Not so sure about these Lads

An album’s worth of songs does not a movie make

The “Movie” in the title of The Cocksure Lads Movie refers to the fact that there is an actual band called the Cocksure Lads, created by Murray Foster and Mike Ford of Moxy Früvous. The Lads did some gigs and released two albums, including 2010’ s oddly titled Greatest Hits 1963- 1968.

The movie is Foster’s film writing/ directing debut, with the Lads played by a trio of Brits and a Canuck. The shoestring plot has the band arriving in America — sorry, Canada — with a plan to make it big in America — sorry, Canada; the film’s running joke. But they’re barely on Amer... — sorry — Canadian soil before their lyricist quits the band over royalties. Honestly, Brits and their royalty.

What follows is a loose collection of song- anddance numbers as Dusty ( Lyndon Ogbourne) wanders the streets of East End Toronto with Reg ( Adam McNab) trying to track him down, and the other lads ( Luke Marty, Edward Hillier) looking for a pint and/ or a hot bath.

Musical interludes are occasionally interrupted by fisticuffs and various thinly drawn female characters who for no apparent reason throw themselves at the boys.

The film has styled itself as A Hard Day’s Night meets Spinal Tap, but it’s neither as real as the first nor as funny as the second. Also, it’s never quite clear why a band apparently teleported from the mid-’ 60s to modern- day Toronto.

The tunes are mostly nice, and manage to shoehorn in every British slang term and unique pronunciation known to, well, Britons. But an album’s worth of songs don’t make a movie.

The shoestring plot has the band arriving in America — sorry, Canada — with a plan to make it big in America — sorry, Canada; the film’s running joke.