Not many cinemas will screen this independent little British drama. But it's a well made, heartfelt period piece that rewards your patience and attention. It's about a woman in the 1970s in working class Yorkshire who is determined to become a comedian, despite huge barricades she must overcome. Such as poverty, an abusive father, sexism, an abusive husband, and her own fear of failure. Somehow she knows that a better life is out there, and she manages to hang on to that dream, against the odds. In the lead role, Maxine Peake is great, as someone who won't take no for an answer, and is courageous in leaving relationships that aren't working. She is good at rising above people who treat her badly - e.g. when she visits her adult brother, and he and his wife are hostile to Funny Cow because the wife, for some unknown reason, dislikes Funny Cow. We see the spark of perseverance she had as a child, and she never loses that. The script, by Tony Pitts, is rich and taut. The pacing is good. Sometimes the accents are very thick but you do get used to them in the end. Alun Armstrong (New Tricks) is a joy to watch as Lenny - the crusty old vaudeville style comedian who Funny Cow latches on to as her mentor, even though, at first, he tells her that women can't be comedians. Paddy Considine has a meaty role as Funny Cow's intellectual boyfriend, who is kind and loving, but who she doesn't love. The film is a stylist's and costume designer's dream. Don't see this film if you're against smoking - all the characters drink like fish, and they smoke so much I almost started coughing. It's authentic to the period, though.

I so wanted to enjoy this. Maxine Peake is a terrific actress and the under-rated Tony Pitts shows off his skills in various forms here.

There is a familiar cast and a bittersweet storyline that compliments the life of a comic The nostalgia of the working class surroundings and the lives of the people are spot on but there's is just something missing.

A happy ending would have been a more Hollywood-like presentation that modern audiences expect but this reflects those 60s "grim Oop North" kitchen sink dramas like Billy Liar, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning plus, my all time favourite, A Kind Of Loving.

It is good. I love the sad bits the most like Alun Armstrong in the loos but it is peppered with odd funny bits.

Entertaining but just not quite funny enough.

Peake stars as a northern lass who has aspiration to become a stand up comedian in the clubs. The film charts her life from childhood to middle age and the tough challenges and people she must face.

Certainly a strong performance from Peake helps this remain thoroughly watchable. It is though a not overly original 'trouble up north' story with misery at every turn and everyone tough and unpleasant. All the support characters are well enough played but are without exception both very typical of this type of drama and rather thinly written so that everything is strongly focussed around Peake's character - which is something of a weakness.