and young adults is approached and played... Full review

There is a key aspect of film that Jobson seems to have forgotten - it has the ability to tell a story by showing it to you. You don't need to tell the audience what to think, because they'll see... Full review

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs As a young boy,Frankie (Kevin McKidd) idolises his father,until he discovers him to be a philandering p*sshead.Years later,he's formed a violence gang with three of his mates,terrorizing... Full review

"Sixteen Years of Alcohol" is the Edinburgh story of a guy with a philandering dad who starts to drink at twelve or so, turns into a violent, alcoholic punker, and finally seeks self-reform. Early scenes depict Frankie, the young boy... Full review

Co-founder of The Skids-turned-film critic Richard Jobson puts his ambition where his mouth is in a striking directorial debut.Superficial comparisons to Trainspotting are inevitable (set in Edinburgh, starring Kevin McKidd and featuring Ewen Bremner in a tale of struggle against... Full review

Films about alcohol are usually depressing. They rob all the enthusiasm for life one might have in just a few hours and leave you staring into the void at the end, wondering what the point was. It's difficult to catalog... Full review

This is on one level a very gritty story of alcohol abuse and violence; on another it is an aesthetically realised elegy to hope and hopelessness. The beautiful images of historic Edinburgh are used unpretentiously as a backdrop to mindlessly... Full review

From Kevin McKidd's stunning performance to the exquisitely shot Edinburgh exteriors, this is one of the most beautiful and evocative films I've ever seen. Anyone who grew up in Britain during the 1970s will recognise much of what's up on-screen.... Full review

I was not expecting much from '16 Years of Alcohol'. Perhaps an overly sentimental look back at Scottish urban life, perhaps a neo-realist bleakness. But when it started with hypnotically beautiful images of Edinburgh and a voice-over in that recognisable... Full review

And it's here that 16 Years of Alcohol begins to lose its way. I want the girl, I hate the girl, I hate the violence, I need the violence, I hate this acting crap, I'm sorry I said bad things about acting... ... Full Review

Jobson's first film as writer-director not only fuses his own talents, but also the best of Scottish cinema's recent output.....Plot As a kid in Edinburgh, Frankie (McKidd) is disappointed with his dad when the old boy is caught having an affair..... ... Full Review

With a moving voiceover by McKidd, '16 Years of Alcohol' is tender and horrifying in its depiction of male rage and insecurity.....It's a fantastic performance from McKidd....powers the film through some weak scenes in the final third....Of them all, Kevin McKidd, who played the film's only genuinely decent character Tommy.... ... Full Review

McKidd's performance here is superb....the soundtrack is one of the best things about the film.....A particularly memorable scene involving Frankie threatening to dangle an art-lover by his bum-fat..... ... Full Review

Title notwithstanding, the protagonist of 16 Years of Alcohol knows his poison: "My name is Frankie," he announces at an AA meeting, "and I am a violent man." ... Full Article

In the very first scene of Jobson's directorial debut, Frankie Mac (McKidd) is chased by his former mates, cornered in an alleyway, and kicked unconscious. ... Full Article

Richard Jobson took a rather unusual artistic route before he became a filmmaker. As a teenager, he was the frontman for the Scottish punk band The Skids, with whom he released several albums and also landed a couple of top-10... ... Full Article

Richard Jobson was a right bastard once. A former frontman for the punk band The Skids, he went through a time of extreme violence, over-indulgence in alcohol and other niceties, and a general loathing for the world. ... Full Article