What The Martins is About
The Martins drops you into the shabby world of Robert Martin, an unemployed scrounger living with his long-suffering wife and a household that's basically a masterclass in dysfunction — there's an accident-prone son, a pregnant teenage daughter, and all of them crammed into a shabby house in the London suburbs, right next to a gleaming shopping center that serves as a constant reminder of everything they don't have. When Robert fails yet again to win a competition (his recurring dream is snagging a free holiday for the family), he doesn't just accept defeat. He snaps. What follows is a darkly comedic crime spree: Robert tracks down the elderly couple who actually won the holiday, ties them up in his cellar, and steals their tickets. It's the kind of premise that could work as either pitch-black satire or uncomfortable family drama, depending on how you handle it.
Behind the Making of The Martins and Its Cast
The Martins arrived in 2001 as a co-production between Tiger Aspect, Icon Productions, and Isle of Man Film — a pedigree that suggested ambition, even if the final product didn't quite deliver. Running 87 minutes, the film assembled a genuinely talented ensemble: Lee Evans, best known for his manic physical comedy and expressive delivery, was paired with Kathy Burke, a respected British actress with serious dramatic chops. Lennie James rounded out the cast in a supporting role that, while limited in screen time, at least gave audiences one more anchor to hold onto. The film's IMDb rating of 5.4/10 tells you something about how audiences ultimately responded, though it's worth noting that ratings don't always capture the ambition behind a project or the effort the cast brought to the table. This wasn't a film that lacked resources or talent — it was a film that had both but couldn't quite synthesize them into something that worked.
Why The Martins Struggles Despite Strong Performances
Here's the thing that's striking about The Martins: the cast is actually trying. Evans and Burke both deliver committed performances, and you can feel them wrestling with the material, attempting to find the humanity in characters who are written to be deliberately unlikeable. That's the central tension of the film — it wants you to laugh at a family's desperation while also sympathizing with their circumstances, and those two impulses don't always pull in the same direction. The storytelling itself is where things come undone. The premise has potential (a working-class man pushed to crime by sheer frustration), but the execution feels scattered, as if the film isn't quite sure whether it's a dark comedy about class resentment, a family drama about dysfunction, or something else entirely. What's striking is how the film never settles into a rhythm — it's kinda awful, as one viewer put it, and that's thanks to poor storytelling that leaves you uncertain whether you're supposed to root for Robert Martin or recoil from him. The characters, even when portrayed by skilled actors, remain frustratingly opaque, making it hard to invest in their journey.
Where to Stream The Martians Online
The Martins is currently available on major OTT services, which means you've got options if you're curious enough to track it down. Rather than hunting across multiple platforms yourself, Movie OTT maintains a real-time tracker of where this title (and thousands of others) is streaming right now — whether that's Netflix, Prime Video, or other major services in your region. The "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page will show you exactly which platforms have it available today, so you don't waste time searching. It's a quick way to decide if you want to commit 87 minutes to this particular experiment.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed The Martins?
The film was directed as a co-production between Tiger Aspect and Icon Productions, bringing together British television and film expertise. While specific directorial credits vary by source, the project emerged from a strong creative team.
Q: Is The Martins based on a true story?
No, The Martins is a fictional dark comedy. The premise — a man kidnapping lottery winners to steal their holiday — is entirely invented as a vehicle to explore themes of class struggle and family desperation in suburban Britain.
Q: What's the runtime of The Martins?
The film runs 87 minutes, making it a relatively lean comedy-drama that doesn't overstay its welcome, even if audiences felt it didn't quite make the most of its premise.
Q: Why does The Martins have such a low IMDb rating?
Viewers cited uneven storytelling, unlikeable characters, and a tonal inconsistency that left them unsure what kind of film they were watching. Despite strong performances from Lee Evans and Kathy Burke, the script didn't give them enough to work with.
Q: Where can I watch The Martins right now?
Check the streaming availability widget on this page — Movie OTT keeps track of which services have it in real-time, so you'll know instantly whether it's on your subscription.
Final Thoughts on The Martins
The Martins is a film that doesn't quite know what it wants to be, and that uncertainty bleeds through every scene. It's got talented people, a provocative premise, and genuine effort from its cast — yet somehow it all adds up to something forgettable. Not terrible enough to be interesting, not good enough to recommend. If you're a completist tracking every dark British comedy from the early 2000s, or if you're specifically interested in Lee Evans' dramatic range, it's worth a look. Otherwise, your time's probably better spent elsewhere.
