sparky-113

Who was the hero, and who was the villain in this? Can't work it out. Are we supposed to root for the FBI, aided by convicted IRA terrorist, and cheeky chappy Richard Gere? Or are we to root for the Jackal who want's to kill the first lady?

Which is worse? Guy who wants to shoot the presidents wife, or guy who was part of an organisation that mames and murders innocent children? It's a toughy.

I think we were supposed to side with Gere and the whole valiant struggle against the imperialistic oppressors angle. The romantic battle for freedom and one mans fight for love and revenge against the man who murdered his unborn child. Didn't quite gel with me I'm afraid. Maybe being British meant I had trouble rooting for an IRA terrorist. In fact, I had trouble with the way the film treated a convicted IRA terrorist as a fundamentally good man, focused on his love story and loss, and ultimately allowed him to charge through the streets with a gun because he gave his word he wouldn't do anything bad.

The whole film is testament to the flippancy shown towards terrorism by America in the past, when it was "somebody elses" problem. I wonder how Gere's character would be portrayed nowadays, and instead of being an IRA terrorist how about an Al-Qaeda terrorist instead. Would he still be a loveable rogue?

This is one of the best written, best observed comedies of recent times. True, you do tend to watch it through your fingers uttering "Oh my god" whilst feeling utter embarrassment, but that is it's charm. The characters are so well fleshed out, and it's nice to see characters "playing up" to the camera, rather than ignoring it like a "fly on the wall" documentary. That is how people react to a camera, they show off.

I have read a few people rate the humour as subtle, but I disagree with that. I think the humour is purely based in the pleasure found in the misfortune of others. This is a British trait, and may explain why some none British viewers don't get it. It is very similar to Pheonix Nights (also worth watching) in that respect.

There are some pure gags in there, like Frey Bentos, leader of Cuba, but mostly the comedy comes from the characters. You may not like the characters, but you can't help but be drawn to them as real people.

So who will find The Office funny?

Well, imagine you see somebody trip and fall in the street do you :-

A) Laugh B) Help Them

If you answer B) then The Office probably isn't for you. If you answered A) then brace yourself for a barrel load of cringeworthy moments, that will have you squirming in your seat.

10/10. Simply perfect.

I won't pretend to be a film buff who reads into the underlying messages and social comment of a film. I watch films to be entertained. And I wasn't. Slow, boring and tedious.

The only thing that kept me watching 'til the end was the fact that I thought this was a comedy. "It must get funny in a minute". It doesn't. There are some moderately humerous bits, but more chuckle worthy than funny.

A comedy it isn't, more a moving account of a mans self worth, how he deals with regret, loss, and how he longs for his life to have meaning. There are some chuckles, but then again, that does just about sums up life, doesn't it????