Stay Young

STAY YOUNG A raunchy, nostalgic coming-of-age comedy set in 1990s Manchester It’s 1996 in the not-so-glamorous suburbs of North Manchester — and school’s officially out for summer. School shirts are covered in farewell scribbles, desks are being defaced, and the only plans for the future being made involve cans of booze in the park and who’s snogging who later. The air hums with freedom, cheap aftershave, and a Britpop soundtrack that makes you feel like anything’s possible — even when you’ve not revised for a single GCSE. STAY YOUNG follows a ragtag gang of teens during the last day of school — a booze-soaked, hormone-fuelled ride through one unforgettable day and night where everything could change, or nothing might at all. At the centre of it all is Gally — good-looking, decent-hearted, a bit too shy for his own good. He’s the kind of lad your mum hopes you bring home, even if he’s still figuring himself out. Gally’s been nursing a massive soft spot for Amy, the smart, sweet girl-next-door type, since Year 9 — but he's never quite plucked up the courage to tell her. If he's ever going to grow a pair and say it, today’s the day. Backing him up — sort of — is a crew of mates that range from proper sound to proper daft. There's Milky, a bespectacled, blond oddball who looks like the Milkybar Kid’s long-lost cousin and acts like he's in his own romantic comedy. He’s absolutely convinced tonight is the night he’ll get his first kiss. What could possibly go wrong? Then you’ve got Smithy, the blunt, spliff-loving loudmouth who thinks being offensive is a personality. And Lewis, his quieter mate, dry as dust with a sarcastic streak a mile wide. Lewis is carrying a secret of his own, one that Smithy – in all his laddish bravado – is too thick to notice. Liam, meanwhile, is a man of few words and maximum cool. Always in shades, always looking like he’s just walked off a poster for Definitely Maybe. Girls flock to him. Boys want to be him. Nobody knows what he’s thinking, which just adds to the myth. And then there's Fitzy — party planner extraordinaire (well, his mum’s out for the night), big claims, bigger ego. He swears blind this will be the party of the year. Whether or not that’s true… well, we’ll see. But where there’s teenagers, there’s always trouble, and Karate Darren is the walking, talking embodiment of it. Darren's the local gobshite and self-proclaimed hard man who reckons he’s a black belt in karate, though no one’s ever actually seen him in a fight that didn’t involve someone much smaller running away. His sidekicks Tunde — booksmart, biting, and not as loyal as Darren thinks — and Dean — quiet, observant, and harbouring a soft spot for someone unexpected — are beginning to realise that Darren might be more comedy than menace. On the girls' side of things, Amy is doing her best to navigate the day with her dignity intact. Her best mate Charlotte, however, is the type of girl who knows she’s fit and makes sure everyone else knows it too — especially by tearing others down. No one catches it worse than Chloe, their kind, curvier friend, who’s constantly the butt of Charlotte’s so-called ‘banter’. Then, dropping in like a glam bomb from the future, is Lisa, Gally’s older sister, back from uni with big opinions, big hair, and her confident Southern friend from uni Becky in tow. Becky’s stylish, bold, and totally unfazed by the chaos around her — which makes her the perfect (if completely unattainable) object of Milky’s wide-eyed affection. But what starts as a joke ends up being something Milky will never forget. As the sun sets, Fitzy’s "legendary" house party kicks into gear. The tunes are loud, the drinks are warm, and the flirting is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. There’s drama in the kitchen, snogging in the hallway, and someone crying in the bathroom by 9pm — standard. Gally tries, and fails, to get Amy on her own long enough to tell her how he feels, while Charlotte keeps causing chaos and Chloe finally finds the backbone to push back in one of the film’s most satisfying moments. Outside, Dean and Lewis find a moment that doesn’t need explaining, even if nothing’s said aloud. Just two lads figuring it out in a world that’s told them they shouldn’t. Then in barges Karate Darren, all swagger and sweat, ready to ruin everything. But the tables turn when he finally pushes one of the lads too far and gets more than he bargained for — in front of everyone. The myth crumbles. And the party goes off in ways no one expected. By the time the local coppers show up — PC Arthur, a miserable sod who’s seen it all, and PC Young, who’d probably rather be at the party himself — the damage is mostly emotional, and they’re too knackered to shut the whole thing down properly. As the night fizzles out, the streets fill with tipsy teens singing Oasis tunes, arms around each other, not quite ready to go home. It will be a night they’ll never forget.