One for the Road

Humorous yet a bit depressing? Basic Premise: Group of alcoholics with drink driving charges have to go to a meeting, among them is a rich guy, who can give them a possibility of a future.

I saw the trailer, and originally kept away from it as it looked like a kind of full monty film. However I have been scraping the bottom of the barrel recently for films and there was a scene in the trailer that I thought it may have a few funny moments.

This film was a lot darker than I anticipated, I imagined it to start with typical English blokey jokes, but it seemed to start with a gloomier feel. It had quite catchy filming to begin with where they used character overviews where each character in the film speaks to the camera as if narrating there current situation, I like this in films, they usually use this method in a lot of gangster films Lock Stock\Snatch\Layer Cake.

I enjoyed segments of the film, there were some funny scenes especially in there AA course where the trainer was a typical trainer you could meet on any office training course using Ice Breakers and being a basic nonce. I did enjoy the film but there were a few character developments that were left untied, one especially seemed very sad. The last 20 minutes just seemed to meander for me as if maybe the film was trying to finish in a clever way but wasn't too sure how to. Some films have based there entire story line on the last 20 minutes of this one, so the ending seemed very hurried.

A lot of British comedies say they are comedies but this is because no one categorises them correctly, usually as long as there is one joke it's a comedy no matter how dark or depressing the film gets, I can never work out how Billy Elliot, Educating Rita, The Full Monty are classed as comedies, these to me are dramas with a few jokes thrown in. This was exactly the same for this film, the script was sharp and it did make me laugh, but it also made me depressed and the characters all looked like they had no futures, I don't believe films always need to answer themselves and sometimes films that make you think more (see Donnie Darko) are great to watch and discuss, however if a film sets up some scenes that need answers and don't you just feel a little bit empty from it.

Conclusion: Worth a watch but a strange feeling to the whole film. It's a Comedy in areas, but Drama definitely up there too.

Nothing like the boozy, comedy fusion of The Office and The Full Monty some half-cut lads mag reviews would have you believe.

Instead, once you get past the choppy attention-seeking visuals and lapses into a sixth former's idea of what constitutes street cred dialogue, Chris Cooke's debut is more akin to a seedy Glengarry Glen Ross.

An unlikely group comprising wannabe businessman Jimmy (Greg Chisholm), retired property dealer Richard (a portly and excellent Hywell Bennett), slacker cabbie Mark (Mark Davenport) and bitter alcoholic salesman Paul (Rupert Proctor) forms during a rehab course for drink drivers and frequently adjourns to the nicotine-stained bonhomie of a local pub.

It's mostly Jimmy's story and he's desperate to prove himself, egged on by cynical Paul to tap their rich new pal Richard for help.

Pub life here looks far grubbier than it did in the superior Last Orders and these characters are neither quirky nor likable; they're largely irredeemable pub bores, bigging themselves up to offset their shortcomings.

Yet while this capsizes any chance of a chuckle-fest, it does nevertheless serve to imbue events with a bleak, queasy humour.

If you're familiar with the films of Shane Meadows then give this a try. Located in the same region (Notts) as SM bases his films this has the same dry, deadpan humour with dark undertones and real settings.

I don't like making direct comparisons and although I've used Shane Meadows as a reference I think this stands on its own as a quality piece of work. The principal characters are pathetic to a man, drink drivers compulsorily attending a course to try to get their sentences reduced. Delusion plays a big part in their make up, almost endearing in their hopeless optimism. A British film that doesn't depend on cockney chancers and tasty geezers. Thank f........... See it/rent it/buy it. Simple as that.

I really wanted to like this film, but it boiled down to Lock, Stock and Two Broken Whiskey Bottles.

The plot concentrates on a group of convicted drink-drivers and their journey through 'alcoholism therapy' - how they deal with their misdemeanour and the effects that their drinking have on friends and family. However, it's not a dour tale of depressed drinkers or even alcoholics; it's four men going through crises and spending a lot of time in the pub.

The characters were strong, but have all been done before in 'Lock, Stock' and 'Trainspotting' - the young lad, the lairy misfit, the nice bloke trying to do good and the sensible one, but the plot was shot through. There was no real bite to the story, no surprises and no thrills. The tone was patronising and the visuals Trainspotting-esque.

Somewhere inside this film is a half decent idea - that idea is in seeing how normal people cope with their mistakes, attitudes, frailties and personalities - this idea is a comedy. For the two minutes this idea is given an airing the film is entertaining.

Unfortunately the other 90 minutes are abysmal. The plot is truly appalling. Confusing, irrelevant and most importantly deafeningly boring. The acting is likewise pitiful, although the characters are so badly conceived, two dimensional and irritating that it's possible (although unlikely) that the cast has some talent.

Not surprisingly therefore given the quality of the script it won't be a shock to learn the overly artsy directing is of equally low standard. I've seen this film and its director compared to other British directors, notably Shane Meadows and Ken Loach. Those are two talented directors who have interesting stories to tell, unlike Cooke in every sense. Britain's have produced enough films of note that we don't have to accept rubbish like this. Dead Mans Shoes and Dog Soldiers have proved we have true class in the film making stakes - not to mention a certain C. Nolan. You would need to drink as much as the characters to believe that this is anything other than a shallow, worthless film.