--- title: "Marvellous" year: 2014 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/marvellous" fi1m_id: "marvellous" imdb_id: "tt3659786" tmdb_id: 295144 wikidata_id: "Q16997400" fi1m_score: 82 critics_reviews: 1 published: "2026-10-07T17:09:24.968600+00:00" updated: "2026-10-07T17:09:25.437511+00:00" region: "AU" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Marvellous (2014) Directed by Julian Farino · 1h 30m · Drama ## Identity Marvellous - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/marvellous - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** marvellous - **IMDb ID:** tt3659786 - **TMDB ID:** 295144 - **Wikidata ID:** Q16997400 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659786/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/295144, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16997400 **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics: 1 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Happiness sounds less suspicious when Toby Jones is in charge > Toby Jones gives *Marvellous* the warmth and humour its promise of chosen happiness needs. Julian Farino’s drama is touching without becoming cloying, though it sometimes reassures us sooner than it needs to. ## Synopsis Neil Baldwin (Toby Jones) wants to be happy, and believes that deciding to be happy is a place to start. Mary (Gemma Jones) and Lou Macari (Tony Curran) are among the people in his story, alongside Rev Mark (Nicholas Gleaves) and Malcolm (Greg McHugh). Written by Peter Bowker and directed by Julian Farino, this 90-minute drama centres on Neil and his stated wish. Its central question is what it means to make happiness a decision, rather than something to wait for. ## Review *Marvellous* is a warm, funny drama that earns most of its optimism through Toby Jones. Neil Baldwin’s wish to be happy could have produced 90 minutes of instructions on how to live, and we tend to grow restless when a film starts improving us. Julian Farino, directing Peter Bowker’s screenplay, makes Neil interesting enough to avoid that problem. We recommend it, with a reservation about how readily it offers comfort. Toby Jones gives Neil enough individuality to keep happiness from becoming his sole characteristic. The humour depends on our taking him seriously; an actor intent on being lovable would have made the whole thing hard to bear. We were moved by the lack of pleading in the performance, which allows Neil to be funny without asking us to congratulate ourselves for liking him. We can enjoy his company without feeling that we have been given a lesson in kindness. Gemma Jones plays Mary, and Tony Curran plays Lou Macari, with Nicholas Gleaves as Rev Mark and Greg McHugh as Malcolm. The ensemble gives the film a welcome steadiness around its central performance. We prefer their work when the warmth remains a little untidy, rather than when everyone seems enlisted to keep us cheerful. The lead remains the reason to watch, but the film would be thinner if he had to supply all its human interest himself. David Odd’s cinematography and Anthea Nelson’s production design are appropriately unshowy. We would not choose *Marvellous* for the pictures alone, but their work suits a drama whose main attraction is an actor’s understanding of a character. The surroundings do not need to compete with him for attention. That restraint helps, although we sometimes wish Julian Farino would make us a little less comfortable with what we are watching. Elen Pierce Lewis’s editing gives the film a workable shape within its 90 minutes. There is enough room for the humour to matter, and the running time does not turn affection into an endurance test. Adrian Johnston’s music is more debatable: we welcome its warmth, but are less persuaded when it seems to be helping an emotion that the acting has already made clear. Toby Jones needs little assistance in conveying how much Neil’s happiness matters. Our reservation is with Peter Bowker and Julian Farino’s eagerness to reassure. A hopeful character drama still needs to let uncertainty linger, and here we occasionally feel ourselves being encouraged towards a kindly response before we have quite arrived at it. That makes some of the feeling seem tidier than it should. The humour does useful work at these points, interrupting the uplift before it becomes too much. The performance gives us sufficient reason to stay with Neil even when we are unconvinced by the film’s confidence in happiness as a choice. We need not share his outlook to care about him, and the acting leaves room for that distinction. Choose *Marvellous* for an evening when warmth is welcome, with the understanding that it occasionally presses its case too hard. *Fi1m score 82, published 7 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Marvellous worth watching?** *Marvellous* is worth watching for Toby Jones’s warm, funny performance, and we score it 82 out of 100. We recommend it for an evening when a hopeful character drama appeals, with one reservation: the acting earns our affection, but the film sometimes pushes reassurance before uncertainty has had time to settle. **How long is Marvellous, and what is it rated?** *Marvellous* runs 1h 30m. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch Marvellous in Australia?** *Marvellous* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Australia, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from A$3.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Marvellous compare to Local Hero?** *Marvellous* is the better choice for a central performance to care about; [*Local Hero*](https://film.one/film/local-hero) offers broader pleasures in its ensemble and coastal scenery. We recommend both for their humour and affection for eccentric people, though neither entirely avoids being too reassuring. Choose the former for Toby Jones, the latter for a gently comic property deal with money complicating the charm. **What should I watch after Marvellous?** After *Marvellous*, try [*Local Hero*](https://film.one/film/local-hero) (1983, Fi1m 86): A gentle comedy that makes room for eccentricity without treating people as specimens. Then [*The Straight Story*](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story) (1999, Fi1m 88): Another patient character study whose warmth survives a proper look at hardship; and [*Happy-Go-Lucky*](https://film.one/film/happy-go-lucky) (2008, Fi1m 83): For a sharper examination of cheerfulness, and the effort involved in maintaining it. ### Reviews we read (1) - **The Guardian**, Andrew Anthony (85/100, inferred): Anthony finds Marvellous wryly touching and movingly funny, avoiding the sentimentality its story risks. He singles out Toby Jones’s poignant, insightful performance as Neil Baldwin. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/sep/27/the-driver-review-david-morrissey-marvellous-toby-jones-terror-at-the-mall-downton-abbey) ## Details - **Director:** Julian Farino - **Director:** Julian Farino - **Writer:** Peter Bowker - **Cinematography:** David Odd - **Editor:** Elen Pierce Lewis - **Music:** Adrian Johnston - **Production design:** Anthea Nelson - **Costume design:** Ian Fulcher - **Producer:** Katie Swinden - **Cast:** Toby Jones as Neil Baldwin; Gemma Jones as Mary; Tony Curran as Lou Macari; Nicholas Gleaves as Rev Mark; Greg McHugh as Malcolm; Jordan Murphy as Laino; Oliver Ashworth as Bomber; Liam Ainsworth as Pete - **Runtime:** 1h 30m - **First release (the UK):** 25 September 2014 - **Genres:** Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0k566wcK64 ## Where to watch in Australia - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: rent A$3.00, sd - Amazon Prime Video: buy A$12.00, sd *Checked 2026-10-07.* Also available in: AU, CA, GB, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Golden Nymph for Best Television Film 2015: Golden Nymph for Best Television Film (won) ## If you liked this - *Local Hero* (1983), Fi1m 86: A gentle comedy that makes room for eccentricity without treating people as specimens. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/local-hero.md) - *The Straight Story* (1999), Fi1m 88: Another patient character study whose warmth survives a proper look at hardship. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story.md) - *Happy-Go-Lucky* (2008), Fi1m 83: For a sharper examination of cheerfulness, and the effort involved in maintaining it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/happy-go-lucky.md) - *The Lunchbox* (2013), Fi1m 75: Small exchanges, carefully observed loneliness, and hope allowed to develop at its own pace. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox.md) - *Perfect Days* (2023), Fi1m 83: Daily routines become absorbing through an attentive performance and an unforced affection for people. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/perfect-days.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/marvellous