Whisky Galore

Remake of the classic Ealing comedy - a Scottish island runs out of whisky until a ship carrying thousands of bottles heading for America runs aground.

Whilst this lacks some of the mischief and whimsy of the original and is a bit slow to find its feet, this is nevertheless a rather charming take with a real sense of affection and community between the locals. Fisher is terrific, as is the always reliable James Cosmo as the fire and brimstone priest. Sweet with one great joke about a broken toilet door.

A lacklustre remake of the classic 1940s Ealing comedy which fails to achieve the whimsical charm for which it is clearly aiming despite the best efforts of Gregor Fisher and Eddie Izzard.

Hated it at the start, warmed up to it slightly halfway through, mainly due to the scenery. I just watched Whisky Galore! (1949) a few weeks ago and thought it was brilliant, and it still holds up pretty damn well so I don't get why this was remade. Eddie Izzard is utterly dreadful in this version and his scenes are difficult to watch. Gregor Fisher and James Cosmo were entertaining in their roles but it wasn't enough to turn it around for me. This remake just felt bland and lifeless.

'WHISKY GALORE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A British World War II comedy, that's based on the 1949 film of the same name. The movie tells the story of a group of Scottish islanders, on the Isle of Todday, that attempt to steal 50,000 cases of whiskey from a ship stranded offshore. It's set during the 1940s, when whiskey rationing was in effect. The film stars Gregor Fisher, Eddie Izzard, Sean Biggerstaff and Naomi Battrick. It was directed by Gillies MacKinnon and it was written by Peter McDougall (a veteran TV writer). The film has received mostly positive reviews from the critics that have reviewed it. I enjoyed it as well.

The story is set in 1941, and it's loosely based on true events. The Scottish islanders living on the Isle of Todday were suffering from severe whisky shortage (due to the rationing that was in effect during World War II). When they hear about a ship stranded on the rocks just offshore, called the SS Cabinet, that was carrying 50,000 cases of Scotch whiskey to America, they decide the opportunity to steal the whiskey is just too good to pass up. They're only problem is a Home Guard officer, named Captain Wagget (Izzard), who is determined to maintain law and order on the island.

The movie is funny and extremely upbeat; even given the subject matter of theft on a grand scale (and in reality a large amount of money was stolen from the ship as well). It reminds me of a lot of other Scottish and Irish islander comedies I've seen (like 'WAKING NED DEVINE'). If you enjoy that type of film, you'll probably get a good kick out of this. I think it's a well made and enjoyable movie, but it's also nothing too memorable though.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://vimeo.com/226937840

A pleasant enough way to pass a spare hour and a half, sadly it lacks the truly Scottishness of the original with its subtle humour and the gentleness of the island tongue.