England Is Mine is a 2017 British biographical drama film, based on the early years of singer Morrissey, before he formed the Smiths in 1982 with Johnny Marr.

His new friend, artist Linder Sterling, inspires him to continue to write lyrics and urges him to start to perform, but she eventually moves to London.

Director Mark Gill also discouraged Lowden from finding out too much about the singer, and banned him from reading his autobiography or watching old TV appearances, so that the character – a troubled and introverted teen before he started a band or became at all successful – could be played as written.

The website's critical consensus reads, "England Is Mine's smartly assembled cast and strong sense of place are often enough to compensate for this unauthorized biopic's distance from its subject.

"[10] Owen Gleiberman in Variety stated: "England Is Mine just feels like a stopgap movie made by people who couldn't afford to get the rights to the Smiths' catalogue.

"[11] Tim Robey in The Telegraph gave England Is Mine two out of four stars and wrote: "The film romanticises the ambitions hatched in male bedrooms and gives the embarrassing impression that's where all sincere art springs from.

"[12] Jeannette Catsoulis in The New York Times stated: "Skirting sexuality and absent Morrissey's music (the movie ends in 1982 as he and Johnny Marr are on the brink of forming the band), England Is Mine is a soggy schlep.