# ‘Beautiful Thing’ is an underrated queer coming-of-age movie that should be a staple

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/beautiful-thing-is-an-underrated-queer-coming-of-age-movie-that-should-be-a-staple/
- Published: 2026-07-23T08:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-28T04:40:54+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/beautiful-thing-underrated-queer-coming-of-age-movie-staple/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- *Beautiful Thing* is praised as an overlooked British queer classic.
- It follows two London teenagers discovering love.
- The film is noted for its warmth, realism and optimism.

## Summary

The article argues that *Beautiful Thing* deserves wider recognition as a defining British queer coming-of-age film. It praises the 1996 drama for portraying teenage love, family tension and working-class life with warmth and optimism at a time when queer representation on screen was often limited or stereotyped.

Adapted by Jonathan Harvey from his own play and directed by Hettie Macdonald, the film follows two south-east London teenagers, Jamie and Ste, as their friendship develops into a relationship. Featuring Glen Berry, Scott Neal, Linda Henry and Tameka Empson, it is set on a housing estate and uses music by Mama Cass, framing its romance as joyful rather than tragic.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.