The Search for John Gissing

I sought this out first and foremost for Alan Rickman, and I wasn't disappointed. He gets so few opportunities to play comedy and that's really a crime. At one point I literally spit across the room from laughing so hard (fortunately wasn't eating at the time). Janeane is her standard delightfully sarcastic self, though tragically underused. This seems to be all about Mike Binder playing Woody Allen (I'm really not that into either actor). Some scenes are obviously only a setup to one key line for him to say. The jump cuts mentioned earlier I thought at first were an artistic attempt, but eventually get very, very annoying.

The DVD has an impressive amount of extras for being privately released, no complaints there. The supporting actors were all very good, but really the only reason to see this is for Mr. Rickman's performance. This has easily shot to the top three in my collection of his films.

I am writing about a film, The search for john gissing which i saw not so long ago. I went on my own, as a lover of Alan Rickman, my friends do not see the attraction to this mans work like I. I sat, and enjoyed with laughter. The direction of the film was unique, giving a comical view to everything, gittered movements, and camera angles added amusement. The performance of all of the actors were supurb, from extras to the main cast its self. A totally enjotable film!

I went into this to see one of Mrs. Garofalo's rare film titles not expecting anything but maybe a reality bites type of film. What I got was a fantastic surprise.

I will admit the first half of this film got annoying because Mike Binder's constant complaining about the situation wore on me but when he and Gissing meet, hold onto your seat, your gonna laugh. Binder sure picked a great supporting cast to round out this little gem. Alan Rickman is a comic genius in this one. He's the star of this w/o a doubt. In the beginning you will loathe him but in the end you'll be rooting for him. Every character in this is funny. Every actor was casted perfectly for this film.

How this film slipped under the radar and isn't any bigger than it is is a surprise to me. It's an absolute winner. If your bored one night and are searchin your netflix cue, browse to this title and wait for it...your gonna love it.

This film is HILARIOUS!!! One of the funniest comedies I have seen in a long, long time. Director/screenwriter Mike Binder has created a masterpiece with this film. Starring Mike Binder in the lead role as Matthew, the fumbling corporate lackey sent to England to relocate with his wife, a splendid Janeane Garofalo, the comedy of errors does not stop for this poor man. Alan Rickman stars as John Gissing, the sabotaging company man who is about to be ousted by the very person he is to train to replace him - and thus makes every attempt to sidetrack Matthew. Not since "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" has there been this many natural comedic outlays. The story, the characters, the interactions - it all works, and very well. Brilliant! A must see!!

In this film, Mike Binder (who also directed) is an American businessman named Matthew Barnes who just arrived in London with his wife (played by Janeane Garofalo), where Matthew is supposed to take over the final negotiations for a big merger with a German firm. Unfortunately, all of the arrangements were made by John Gissing (Alan Rickman), who feels passed over for the job and sabotages Matthew at every turn. Another key character is their boss, Francois (played by Allan Corduner, who played Sullivan in "Topsy-Turvy").

All of the characters are interesting, as is the direction and editing (which features lots of jump cuts). All in all I was pleasantly surprised given the poor review I had read in the local newspaper. Seen at Cinequest (the San Jose, CA film festival), where it was the opening night film on 2/21/2002.