Image: Liam Daniel / The Weinstein Company
James Corden in 'One Chance'
We all have our favorite lines from The Princess Bride: “Inconceivable!” “As you wish.” And, of course, “Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!”
Much less frequently quoted is an exchange at the beginning of the movie, when Peter Falk’s character comes in to read to his sick grandson. The boy, who had been playing a video game, rolls his eyes at the very idea: “A book?”
“That’s right,” says Grandpa. “When I was your age, television was called books. This is a special book.”
Image: Liam Daniel / The Weinstein Co.
James Corden in 'One Chance'
“Has it got any sports in it?”
“Are you kidding? Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad. I’ll try and stay awake.”
The kid settles back to listen, and Grandpa begins to read aloud:
“Buttercup was raised on a small farm in the country of Florin. Her favorite pastimes were riding her horse and tormenting the farm boy who worked there. His name was Westley, but she never called him that . . .
“Isn’t that a wonderful beginning?”
Yes it is. And so is the fairy tale that ensues.
I could say the same thing about One Chance, now playing in limited theaters and, until November 8, for free on Yahoo Screen (which is where I watched it).
It’s a fairy tale of sorts . . . only it’s a true one. One Chance is the story of Paul Potts, the shy mobile phone salesman from South Wales who in 2007 stunned the world by winning Britain’s Got Talent with his exquisite operatic voice.
Like The Princess Bride, the beginning of this charming movie features a narrative voiceover—from the protagonist—that sets the scene for the magic that follows.
The film opens with Potts beaming while singing in a boys choir at the age of 9, and then being chased down the street by a gang of young thugs who regularly beat him up.
“The more they bullied me, the more I sang,” says Potts, played by James Corden (Begin Again). “The more I sang, the more they bullied me. Singing. Bullying. Bullying and singing. It was a scene in the endless drama full of music and violence and romance and comedy, kind of like an opera. The opera of my life.”
When it’s all said and done, One Chance is a fairly typical rags-to-riches tale, and fairly cheerful from beginning to end. It’s the feel-good movie of the fall so far, and one of the more delightful films I’ve seen all year. Directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me), One Chance is the kind of dram-rom-com (part drama, part romantic comedy, all inspirational) that might have you trying to sing Puccini’s “Nessun Dorna” on your way out of the theatre.
Image: Liam Daniel / The Weinstein Co.
Alexandra Roach and James Corden in 'One Chance'
Corden is ebullient and affable in the lead role, probably more so than the real Potts, who doesn’t quite strike me as much of either. Corden honed his comic chops as co-writer and star of the BBC’s award-winning sitcom Gavin & Stacey, and has been tapped by CBS to replace the retiring Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show in early 2015. He has won awards for both TV and stage, and he’s well suited to light, comic roles in film.
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