Sweet Sixteen
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12

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  1. DanC.
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    A marvelous achievement. The single-minded toughness of the main character and his quest for a decent life with the mother who doesn't deserve it is moving and sad, but at the same time a deeply rewarding viewing experience. The realism is never touched by sentimentality as the impossiblity of Liam's dream becomes ever more clear. The acting is very strong throughout, especially Liam and his betrayed best friend Pinball.… Collapse
  2. DonnaT.
    Oct 17, 2004
    10
    I loved this film i think it was so amazeing i love martin hes a barry acter and well i just thought it was amazeing because its showing you stuff that happen in really life which is so great eh! and its good 2 because its showing u sumwhere in scotland from a change and i find it so minted likes! i hope there is a number 2 oot on this film cause it had a wicked ending i think maself well cya every1 xoxoxo from donna t in edinburgh.… Expand
  3. VeneraB.
    Dec 25, 2004
    10
    This movie is very touching. I liked this movie a lot. It' s so realistic and it like you can feel Liam's feelings.
  4. StephenS.
    Jun 19, 2003
    9
    This is the Ken Loach movie for those of us who habitually avoid Ken Loach movies. You anticipate a dose of social research with the veteran British director. Here, it concerns the persistent bonds that desperate youngsters may maintain with disappointing parents. And you expect a dash of social determinism. Here, given life data A for principal character B, we can guess he?s headed for some unpleasant destination C. Yet this time the social stuffing scarcely smudges the cinema thrill. Teenaged Liam (Martin Compston) stands by his imprisoned mum Jean, despite the dead give-away that she has taken the drug rap for her trash boyfriend Stan. Liam?s sister Chantelle (Annmarie Fulton), a single mother training for the honest drudgery of call-centre work, has no such illusions. In Greenock, just outside Glasgow, hustling is Liam?s only perceived job opportunity. Brazenly ripping off Stan?s dope stash, he graduates to deliveries for local drug czar Tony, under cover of a pizza run. Tony?s price for loyalty is that Liam ditch his disturbed mate Pinball (William Ruane), demonstrably a business liability. Liam?s inspired work to set Jean up in ?clean? post-prison accommodation begins in pathos and ends with tragedy. It is almost as if Loach and crew have followed Liam around hilly Greenock in real time, saving the most scenic clips. This, despite the English subtitles imposed on the thick Scots accents, is not to imply a stilted documentary. Scotching textbook considerations, the script is stacked with astute point and counterpoint. Liam?s deluded mother-love is balanced by Chantelle?s gritty sister-love, as she tenderly patches his wounds after every beating. A violent rite of passage, for Liam to join Tony?s gang, is unexpectedly reworked for real later on. When Liam asks directions to the junkies? apartment, as coolly as if he were chasing the Glasgow bus, we are quite disarmed for his harrowing confrontation with Pinball. The debutant Compston is full of potential. Sharp and vital in every scene, he is also so restrained that his face noticeably comes alight when called upon for cocky delight (upon Jean?s release) or complete despair (at the downer which follows). Adding to the human drama, terse suburban scenes of action and betrayal generate far more adrenalin than those bloated American spectaculars that blow the entire African GDP on one car-chase. Come back Ken, all is forgiven. … Expand
  5. AndrewR.
    Oct 21, 2004
    9
    A very good movie. Unfortunately a very depressing one as well.
  6. Michael
    Apr 13, 2005
    9
    Just watched this film and thought it was fantastic. The acting was superb from a new actor. (Martin Compston)The storyline was great and did leave you wondering what happened to Pinball. I hope their is a part 2 and soon as their is a few unanwsered questions from the film. Brilliantly directed and true to life we have got to get a part 2. So come on Ken Loache get working.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    The movie's performances have a simplicity and accuracy that is always convincing. Compston, who plays Liam, is a local 17-year-old discovered in auditions at his school. He has never acted before, but is effortlessly natural.
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  2. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Bill Gallo
    80
    There are no hearts and flowers in Loach's hard-edged world, no kindly interventions, no signs from heaven. Instead, he gives us the unvarnished facts about working-class exploitation and the failure of ambition in low places.
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  3. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    88
    It's a beautiful, grim tale.
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