Short Film Review: “Lewford Town”

Dir: Lawton Charman
UK • Comedy • 9 Mins

Marcus Lee and Jonny Byrne, two semi-pro players at Lewford Town, a non-league football club, are expecting to meet an excited young fan who's won a competition to spend the day with them, however, things don’t go according to plan.

Lewford Town is a bitingly funny mockumentary that takes a slightly unconventional approach compared to a traditional mock-doc. Through the unnecessary and unwarranted displays of vanity from the two lead characters, Marcus and Johnny, along with the filming and editing style, the filmmaking team perfectly capture and ape a sense of YouTube vlogging/social media wannabe celebrity culture as opposed to a TV documentary pastiche. Marcus and Johnny are two guys who seem like they’d be as happy, if not happier, to turn up in your YouTube subscription boxes as they are on the pitch (although the least of all things we see them doing is playing football - which I guess is the point).

Marcus Taylor and Johnny Amies (as the loveably delusional Marcus Lee and Jonny Byrne) are a fantastic double-act, both happily setting each other up for killer one-liners and comfortably bouncing back-and-forth banter and unfortunate truths. Chris Agha as a Lewford Town-obsessed fan is a great addition and the trio play off one another’s strengths superbly.

The film has a very improvisational feel and is every bit as funny (actually funnier) as anything you’ll find on TV. And unlike a lot of TV comedies of this ilk or internet “skits” that are nothing more than a succession of unrelated one-liners, this short film actually has a story threaded throughout.

The attention to detail with the on-the-fly camera work and tight editing, both from director Lawton Charman (who does a fantastic job pulling all the elements together) round off this funny, sincere and extremely likeable short film. We hope to see more from the Lewford Town lads.

Lewford Town is a keenly observed and very witty parody of modern minor-celebrity culture and those clambering for internet fame.

8/10

Lewford Town was nominated for Best Comedy at our 2022 film festival.

Reviewed by Philip Pugh