Three and Out

I saw this not knowing what to expect, and I'm glad that I didn't expect loads of laughs. I suppose it is a dark comedy if anything, but it delivered something much more meaningful, and I was hooked in immediately to the human drama that enfolded. I really wanted to know what happened to the characters, all of whom seemed 3-dimensional, and I cared about their fates. The performances were excellent, especially Colm Meaney as Tommy and Mackenzie Crook as Paul, but Imelda Staunton was wonderful as always. I wanted to see whether the characters would go through with their intentions, because several outcomes seemed possible, and the plot kept me guessing. The ending was emotional and in a strange way very satisfying, and not unrealistically optimistic either. If you are going to deal with the subject of suicide, this is a very effective and thought-provoking film and succeeds on several levels. It deserves a higher rating than it has so far.

This is an entertaining British movie, kind of in the tradition of "Shaun of the Dead" (but without the zombies) or "Keeping Mum". Like those films it is a pitch-black comedy, but with a surprisingly soft heart at its center.

The story is about a London tube driver (MacKenzie Crook)who has accidentally run over two people in a month and will receive a retirement pension if he hits a third. So he tries to find a suicidal candidate who will agree to jump in front of his train. Naturally, his plans go hilariously awry. He first goes on the internet and meets an extreme German pervert who wants to be eaten (making hilarious light of a very disturbing incident that really did happen in German). He finally settles on a suicidal vagrant (Colm Meaney), but before they complete their "deal", he winds up accompanying, his new associate on a trip to the Lake District to have a final reconciliation with his estranged wife and embittered adult daughter (Gemma Areton).

Colm Meaney really makes this movie. He is very funny, but also a very tragic and redemptive character who really allows this movie to transcend its initial very funny, but obviously very silly, conceit to become something genuinely moving. Gemma Areton has a smaller part as his daughter, but she is both genuinely boner-inducing and really great. Frankly, her nude scene is worth the price of admission all by itself, but the movie still would have been good without it. As for Crook, he is more than adequate, as is Imelda Staunton as the wife. I'd definitely recommend this one.

Way back even before this film even premiered at the cinema, the main London Underground tube drivers Union ASLEF were up in arms about this film being insensitive and that people falling under trains and suicide is not something to be laughed about. I don't know what they thought this film was about, or whether they had seen a completely different film to me, but I would struggle to class this as a comedy at all. It's a serious drama about a serious subject, and although, yes, there might be one or two chuckles here and there, this isn't an all-out comedy and never pretends to be. It's a serious look at Colm Meaney's character Tommy, his relationship with his wife and daughter and how it came to be that he is willing to throw himself in front of Mackenzie Crooks train. There is actually very little of the movie set underground at all - it soon takes on a road movie type trip through Liverpool (with a (thankfully brief) cameo by Atomic Kitten's Kerry Katona) and then onto Cumbria and the Lake District, no doubt to try and encourage movie-goers to holiday in the area.

Colm Meaney is better than he ever was in Star Trek, Imelda Staunton is there because after all this is a Brit flick and it says in her contract somewhere that she must star in every new British film going, while relative newcomer Gemma Arterton (last seen in St Trinians)puts on a Scouse accent for this role and does her rising career no harm at all - the new 007 film is up next, and the girl has a promising future in front of her. Mackenzie Crook I'm not so sure about. I was never a fan of "The Office" in the first place, but he seems to do well enough here - he and Meaney make a good team, it's just a shame that nearly all the original publicity back in April 2008 was negative, focusing mainly on the objections of the ASLEF union to a film that they had obviously not seen. Agreed, deaths under the wheels of trains aren't funny - I've researched my family tree and one distant relative did die this way and the inquest report makes for grim reading - I've no doubt that this is a very traumatic experience for any driver unlucky enough to hit and kill someone and no laughing matter - but then this film is no laughing matter either. It deals with a sensitive subject matter very well. I don't really see what all the fuss was about. I'd have thought the average IMDb score would be a lot better than it is currently. Ignore all the newspaper stories and judge for yourself. If any film deserves a second chance it is this one - surely a contender for the best British film of 2008.

I avoided anything with Mackenzie Crook in, because I had always associated him with Ricky Gervais, and I absolutely hate Ricky Gervais. I then saw' The Detectorists 'which I absolutely fell in love with, and saw Mackenzie in a different light, which led me to watching this. What a great film, characters you care about, excellent performances, unique story line and lots of subtle laughs.

'Three and Out', a film largely based around a character wanting to kill himself, is in all its irony, genuinely heartfelt, compelling and utterly hilarious as both a dark comedy and a solid character drama. There is no denying that this is not going to be for everyone, as the entire experience could be just as depressing to some as it could be amusing to others, but that's what makes it so interesting and refreshing. Furthermore, despite the film's grim premise I was pleasantly surprised that much of it is done in a tactful and tasteful manner, taking time to develop plot and character substantially enough to transform the otherwise quirky gimmick into a solid piece of character drama that never lets down. Sure enough this is by no means a perfect picture yet it certainly deserves a lot more praise than it has so far garnered; especially considering the ballsy themes and jet black tone which it adopts straight from the opening scenes.

What makes the film as effective as it is lies heavily on its script which takes time to develop fully realised, empathetic and highly likable characters, complete with three dimensions and who are consistently engaging. There are nevertheless moments when the writing does resort to certain stereotypes, but such instances are only ever used with good intentions and subtle shades, never truly distracting from the experience. The writers use their characters to successfully justify and back up the drama spliced throughout the piece, which when attempted with less well rounded characters would feel tacked on and cheap. 'Three and Out' more often than not gets it spot on however, with only a couple moments here and there which take things a little too far into overdone melodrama.

The best thing about having such characters though is that they too can pull off comedy when called upon, delivering many instances of tastefully done dark wit, derived mostly from the characters themselves. It's a hard thing to do no doubt, and although the balance of comedy and drama can shift rather drastically, for the most part they are blended together with great care, resulting in mostly flowing transitions between the two. As mentioned, the comedy itself is extremely dark, specifically when involving the subject of suicide. Yet thanks to the very careful, precise direction from newcomer Jonathan Gershfield, such usages are both emotively effective in the ways which you would expect from the themes, but they also manage to retain a sense of light-heartedness which can be rather disorientating from an everyday perspective, yet this is largely where dark humour draws its absurdities from, and it works brilliantly here.

The story is a bit of a double edged sword in that while certain elements are extremely interesting and move along with easily sustainable momentum, there are drops every now and again which don't work quite as well and drag the pace of the film to a much more disengaging level. Although things never quite get too slow, for too long, these small imperfections become rather irritating in context of the otherwise high-quality writing. Nevertheless the majority of the plot is wonderfully low-key, occupying just a weekend but taking you on a journey full of hilarious situations, compelling characters and homely locations (at least if you reside in the UK). It's a journey that becomes far more than its simple plot however and seems endless thanks to the people who occupy it. Perhaps most enjoyable of all though is that it always feels familiar and genuine, with very little fabrication or contrivance to be found.

Performances from the cast are terrific and are certainly one of, if not the greatest highlight of the feature with both Crook and Meaney conveying the tone of the film created through their characters perfectly, never coming off as over or underdone. I was a big fan of Crook's work in The Office, and was pleasantly surprised to find him playing a role similar but also distinctly different. He's incredibly emotive when he needs to be and brings a real down-to-earth- flavour to his character that really helps solidify the mature, intelligent focus of the feature, filling the lead role competently. Meaney who I have grown far more used to seeing in a Starfleet uniform and being neglected to repeating such lines as 'Yes, of course captain' is much better used here, given plenty of room to show his superb acting capabilities. He nails the big-hearted but flawed Tommy Cassidy brilliantly, bringing charm and charisma to the duo. Both share brilliant interactions and the chemistry is high enough to meet the demands for both the comedy and drama. The supporting cast hold their own but never have much screen time enough to really show much worth mentioning, although Staunton does share some rather touching scenes with Meaney that really brings out the best of her abilities, along with Meaney's softer side.

In the end I found 'Three and Out' to be a highly moving, compelling and original piece of comedic drama. There are low points here and there but thankfully they never distract or take too much away from the entire experience which is for the most part, well developed and realistically entertaining. With terrific performances, down to earth characterisation that constantly feels familiar, and an entertaining, refreshingly dark plot, the film is certainly not without its highlights. If ever there was a misunderstood film of this year, this would probably share the top spot with 'The Good Night'. Regardless, 'Three and Out' is well worth your attention if you like your comedy black and your drama relevant; a solid piece of British film-making.