Bank of Dave is a true-ish story about a successful van salesman named Dave Fishwick. He’s a native of Burnley, a former mill town north of London. During the global financial crisis, Dave gave low-interest loans to his fellow townspeople, all of whom had been rejected by British banks. He donated all profits to local charities.

       His efforts were so successful that Dave decided to hire a tony London law firm, asking them to help him establish a local bank, run by a commoner for the benefit of commoners. He planned to continue his practice of donating the profits to local charities. The firm accepted Dave’s case, not because they thought it was winnable, but because Dave would pay well. They sent a lawyer named Hugh to Burnley. Hugh was pessimistic about the venture and felt contemptuous toward the town’s inhabitants. Actor Joel Fry does a good job of portraying Hugh. You might recognize him as Hizdar zo Loraq from Game of Thrones.

      Hugh’s pessimism regarding the task was warranted. The British Financial Regulation Board (FRB) had not approved a new bank in 150 years. Worse yet, the board was a closed club of elitists who made all the banking rules.  Hugh Bonneville, (Lord Grantham in Downtown Abby), plays Sir Charles, an influential member of the FRB. When he heard about the Bank of Dave, Sir Charles declared: “Once ordinary people start thinking they can get in on the act, the floodgates will open…. The Financial Regulation Board exists to ensure that the people’s money is entrusted to the right sort of chap.” In his view, “the right sort of chap” was a high class, affluent, person who has attended all the right schools, not a commoner like Dave.

     After stubbing his toe, Hugh, the lawyer, went to a hospital where he met Alexandra, Dave’s niece. She was an ER doctor there. Hugh made a bad first impression by trying to jump the line ahead of other patients who were waiting for care. Alexandra put Hugh in his place which, somehow, caused him to be smitten by her. My guess is that there was no love interest in the real story of Dave and his bank. However, in the “true-ish” film, the relationship adds spark to the tale. Alexandra is played by Phoebe Dynevor ( who is Daphne in Bridgerton.)

      Director Chris Foggin makes an interesting choice regarding the portrayal of the character Dave in the movie. Real Dave is talkative, outgoing, emotive, tells a joke a minute—a guy who gives highly entertaining interviews. Actor Rory Kinnear plays Dave as a pleasant, smart, measured man who is quick with a clever retort and will give a solid karaoke performance, but overall is not a showman. Real Dave is a hoot, but I’m glad Foggin decided to portray a more moderate version of Dave in the movie.

     Although the topic of banking might seem dull, the tone of the film is exuberant and has plenty of funny scenes. With humor, timing is everything. Watch for the kitchen scene when Dave is standing by the table where Alexandra and Hugh bounce clever lines from one to the other. Their timing is spot on. All the actors form a wonderful ensemble, riffing off each other from scene to scene.

     If you like the rock band, Def Leppard, this is the movie for you. So as not to spoil the plot, that’s all I’ll say.

     Is this feel-good movie predictable? Yes, especially if you happen to see the YouTube interview of the real Dave Fishwick before watching the film. Predictable or not, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and felt thrilled when the plot points arranged themselves in a way that made me happy. This would be a good movie to watch at the end of a stressful day.