Film Reviews
BIOPIC SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL (18) tbcmin ●●●●●
Michael Winterbottom protégé Mat Whitecross (The Road to Guantanamo, The Shock Doctrine) shows a previously unseen penchant for the spectacular in this amusing biopic of Ian Dury. Whitecross sets up the story as a vaudeville act fronted by the musician in which fantasy, dreams and realism are mixed to discuss Dury’s life in a thematic rather than chronological manner. Stylistically, it’s reminiscent of Bronson, Nicolas Winding Refn’s excellent 2008 biopic on notorious prisoner Charles Bronson. Andy Serkis plays Dury as a brash, no-nonsense and
often confused man, whose rebellious nature made him a charismatic personality, terrible lover and great songwriter (he penned such classics as ‘Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick’ and ‘What a Waste’). It’s a bravado performance that plays to Serkis strength as an actor, a tough guy with no fears. This does, though, cause problems especially when Whitecross wants to show Dury’s more tender side and such is Serkis’ presence on screen that the performances of his fellow actors
struggle in his shadow.
Olivia Williams who plays his first wife Betty and
Naomie Harris who plays his groupie mistress are not given sufficient work to play with, especially as it’s this love triangle around which the action set in reality revolves. At other times, we enter the mind of Dury, but the flashbacks to his troubled relationships with his father (Ray Winstone) and schoolteacher (Toby Jones) are dealt with too heavy-handedly and feel clichéd. Much more successful is the treatment of Dury’s various illnesses: his diagnosis with polio aged 10; his efforts to raise awareness of autism in 1982 and death following a cancer battle almost 10 years ago. The song ‘Spasticus Autisticus’ gets an excellent outing. Indeed it’s one of the main attractions of the movie that the songs feature strongly and Whitecross doesn’t try to show a refined taste and thankfully veers towards the classics. Many of the songs are accompanied by colourful music videos that punctuate the action and serve as reminders of Dury’s days as an art student. Largely entertaining, but not without fault, much like Dury himself. (Kaleem Aftab) ■ General release from Fri 8 Jan.
COMEDY IT’S COMPLICATED (15) 118min ●●●●●
Eschewing Hollywood’s usual tendency towards ageism Something’s Gotta Give and The Holiday writer/director Nancy Meyers’ new film is a farce of revived lust. Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep play ex- husband and wife who suddenly get the hots for each other after ten years apart. While Baldwin’s Jake – now married to a much younger model, with a nightmare toddler in tow – jumps at the chance, Streep’s bakery owner Jane is initially appalled at her own behaviour. Also in Jane’s life is an architect, Adam (Steve Martin), working on her property, who hasn’t dated since his divorce and takes a shine to his client. As with Meyers’ previous film
outings, if you like your comedy with a bit of edge, this certainly isn’t the film for you. If you are less choosy there are some fun moments – notably when Jane and Adam get high at a party and a hilarious set piece involving a laptop web chat and a naked Alec Baldwin. The Office’s John Krasinski also makes an appearance as Jane’s would-be son-in-law, though he’s too often relied upon to provide cheap comic relief. Ultimately It’s Complicated can only really be judged by the performers’ response to the screenplay: Baldwin has a giggle, Martin is left with a thankless task, while Streep never quite seems comfortable with the material. Uneven but not unfunny. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 8 Jan.
DRAMA/HORROR THE ROAD (15) 111min ●●●●● As far as apocalyptic movies go, this is a lot better than sitting through Armageddon and The Day After Tomorrow. And yet, John Hillcoat’s largely faithful, and highly creditable, adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s text still proves unsatisfying. Hillcoat and cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe have successfully recreated the barren, grey, burnt out landscape described of the book, Mortensen is admirable as the man journeying with his son (Kodi Smit-Mcphee) and it’s bleak in a way that Hollywood rarely dares to be. However, it isn’t quite bleak enough – insufficient dead bodies on the road, no barbecued baby, and there is a dog that comes straight out of Disney. The flashbacks featuring his wife (Charlize Theron) are padded out with a tension that focuses in on the question whether life is worth living when hope dies. In the novel this dilemma revolves around faith in God, a pertinent aspect of a story written and published in the aftermath of 9/11. Even with an overused voiceover this adaptation is at times frustratingly more about the physical rather than existential journey and the omission of God as a character loses the commentary on personal faith and religion in America that is central to the author’s writing. (Kaleem Aftab) ■ General release from Fri 8 Jan.
46 THE LIST 7–21 Jan 2010