Paul Potts is an unusual TV talent show winner, because he actually has talent. The opera singer cuts an unassuming figure, but his voice is the real thing. However, since anyone who uses Yahoo’s online services already knows what happened when he appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent,” David Frankel’s “One Chance” will necessarily feel rather anticlimactic.
Even as a boy, working-class Potts has an obvious talent for singing, but it earns him more bullying than praise. His mother Yvonne tries to support his musical sensibilities, but his father Roland often joins in with his tormentors. (Potts’s habit of donning the full Pagliacci costume hardly helps matters either.) As a result, self-confidence becomes a persistent issue for him.
Nonetheless, he somehow summons the gumption to court the plucky Julie-Ann “Julz,” who encourages him to pursue his dream. Early in their relationship, she shows enough faith and trust to let him study in Venice, but it ends in disappointment. At least, the picturesque city and budding diva Alessandra look good on camera.
