Swede Caroline

I went into Swede Caroline not knowing exactly what to expect, and I was completely blown away. This film is an absolute gem! It's the perfect blend of British humor and originality.

Jo Hartley is brilliant as Caroline and instantly lovable. There is brilliant comedy throughout with just the right amount of absurdity - which you can expect from writer/director - Brook Driver. The story of a giant vegetable-growing competition might sound niche, but trust me, it's gold. The mockumentary style works perfectly, pulling you into the small-town drama in the most hilarious way.

What I loved most is how, even though the film is pretty bonkers, it still has real heart. The writing is sharp and there are lots of laugh out loud moments.

I had hoped for a relaxing, undemanding and quintessentially British spoof. What a disappointment. The script was devoid of real belly laughs, raising at best a few stifled grunts from the audience ( which could have been snores, because I found my own eyelids drooping at times). And I may be out of fashion these days, but using the word 'fu***ing' so often doesn't actually make the script any funnier, as the shock factor has long lost its effect.

But the really damning verdict is the script's unremitting amateurishness. It is what one might expect from second-year students on a drama degree course at one of the UK's lesser known universities.

In all the years I've been married to my wife, I've never once seen her laugh!

Sure, she didn't laugh at this film either. But I sure did!

My wife is a straight up drip to be honest. There were moments in this film that any normal person would absolutely piss their pants. Like literally hilarious moments... not my wife though.

To be honest, we've been together so long now that we've just slipped into the drudgery of everyday life. I know it's gonna take more than one film about big massive vegetables to break us out of that, but at least it gave me something to smile about.

So if you need something to lift your spirits and take your mind off your miserable, miserable life, this is the film for you!

So I have to say I love spoof documentaries & when they're done well they're brilliant

We have a history of making good ones in the UK , The office being a great case in point & the American version actually was better in some ways & ran for 9 seasons .

Then there's the wedding ones like Confetti & Wedding video which were both great .

And from the other side of the pond there's best in show which was excellent

And the king of kings playing to an audience on both sides is Spinal Tap & it's comic strip copycat The bad news tour.

And Borat & all his other characters deserves a mention & the brilliant Rutles all you need is cash.

And finally Mike Bassett England manager

All were great sadly Swede Caroline wasn't . It a few laughs & a great musical score including the original version by the poet John Cooper Clarke of the Artic Monkeys I wanna be yours

But it failed on the whole for what it ought have been and that was funny

It had some comedy , Richard Lumsden stood out for comedy as Paul & Celyn Jones as Willy was the stand out actor , though Jo Hartley put in great performance as Caroline

It was ok , it just wasn't great , watch BEST IN SHOW and you'll see what I mean & I had hoped it would be as good

You might enjoy it more than me , for me it never really got in to top gear but the second half was better than the first as soon as they got to Willy's mother's house it went up a gear

Average

Pad. A 5/10.

A comedy gem - wonderfully absurd!

Swede Caroline is a hilarious mockumentary that feels both fresh and quintessentially British, following a community obsessed with competitive vegetable growing.

Jo Hartley is brilliant as the lead, bringing charm and authenticity to her role as Caroline, making you root for her from start to finish. Every supporting character is more delightfully odd than the last, creating a world that feels at once completely ridiculous but also entirely relatable.

The mockumentary format is used perfectly to capture the small-town rivalries, personal ambitions and hilarious character quirks throughout. The brilliant writing and clever dialogue, delivered with pitch-perfect timing makes this a real joy to watch.

A must-watch for anyone who loves a smart, character-driven comedy. It's a story with a lot of heart, all wrapped up in a world of giant vegetables. Proving that the best comedies are homegrown!