Bank of Dave

From director Chris Foggin and writer Piers Ashworth (the pair behind Fisherman’s Friends) comes Bank of Dave, another feel-good drama inspired by real-life events. The story behind this flick is that of self-made millionaire David Fishwick (Rory Kinnear), who decides to open his own local bank after years of financially assisting his local community and donating the profits to charity. To take on the banking bigwigs, he acquires the help of a fresh-faced London lawyer named Hugh (Joel Fry), and together they work to find a way to make Dave’s dream a reality.

The Netflix film is a David-and-Goliath tale set in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, taking aim at the corrupt banking elite, who are personified by Hugh Bonneville’s turn as a moustache-twirling antagonist. Characters frequently vocalise their distaste for the current system, with Dave being one of the loudest. This underdog story is the prime opportunity to highlight these very real issues. However, Bank of Dave is less concerned with discussing them than it is with condensing and trivialising them into a pedestrian and formulaic outing complete with a frivolous romantic subplot and obnoxious singalong climax.

Kinnear is infectious as local hero Fishwick – his chipper grin and dedication to belting out karaoke rock anthems make it difficult not to root for his success. This likability extends to the rest of the supporting cast, which includes Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor and Jo Hartley. The central ensemble gives this flick a degree of charm that makes the various contrived plot beats somewhat palatable. Despite the upbeat tone, though, the script sleepwalks through its scattering of narrative beats, darting from a courtroom drama to setting up a charity rock concert, without making much of an impact in either.

Bank of Dave is an underdog story that’s been made with all the best intentions. The core cast likewise do a splendid job in creating a lighthearted atmosphere. However, this is the problem: the commitment to creating an overly familiar romcom consequently trivialises Fishwick’s story (that being the small part of the script that is based on fact). 

Andrew Murray

Bank of Dave is released on Netflix on 16^th January 2023.