Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose

Don't expect side splitting comedy, be aware it's very British Humour, so much of the looks will be lost on those unaware.

The fact the mongoose is called Gef (Geoff) for instance gets +1 rating instantly, cause any animals called Geoff is obviously a winner.

Acting is first class throughout - what a cast! Lovely to see Tim Downie in anything, but look at all the rest of the cast: what a cast! And you can tell they had a lovely time filming it.

Pegg gets to put a performance in instead of Spaced/Cornetto, and it's marvellous.

The micro-expressions/looks and mugging are very well observed to how the British are. Captures small island Britain brilliantly... and that people are possibly just having a bit of a laugh.

The direction and DOP needs a mention, it understands what the story is and doesn't overplay it with weird angles. Gary the Dog did a tremendous job I have to say.

And just a call out for the OST, which is rather lovely indeed.

This movie was barely funny and had a very thin plot. I even paid to rent it from Prime and didn't bother watching the last 30 minutes because I didn't care what happened. The actors are wasted in this. There is a summary of the Gef mongoose incident in Wikipedia. Read that if you're curious. I don't watch movies for gorgeous camera work, unfortunately, so to me this is a solid 4. I'd rather watch a gripping story on videotape. This could've been cut down to an hour, easily--not that much happens! Editing, costumes, and camera work do not make up for a poor script. If you have insomnia, this could be a good choice for you. Normally I love Simon Pegg but this was just a very boring movie. I even enjoy Jane Austen movies, and "costume dramas," as they're called, with dense dialog and no action. There was just very little to hang onto here.

I had high hopes for this film. The cast, the acting, filming and all are excellent. Sadly, This story never takes flight. It makes its intended statements; let people believe what they want, and what happens next (after life), but doesn't make them in any interesting way. It falls flat on storytelling craft. There were so many ways to have created intrigue and explore the reasons why Jeff was so beloved, but none were taken. Why didnt we ever get to see mire of the daughters story? That was interesting, and it ended as soon as it started. So disappointing. And the way it ended was hollow, uninteresting and lazy.

I watched this on a longer train journey home this weekend, knowing it was a 5.3 rating at the time I queued it up. Was pleasantly surprised / intrigued and had to finish it off both on the tube then in bed when home.

Not quite sure what to make of it, leading me back to IMDb to check Trivia and other reviews! Knowing that it was based on true story, would have been useful to know beforehand.

A few of the characters seemed quite well acted, and even if perhaps a bit under-developed, Minnie Driver's acting seemed pretty good to my uncultured tastes. I'm curious what people might think of Simon Pegg's accent!

Amazing cast. Beautifully filmed. If I were a film student I would probably rave about the camera work and colour pallette/saturation, etc.

Alas, I am not. I do not, however begrudge any of the 120 minutes or so I spent watching and then going back to rewatch assuming I'd fallen asleep and missed the key plot point or story arc that had earned it such high ratings.

The cast, acting, editing, camera work, costume, and makeup can make up for a lot, but best to go in with low expectations for story and you won't be disappointed. It's a nice little tale, just not an 8. (current rating when I watched.)