skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Film: Enter The Void
Release date: 24th September 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 160 mins
Director: Gaspar Noe
Starring: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Olly Alexander, Masato Tanno
Genre: Drama
Studio: Trinity
Format: Cinema
Country: France/Italy/Germany
After the controversy which surrounded Gaspar Noe’s second feature film Irreversible, it is fair to say that anticipation has been high for the French/Argentine auteur’s latest offering Enter The Void. Billed by Noe as a “psychedelic melodrama,” and with critical comparisons to Kubrick’s 2001:A Space Odyssey, there’s been an eager sense of excitement for the film’s release.
On his way to deliver a package of drugs to a friend, protagonist Oscar is shot by the Tokyo police in a nightclub toilet and dies. His soul leaves his body and flies above the city, unfettered by the restraints of physics.
We see him travel back through his life, following his childhood and the relationships he had with his parents and sister, and see the chain of events unfold which have led to his demise.
We finally see Oscar conclude his journey through death into the inevitable next step…
From the very start, we know that we are in for something out of the ordinary. Gaspar Noe is not a man for who the title sequence of a film is a formality to be dispensed dispassionately before the action starts. Those familiar with his work will be used to Noe’s bizarre title sequences, and here a mind-battering assault of strobing neon images burst from the screen to a techno-soundtrack. It is an unsettling, disorientating experience, and the message is clear: Noe wants your attention, and what is about to follow is something to be taken very seriously.
And indeed it is. Not to mince words: the opening act of Enter The Void is truly astonishing, and nothing short of a landmark achievement for film. The visual sequences of drug taking, of Oscar’s walk through the city, and of his traumatic death and subsequent ‘rebirth’ are astounding, genuinely original, and utterly immersive. If you want to know what it is like to die, this is the closest you will get without actually going through with it. It is an extraordinary, disturbing and magical experience, which achieves what all great art aspires to: it alters our perception and changes the way we look at the world.
How horribly disappointing therefore that what follows spectacularly fails to measure up. An hour in, Enter The Void seems to dramatically loose it’s steam. The idea of a soul set free of its earthly limitations becomes simply a tool to tell a not-very-interesting back story through banal flashbacks. This mystifying change of pace renders the opening act largely insignificant. After all, why bother to set up this extraordinary premise if you’re then going to abandon it and start plodding through a largely irrelevant melodrama? There are plenty of oedipal subtexts thrown in about breastfeeding, hints at incest, and tunnel images to signify rebirth and reincarnation, but after the ingenuity of the first act, it all feels so depressingly mundane. You begin to wonder what happened to the fearless visionary Noe from an hour before.
The film is lacking in other areas as well. While Irreversible and I Stand Alone were anchored by astonishing performances by Vincent Cassel/Monica Bellucci and Philippe Nahon respectively, the acting in Enter the Void is sadly not up to par. The clunky dialogue is delivered lazily and insincerely, and several characters – particularly Ed Spear as the unpleasant drug dealer Bruno - feel lamentably underused. Others, such as Oscar’s duplicitous friend, are simply just not believable, either as characters in themselves or as part of the story. Matters aren’t improved by the fact that Oscar’s stoned voiceover sounds worryingly reminiscent of Napolean Dynamite.
As the film draws to a close, things go from bad to worse. Anyone who caught Eva, Noe’s recent series of short films for the Grand Journal de Canal, will know that he has an unfortunate tendency to slip over the line from experimental to self-indulgent and pretentious. Sadly, this is given full reign in Enter The Void’s third act. From an explicit orgy in a neon sex hotel, to Noe’s own (patent pending) vagina-cam, showing us an as yet unseen viewpoint of the sexual act, the whole thing descends into a lavish, extravagant mess. Even a neon orgy scene was boring.
From the evidence of the extraordinary first act, coupled with his body of previous works, it’s clear that Gaspar Noe is a rare visionary, an absolute believer in his art, and a peerless exploiter of the visual and auditory possibilities of cinema. It is unfortunate therefore that what should have been one of the great films of our era has instead suffered from the ego of its creator, and has emerged as sprawling and self-indulgent. Certainly see it, because there are things here you’ve never seen before, but you’ll almost certainly come out downhearted knowing that Enter The Void could have been so much better. LOZ
Film: Confucius
Release date: 24th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 110 mins
Director: Mei Hu
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Zhou Xun, Chen Jianbin, Yao Lu, Zhang Xingzhe
Genre: Action/Biography/Drama/History/War
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: Cinema
Country: China
Confucius is set during China’s renowned ‘Spring and Autumn Period’, and tells the story of the most loved and respected figure in Chinese history. It has caused much controversy in its homeland, before and after its release, and has even led to the threat of a law suit by one of Confucius’ descendents. Hong Kong legend Chow Yun-Fat plays the title role.
It’s 500 B.C., and China has yet to be unified. The country is a mélange of feudal kingdoms and warring states, each competing for domination.
A commoner by the name of Confucius (Chow Yun-Fat) is given recognition for his supreme knowledge and wisdom by being made Minister of Law in the Kingdom of Lu. He soon proves invaluable to the ruler (Chen Jianbin) for his understanding of leadership, and becomes a great influence on the leader’s decision making.
The ruler of Lu’s increased power and growing respect from the people aggravates the aggressive leader of the neighbouring state Qi, who aims to destroy the Kingdom of Lu. In desperation, Confucius is called upon to lead the Lu army to fight against the mighty Qi. Victory is won and peace is restored to the Kingdom of Lu.
But victory has come at a price for Confucius; his skills in leadership and winning battles is seen as a threat among an envious aristocracy who now see him as a rival to the ruler of the Kingdom of Lu. He is forced into exile and, accompanied by some of his students, he wanders throughout the land hoping to share his ideas with local rulers who might appoint him for his political ideas. However, he is rejected by one after another.
Confucius and his students battle the elements and face horrendous conditions of poverty and starvation as their political ideas and moral views are put to the test…
Without a doubt, Confucius is a visually pleasing film, but with giants like director of photography Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and costume designer Yee Chung-Man (Curse Of The Golden Flower) weaving their magic within the film world, audiences have come to expect nothing less from such talent. However, the script, to what could have been a major epic and important film, has been tampered with so much, and with four writers, including Hu, putting their monies worth in, it really is a case of too many cooks. The end result has the appeal of nothing more than a made-for-television film. This is hardly surprising when one realises that the aforementioned medium is where Hu Mei has excelled as a director. Perhaps it’s a case of Mei having bitten off more than she could chew. It’s quite preposterous to think that a film depicting the greatness of an influential giant like Confucius could be condensed into just 110 minutes. Its failings are many, including its aim to please so many people yet evidently pleasing no-one.
But in all fairness, Mei should receive our sympathy to some extent, as she was stuck between a rock and a hard place when having to make difficult decisions, such as removing controversial scenes between Confucius and Nanzi, which ultimately led to Xun having less than ten minutes of screen time - a great shame considering her portrayal as Nanzi is one of the most memorable things about the film. Perhaps Mei’s lack of experience as a cinematic director was the reason she decided not to go with her gut instinct.
Chow Yun-Fat’s depiction of Confucius also deserves a worthy mention; he plays the charismatic teacher with much honesty and integrity, although, his good looks are a far cry from the reality that Confucius was, apparently, rather ugly with a crown-shaped head, and at 6-foot tall, his stature in ancient China would have been deemed quite odd.
The film would have fared much better had it tried to reveal a little about Confucius’ upbringing and how his mother was to be the biggest influence on his life. The fact that Confucius had faced hardship throughout his early life and yet still excelled as a scholar is a true testament to his character - unfortunately, this wasn’t touched upon in the film.
History shows that Confucius failed in his pursuit of a political career but he exceeded triumphantly as a teacher and educator. His teachings are held in high esteem and are still being taught today, which has led to a legacy that is worldwide. Unfortunately, the film struggles to infuse any interest for those who know little about this great man and his teachings, and fails to make them want to learn more about him. And for those who are already familiar with his life and work, they will gain nothing new. SLP
Film: Budrus
Release date: 24th September 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 78 mins
Director: Julia Bacha
Starring: N/a
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Dogwoof
Format: Cinema
Country: Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territory/USA
The tagline which accompanies this award-winning documentary states that between Israel and Palestine you have “the most divided people on earth,” but whilst governments and certain groups are content for violence and animosity to continue breeding between their countries, Julia Bacha’s film shows that it’s the everyman that is ultimately affected – an everyman who can unite with other nationalities, and show the sort of leadership skills his country has been severely lacking for so long.
Budrus is a small village of 1500 people in Occupied Palestine Territory; an agricultural village which cultivates olives.
When the Israeli government decided to build a Separation Barrier inside Palestine in response to suicide bombings, villages like Budrus were being cut off from hundreds of acres of their land (as one Israeli army captain interviewed says, “less fortunate than the death of an Israeli civilian”).
As CAT diggers begin uprooting trees in Budrus, Ayed Morrar brings together the village’s communities (of both Fatah and Hamas members) who are incensed by the confiscation of 300 acres of their land, the uprooting of 3,000 olive trees, and the impact on their cemetery. These villagers form an alliance to stop Israel destroying land which is “not their own” through peaceful/non-violent demonstrations.
But with operations being delayed, Israel becomes aggravated, sending in unsympathetic and trigger itchy border police, and declaring the village a closed military zone. Of course, Ayed and his comrades will not be deterred, creating strategic operations and gaining international support, including citizens from the neighbouring country they’ve been at loggerheads with for so long.
However, with government figures being left red-faced on Israeli TV by the disruptions caused by a small, poor village in Budrus, this fallout is soon escalating out of control…
In many ways, the biggest fault you could pick with this documentary is ultimately its great success, and what makes it such a riveting watch. The film takes a longstanding and complicated conflict, and largely ignores it to milk as much drama and therefore entertainment out of one by-product of two countries at war. It’s also unarguably biased, less about offering a balanced account of the issues that are affecting the two neighbouring countries, or offering any historical context – the reasoning behind this operation, which is ultimately many heinous and inhumane crimes against Israeli civilians, which cannot be acceptable in any circumstance - but creating a soap opera of sorts where the good and the bad guys are painted with very broad brush strokes.
It is, of course, not to say this issue was not vitally important to the communities affected, and wholly unfair, and with the Israeli’s playing up to the part as villains of the piece, both in the violent actions which are caught on film, and the interviews given to protagonists involved in the incidents captured at a later date (border police officer Yasmine is particularly cold and unrepentant), you are soon engaged with the villagers, and empathetic to their plight – slanted, of course, but enlightening still that for all the news we receive of suicide bombers, that this is not the mindset of a country on the whole.
As is the case throughout the world, many communities and religions are pillared for the actions of a small group of extremists, and so the filmmakers cleverly allow us to get close to the Morrar family, in particular, and gain a real sense of community, which they share with people who are equally downtrodden, but still show great love and respect for one another, and with no motivations to upset the status quo or harm others. Shockingly content in many ways, and although the Israeli’s are the bad guys we see on screen, the Palestinian government provoke even more anger, given little mention or screen time, but seemingly weak and unfitting to lead a people who deserve better, and at the very least support.
With the bigger picture largely forgotten, and our attachment to such likeable characters – who humour with deadpan comments such as “not normal if no-one is injured” - momentum builds throughout the documentary, as the women (led by Ayed’s 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, who has a “duty to perform”) become empowered, minor victories, which are cleverly thought out, and marches/rallies lift as dramatically as we are sent crashing down to mourn olive trees, their livelihoods, being uprooted without care. The voice of a man, clearly cracking as the emotion gets to him is heartbreaking (the filmmakers don’t miss a trick, adding gentle piano to heighten the viewer’s sensations when the opportunities arise), the camera panning across a now barren land, and a child wandering a dusty street in their mother’s shoes.
As tensions increase, the military/police become progressively more heavy-handed, and having been influenced to such an extent by the filmmakers, it becomes the sort of edge of your seat fare that big-budget blockbusters seem incapable of delivering any more. As shots fire, and the anxiety and panic is caught on camera, the cries of “oh my god” are simply chilling. But it’s running this whole gamut of emotions that ensures you appreciate the ultimate ‘feel good’.
Undeniably manipulative, and, without a better grip on the history, it’s an imbalanced piece of documentary making, but it’s probably a story that needed to be told, and given the emotional charge that runs throughout, it’s absorbing stuff. DH
In a tiny corner of a giant country, a poor farmer is about to lose everything.
His brother has a plan to win it all back!
Peepli [Live] is a satire, which revolves around a villager from Central India called Natha, his brother Budhia and their family. The family is about to lose their land because they are unable to repay a loan, when they hear of a government programme which offers the family of any farmer committing suicide a compensation of 100,000 rupees ($2000).
The older brother convinces his sibling to agree to commit suicide. This sets in motion a chain of events which finds Natha in the eye of a storm. The local bigwigs, the state government, high-ranking bureaucrats, federal ministers and the national media all become stakeholders in the mad circus that erupts.
Film: Peepli [Live]
Release date: 24th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 107 mins
Director: Anusha Rizvi
Starring: Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shalini Vatsa, Farrukh Jaffer
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: India
True Legend is the extraordinary journey of a man, a martial arts hero, whose greatest dream is to create a unique school of martial arts.
All his life, Su Can has been pursuing the summit of martial arts. There are two things he holds dearest to his heart: the dream of creating a unique kind of martial art that will pass on to generations; and his beloved wife. Su has a happy family and his wife is the joy of his life. But owing to a twist of fate and his own stubbornness, Su’s perfect life begins to fall desperately apart.
On the surface, Su now appears as a crazy beggar getting drunk every day. He wanders from town to town, becoming a man without any purpose in the eyes of others. But all through his spiritual exile, his dream for the highest peak in martial arts is still alive. The harsh conditions of life have not dampened his determination to perfect his skills. He conjures up scenes where he combats the legendary God of Wushu, with whom he refines his skills and achieves a peace of mind.
Meanwhile, the Heilongjiang Province, where Su resides, falls under foreigners’ rule. One day a crisis happens that threatens the life of his young son – the only person Su still cares about, and his last remnant of human hope. At the critical moment, the flame of life is re-ignited in Su. He lets out the utmost strength that has lay dormant in him during his devastated time, and it becomes the strongest school of fists that the martial arts world has ever known.
Film: True Legend
Release date: 24th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Chiu Man-cheuk, Zhou Xun, Michelle Yeoh, Feng Xiaogang, Andy On
Genre: Action/Drama/History/Martial Arts
Studio: Optimum
Format: Cinema
Country: China
Bollywood musical comedy that sees two strangers come together in unusual circumstances.
Aakash (Ranbir Kapoor) and Kiara (Priyanka Chopra) are both struggling in their professional and personal lives. Standing on a bridge, about to jump off and commit suicide, they meet one another. A love grows between them and soon they have to choose between going back to their separate lives, or sticking together and enduring the pain and joy of being in love.
Film: Anjaana Anjaani
Release date: 24th September 2010
Certificate: TBC
Running time: TBC
Director: Siddharth Anand
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Zayed Khan, Pooja Kumar, Carl Marino
Genre: Bollywood/Comedy/Drama/Musical
Studio: Eros
Format: Cinema
Country: India
Harbhajan Virdi writes and directs this Bollywood drama set in London.
Ruth D'Costa stars as Usha, the daughter of a respected Delhi family who meets and marries Micky (Emil Marwa), a visitor from London.
After their wedding and an idyllic honeymoon in India, Micky returns to London, promising he will send the necessary papers and visa to take Usha back to England with him as soon as possible.
After a year, Usha grows tired of waiting and decides to travel to London herself, but she uncovers a shocking secret about Micky's life and true identity.
Film: A Distant Mirage
Release date: 17th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 104 mins
Director: Harbhajan Virdi
Starring: Ruth D'Silva, Emil Marwa, Joel Fry, Paul Copley, Sohm Kapila
Genre: Bollywood/Drama
Studio: Tulip
Format: Cinema
Country: UK
Manmohan Singh writes and directs this Bollywood romantic drama.
Jaspinder Cheema stars as a female college student who takes it upon herself to challenge Punjabi male-dominated society.
A battle with both the college and her parents and relatives ensues as she takes up the fight for her right to be treated as an equal to the male students around her. But how will her campaign affect her relationship with her boyfriend (Amrinder Gill)?
Film: Ik Kudi Punjab Di
Release date: 17th September 2010
Certificate: U
Running time: TBC mins
Director: Manmohan Singh
Starring: Amrinder Gill, Jaspinder Cheema, Aman Dhaliwal, Guggu Gill, Gurpreet Ghuggi
Genre: Bollywood/Drama/Romance
Studio: Kornerstone
Format: Cinema
Country: India
Film: Metropolis
Release date: 10th September 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 150 mins
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Fritz Rasp, Theodor Loos
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Studio: Eureka!
Format: Cinema
Country: Germany
This iconic film of German cinema has not been seen in its entirety since initial screenings in Germany in early 1927, after which more than a quarter of the film was cut for its release the same year in America. The deleted footage was believed permanently lost until the discovery in 2008 of a duplicate negative of the film in Argentina. This new release follows restoration of the film carried out by the FW Murnau Foundation in Germany, with an additional 25 minutes of footage bringing a greater coherence to director Fritz Lang’s dystopian vision of the future.
In the year 2027, the city of Metropolis is divided between the upper world of the privileged, an Art Deco city of arrogantly looming skyscrapers, futuristic skyways, dazzling lights and decadent nightclubs, and a dark and cavernous underworld populated by workers whose lives are fodder for the barbaric machine lying at the heart of the superficially civilised city.
The central character, Freder (Gustav Fröhlich), is the son of the city’s architect and mastermind, Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel). Freder’s life of decadence is shaken by the intrusion of a worker from the underworld, Maria (Brigitte Helm), into the city’s pleasure gardens. When Freder follows Maria back to the caverns of the machines, he unearths the monstrous reality of the city’s industrial heart. His discovery that something is rotten in the state of Metropolis leads him to confront his father and to go in search of Maria and, ultimately, some resolution between the master race above and the slaves below.
The city is thrown into further disarray by the robot created by the mad inventor, Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). When Joh Fredersen witnesses Maria preaching to the workers, he fears that she may cause them to rise up against their masters, and so urges Rotwang to give the robot Maria’s features in order to sow distrust and discord among the workers.
Once the robot Maria is unleashed upon the city, like the biblical whore of Babylon, then all semblance of civilisation begins to break down. It is up to Freder to effect reconciliation between the upper and lower worlds (“the mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart”) and save Metropolis from destruction…
The film earned its legendary status through the gigantic ambitions of its set designs, technical innovations and grand social and moral themes. Production infamously went wildly over budget, with its initially estimated cost of 1.5 million marks coming closer to 6 million, taking a virtually unprecedented shooting time of nine months. Typically of German cinema of the time, it was filmed entirely within the controlled conditions of UFA’s massive studios, enabling meticulous artistic control of the film’s design. Many technical innovations were used, such as multiple exposure of the film negative to create compound images, and the use of mirrors to include scaled model sets within the same shot as real action. Despite the primitive nature of these techniques compared to the sophistication of CGI, they remain surprisingly effective – for example, the scene where Rotwang’s robot comes to life, turns slowly towards Fredersen and extends a hand towards him creates a genuine thrill and sense of unease.
The main effect of the additional footage is the greater prominence given to Freder’s relationships with three supporting male characters, who were reduced to extras in the cut version. Freder is shown to be capable of inspiring devoted loyalty from both his father’s former overseer, Josaphat (Theodor Loos), and from the downtrodden worker known as 11811 (Erwin Biswanger). The sinister Thin Man (Fritz Rasp) is sent by Joh Fredersen to spy on his son, his ruthlessness indicating the lengths to which the father will go to protect his inequitable empire. The fleshing out of these three characters’ relationships with Freder gives greater depth to his characterisation, and he appears more dynamic and heroic than in the truncated version of the film.
The ideology of Metropolis has created much debate concerning the film’s political stance. As the workers shuffle towards their morning shift, their rounded backs recall the stylised torsos of Soviet propaganda posters, but the heads of the workers are abjectly bowed rather than raised in pride. The proletariat seems alarmingly bendable to the will of others – whether to the impassioned, quasi-religious pleas of Maria, asking the workers to keep faith in the long awaited Mediator, who will bring social harmony to Metropolis; or to the demented sexual promise of the robot Maria, inciting the workers to revolt, to the musical accompaniment of an off-key Marsellaise. The workers trudge towards revolution with as much apparent mindlessness as they manifested in the drudgery of their working day. But the film seems to portray the privileged classes as equally powerless with regard to their own destiny. Even the path of Freder is touched by the fatalism characteristic of Lang’s films. Freder’s moral disgust, compassion for his fellow man, romantic love for Maria and rebellion against the city’s patriarch cast him in the role of a modern day Hamlet. His pre-figured destiny is not to heal the wounds of that society, but to effect a superficial reconciliation which merely casts a sentimental glow over the class divide.
The political equivocation of the film is mirrored by the ambiguity of its modernist set design, expressing both repulsion and fascination with the machine age. This ambiguity reflects the mood of the era, when the mechanised destruction of the Great War and the subsequent economic collapse of Germany contributed to modernism being fêted by violently opposing political and artistic groups. It’s therefore not surprising that the modernist aesthetics of Metropolis have led critics to make wildly varying judgements concerning Lang’s political intentions. The film’s resistance to definitive interpretation has only added to its status and fascination for generations of cinema viewers.
The restored footage gives modern audiences the chance to appreciate Lang’s vision as never before. Experience the full exhilaration of the film’s majestically soaring sets, dramatic music score and startling visual effects, and its larger than life performances, from Freder’s anguished moral indignation to Brigitte Helm’s magnificently twitching and demented portrayal of the evil robot. KR
Jorge and Roberta have been separated for several years. They simply come from opposite worlds: he likes an uncomplicated life in the jungle, while she prefers a more urban existence. He is Mexican and she is Italian, and she has decided to return to Rome with their 5-year-old son, Natan.
Before they leave, Jorge wishes to take young Natan on a trip, hoping to teach him about his Mayan origins in Mexico. At first, the boy is physically and emotionally uncomfortable with the whole affair, and gets seasick on the boat taking them to their destination. But as father and son spend more time together, Natan begins a learning experience that will remain with him forever.
The film received award recognition, including: the Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2010; the Audience Award at the Morelia International Film Festival 2010; the Feature Film Competition Award at the Morelia International Film Festival 2010; the Jury Award at the Miami International Film Festival 2010; and the New Director Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival 2010. The film also received Official Selection at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Minneapolis International Film Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival and the Washington DC International Film Festival.
Film: Alamar
Release date: 10th September 2010
Certificate: U
Running time: 73 mins
Director: Pedro González‐Rubio
Starring: Jorge Machado, Roberta Palombini, Natan Machado Palombini, Néstor Marín “Matraca”
Genre: Drama/Family
Studio: New Wave
Format: Cinema
Country: Mexico
Film: Dinner For Schmucks
Release date: 3rd September 2010
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 114 mins
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine Clement, Stephanie Szostak
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Paramount
Format: Cinema
Country: USA
This is an English-language release.
Le Dîner De Cons: intelligent, raucous and thought provoking - words you don’t tend to associate with the majority of Hollywood’s output. But they do insist on highlighting their failings.
Everything is going well for Tim. He has an easy, well paid job, a stunning girlfriend, and a flash apartment - but he wants more. He desires promotion to the next level of the firm he works for, a chance to gain more income, and impress his girlfriend who has thus far refused to bow to his relentless marriage proposals – he also becomes increasingly insecure she will find herself in the bed of the charismatic artist she’s working with.
Despite impressing at a board meeting, Tim must attend his boss’ annual dinner to ensure his promotion goes through – the catch: each attendee must bring a fool, who will provide the boss and his guests (including an orange David Walliams as Swiss royalty set to invest millions into their company) with entertainment.
Despite the protests of his girlfriend, Tim sees an opportunity too good to pass up when he mows down the slow minded Barry whilst distracted on his cell phone. Barry shows excitement that he’s been hit by a Porsche, and even offers to payoff Tim, despite being the victim – he’s the perfect candidate.
However, Tim will soon regret extending his dinner invite to Barry, as his presence soon sends his life into chaos…
It’s hardly going to be a surprise to read a website purveying in foreign-language filmmaking slate an American remake of one of France’s golden comedic achievements, Le Dîner De Cons. But we never wanted much. We always knew this was going to be a dumbed down version, but with the likes of Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and director Jay Roach at the helm, who have been involved in many of America’s more palatable releases in recent years, we would have forgiven the sledgehammer approach for ninety minutes of mindless, throwaway entertainment. It never comes close to such modest expectations.
Steve Carell has always struggled when moving into Jim Carrey territory – most obviously in his follow-up to Bruce Almighty – and whilst his ‘fool act’ was tolerable in the likes of Anchorman, where he had a much smaller role within an ensemble, here he comes painfully unstuck. Unlike Carrey who had such success playing dim-wits in the likes of Dumb & Dumber, Carell doesn’t have the physique, the facial elasticity or persona to carry off goofy behaviour whilst retaining the audience’s empathy (even if he sports the same haircut as Carrey’s Lloyd Christmas character in Peter Farrelly laugh-out-loud original). He simply becomes infuriating. More so, when he’s given such inconsistent and barrel scraping material to work with.
The early premise made by Rudd’s over reactive partner is that laughing at people who are odd is wrong, yet all attempts at humour stem from mocking Carell’s Barry character, whose OTT appearance and behaviour is an attempt at milking as many laughs as possible from somebody who surely has a mental disability. Yet despite these tasteless sets up, where, for example, Barry is given a telephone number containing a series of 1’s and doesn’t understand the strange noise from the handset informing him he’s misdialled, he’s managed to retain a long-term job working for the IRS (perhaps a dig from clearly overpaid scriptwriters bemoaning their tax bill); has previously been married (although he had to look under the sofa and still couldn’t find the cliterous); and can create intricate and detailed dioramas, populated by dead mice he preserves, makes up and dresses in custom made costumes – yet you are supposed to believe he would find it impossible to get himself dressed in the morning.
Carrel has proven when he plays it straight – Dan In Real Life, Little Miss Sunshine – he’s a competent actor, but he comes unstuck when asked to absurdly destroy a stranger’s flat play fighting with a leather clad stalker. Although, in fairness, he never comes to Rudd’s do-gooder love interest for exasperating viewers.
As with Carrel, Rudd is another actor whose limitations were easily overlooked within Farrell’s star-vehicle Anchorman, and whilst he’s become the unfunny ‘go to’ comedy actor for Hollywood within recent years, he serves no purpose when the lead fails so miserably. He’s clearly type-cast as the ‘well off’, career type with a beautiful partner, who jeopardises it all once he makes acquaintance with a dysfunctional male. He’s diminutive and plain in a stereotypically good looking way, so he’ll never distract from the star turn of a Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) or Jason Segel (I Love You, Man), and, with no obvious failings, he’s perfectly credible when it comes to the requisite Hollywood schmaltzy ending, but the more Carrel floundered, the more dislikeable he became. His vacant expression throughout the film’s running time was the only appropriate inclusion, as we were asked to root for a selfish character who displayed only monetary greed and dishonesty throughout. No story or character arc prepared us for the clichéd ending, which is swiftly tagged on despite ample time to build up to such predictability.
That brings us to the film’s running time. Two hours is too long for most films, particularly comedies, and when you are throwing out so many misses, it’s arduous to say the least. Roach has form with the Meet The Parents and Austin Powers franchises, but there were enough original set pieces – and two confirmed comedy actors in Ben Stiller and Mike Myers respectably – to maintain interest in those earlier hits.
Producer Sacha Baron Cohen has proven with characters Ali G, Borat and Bruno that he has little shame, but hopefully he’ll show some red-faced humility in apologising to the likes of David Walliams, Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Schaal who provide the only guilty chuckles, although Lucy Punch (recently enjoying success in BBC 2’s Vexed) is made to look ridiculous as the crazed stalker that wants Carell to spank her like a school girl (“You’re a little old to be a school girl, aren’t you?”). Let’s also hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for Jermaine Clement, whose cult television hit Flight Of The Conchords is in a completely different league to this offering.
Dinner For Schmucks has somehow managed to be worse than any fan of the original could possibly have feared when the remake was announced. ‘Nuff said. DH
