www.list.co.uk/film
‘HE'S A MESSED UP INDIVIDUAL, COKEHEAD ON THE ROAD TO RUIN'
Funny games
Eddie Harrison talks to Stephen McCole, star of Edinburgh International Film Fest premiere Crying with Laughter about the deadly business of filming comedy
he hot ticket among the Scottish films
screening at the 200‘) lidinburgh International
Film Festival is Justin .Vlolotnikov‘s ('ryiiig with Laughter. a thriller starring Scotland's Stephen McCole. Familiar from roles in Wes Anderson‘s high school comedy Rushmore and popular TV sitcom High Times. McCole has built up an impressive (‘V of comedic roles. but (‘ryiug with Laughter took him one step further. Because his character. Joey Fisk. is a comedian. he had to take on the tricky business of full-on stand-up comedy.
‘The stand-up scenes in the film were all done in one take. using two or three cameras.‘ he says. ‘We wanted to make sure that what we got on-screen was exactly the right look and feel for a comedy club. Setting up a scene in a packed room meant the audience had to sit for several hours before each break. I may well have ended up being the star of the longest comedy show ever.‘
McCole has already shown a good grasp of comic timing in his acting roles. but doing stand-up called on him to develop his own performance style. ‘Your style isn‘t something that just happens to you overnight.‘ he says. ‘You can't walk out there and try and be someone else. It‘s not the same as acting. you have to be the real thing. And it‘s not about poking fun at people or pointing out people‘s failings. but finding common ground with your audience. Someone like Richard Pryor was a natural comic. he told stories about himself. about how fucked up he
was. and then asked the audience why they were
laughing. I'm not comparing myself to him. but that‘s
the kind of delivery I think it's good to aim for.’ ('rviiig with Laughter isn‘t a comedy. but a thriller.
and lirisk is portrayed as a complex. liawed character
who is not immediately sympathetic to the audience.
'People don’t immediately take to Joey at the start of
the film.‘ he says. ‘l-le’s a messed up individual. a cokehead on the road to ruin. and the film doesn't attempt to create any sympathy or empathy with him. He's pursued a hedonistic lifestyle and paid a price in terms of his personal life. But the film goes on to place him in some tense situations and I love the way it moves between thriller situations and getting laughs. The one thing I feel with certainty about the film is that it does entertain people.‘
After (‘rviug with Laughter‘s screenings at the HM" sold out. Mc(‘ole is hoping the film will go on to have a long life. "l‘here‘s been a terrific bu/z for the film in lidinburgh.’ he says. ‘People seem to be genuinely interested in how we raised the money and how we made the film. Hopefully we can keep up that momentum. Making a film like this is much like going on stage to perform. You have to be confident in yourself and fear no failure; you can't give up just because something is hard to do.‘
Crying with Laughter, Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 26 Jun. For more EIFF highlights see listings, page 46 and www.|ist.co.ukledfilmfest
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THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
* Public Enemies Director Michael Mann and star Johnny Depp make a fine combination in this prohibition crime spree thriller based on real events. See review. page 44. General release from Wed 1 Jul.
* Rudo y Cursi Mexican local heroes Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna go head-to-head for a second time in rags-to-riches tale of Latin American football and brotherly love. See feature. page 16 and review, page 45. Selected release from Fri 29 Jun. =l¢ Katyn Veteran Polish filmmaker Andrej Wajda exorcises the ghosts of a genocide in this Oscar winning historical epic. See review, page 44. Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 29 Jun.
* 400 Blows Francois
Truffaut s 1959 debut on new digital print. GFI', Glasgow until Fri 3 Jul.
* Comrades Big screen outing of Bill Douglas 1986 masterpiece about the Tolpuddle Martyrs. GFI', Glasgow, Sun 5 Jul.
* Edinburgh International Film Festival Last four days of movie feast. Various venues until Sun 28 Jun.
* Before Stonewall Exclusive screening of feted gay rights documentary. Cameo, Edinburgh, Mon 29 Jun.
* Fermat’s Room ingenious Spanish puzzle thriller. GFI', Glasgow, Fri 26 Jun— Thu 2 Jul. * Momma’s Man Azazel Jacob's subtle drama about one young husband’s regression into the past. GFT Glasgow, Fri 26 Jun—Thu 2 Jul.
* North By Northwest Hitchcock classic on new print. Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 3 Jul.
=l< The Hangover Pant-staining comedy. Out now, General release.
* The Corner David Simon’s The Wire precursor available in DVD box set for first time. Out now (Warner).
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