Out on a Limb

Personally, I really enjoyed this movie and found it extremely funny in parts. The premise is almost bog standard classic British farce (and there is nothing wrong with that at all) and I totally endorse the Woody Allen reference made in another review. This is very cleverly put together with a perfect combination of a very witty script, a good director and some excellent performances.

The ever reliable Henry Goodman is great as the TV chef whilst the always watchable and very underrated Neil Stuke delivers yet another good comedy performance as the leader of the hostage takers.

Summary, as good a low-budget British movie as you will see this year.

I do not want to give too much away about this film as it is worth watching not knowing the sequence of the events as the film unfolds.

This black comedy is about a TV chef whose days are numbered and his show is axed by the producers.

He is at the end of his tether about the loss of his show, his celebrity lifestyle and reputation as a chef. What is he to do?

He throws a dinner party an a subsequent events are a combination of tense and tragi-comic action.

The film is carried a long at a steady pace as the characters and plot evolve until the arrival of uninvited guests when the pace becomes frantic.

The excellent work of the director Robert Heath is ably supported by a very strong cast. It was a pleasure to derive such entertainment from a British film

This was such a wasted opportunity. The main character was so weak - what where these silly film makers thinking? Quite a wasted opportunity. Something else also bothered me - but I can't quite put my finger on it - the picture quality seemed off. Maybe I need to watch it again I am wondering what the budget was for this movie? Was it a low budget film or a student project? Something was definitely not right here. I could see the potential here but I think the boat was missed in a big way.

I wanted to laugh in so many places but I was being told to laugh by the direction, but it just didn't hit the right note.

I enjoyed Out on a Limb - it made me laugh out loud. I felt that the storyline cleverly linked into todays obsession with 'celebrity' and the lengths to which people will go in order to remain in the public eye. (I can no longer watch TV chefs without wondering) It is refreshing to see a film using 'low tech' filming techniques, which in this case created a normal yet off kilter ambiance which suited the English style black humour of the production perfectly. I liked the speeded up time sequences. The direction brought out strong performances from the main actors who delivered. I liked the final sequence which left my friends and I laughing at the end of the DVD. It's always good to end on a laugh. Good film.

I saw this movie a few months ago at a preview at the London offices of Channel 4 - the director was there. the movie is a very witty look at the nature of modern media - using the ubiquitous presence of a TV chef who now finds his career on the slide - as the focal point. It blends this with a "heist gone wrong" scenario - all of which takes place during a dinner party - and a subsequent series of meals. As they eat, the characters find themselves shifting roles - those under siege take over the siege, those who staged the siege want out - and everyone wants to exploit their 15 minutes of fame. It's a clever black comedy - almost a British Woody Allen picture (his later period!) - well acted by a strong cast. It made me laugh - it made me think - and more than anything - it made me recognise. Recommemnded.