Basing a movie musical on the songs of barely-remembered Scottish duo the Proclaimers feels like a shameless rip-off of Mama Mia. Yet Sunshine on Leith is actually kinda fun.

The story centers around two soldiers returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. One has a long-term girlfriend, who he’s itching to get back to, while the other is on the market and soon falls for an English girl. The rest of the film follows the two lads as they tangle and untangle their love lives.

Meanwhile, the dad of one of the lads is having romance problems of his own; discovering he has a daughter by another woman from a fling after he was married. Her appearance in his life sends shockwaves through his marriage, just as the couple are celebrating an important anniversary.

If you know the songs, the film’s pretty predictable because the set-list provides the plot points.

The city of Edinburgh is the true star of the piece. Landmarks feature prominently, and for the most part the city is shown in a fairly rosy light. There are moments when the camera shifts away from the magisterial beauty of the national Art Gallery and descend into the streets, where life for those living on the bones of their arse is nothing but a struggle, but the film doesn’t linger here.

Sunshine on Leith won’t challenge you – except maybe to decipher the Scottish brogue – but there are worse ways to spend an afternoon at the cinema. And by the end you’ll be tapping your toes along with the cast as they belt out the film’s final number.

6.5/10

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SUNSHINE ON LEITH

UK | 100 minutes | Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance

Cast: Kevin Guthrie, George MacKay, Jane Horrocks, Peter Mullan, Antonia Thomas, Freya Mavor

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Screenplay: Stephen Greenhorn

Cinematography: George Richmond