I got this movie because I do like The Mighty Boosh and also the IT Crowd. Since the DVD case had a quote talking about how Bunny and the Bull was one of the most innovative British comedic films of the decade, it had a lot to live up to and it stopped short.
I did watch a marathon of Darkplace today, OK, it was a short marathon, but still, maybe this made me think Bunny and The Bull would be non-stop hi-jinx and laughters away. It started out well, with a guy who lives in his house and won't go outside. The scene where he finds his food marked with the days of the week eaten by mice then has to call the crab place for some depressing veggie mix is funny. It doesn't pick up speed from there. It goes from this well developed space to being awkward (but not even in a funny way) and less interesting.
Simon Farnaby, who reminds me of Julian Barratt from The Mighty Boosh and even played a double of Howard Moon (called Harold Moon) in one of my favorite episodes, The Power of the Crimp, is the funniest part of the film. I don't think he's given much to work with but tries to make it as funny as possible. Basically, if you laugh, 90% of the time, it will be him doing it. The lead, Edward Hogg, reminds me a lot of Noel Fielding, the two of them could be brothers. Noel Fielding plays Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh as the other main character to Howard Moon. So, this reminds me a lot of The Mighty Boosh with its actors and creative style. Yet, it isn't funny like the Mighty Boosh is. Picking two guys who look like the leads in his TV series, makes me wonder if Paul King didn't take the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to the two guys having crazy adventures route.
The road trip idea sounds like a good one, especially if done without leaving the house. I love the sets and the Michel Gondry-ness of it all. It does have a sort of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibe, but the opposite way, as Stephen the Shut-In (Hogg), reflects on his trip to Europe with Bunny (Farnaby). I was pretty sure what had happened to Bunny as Stephen had flashbacks every time he opened the eye piece on his door to look out...and it wasn't happy. There is a scene too, where a cartoon horse that stumbles so our hero's horse can win and they can go to Europe. But then the stumbled horse gets shot with a slash of red on the screen which isn't very funny or tragic, it's plain odd. I suppose it is meant to be ironic, but it's jarring to me. I am not really sure what the point of the movie was, other than to have Stephen go outside again and face his fears of the world. I mean, that could have been done in a more dramatic or funny way, this movie doesn't do either. It sort of sits on the fence, not wanting to make a choice. I do get how this movie is supposed to be in a mind and the mind can get tragedy mixed with comedy in odd ways, like a dream...so why I am not liking this? Even the bull part was Fisher King-like and I liked The Fisher King. This has so much I like in it, yet I can't get into its world and it is so frustrating!
Perhaps this wasn't supposed to be a comedy. Or maybe it's a drama with black comedy elements that I didn't get completely. But I like movies like that. I like The Mighty Boosh, Darkplace and IT Crowd. I like dark comedies. This film is totally marketed wrong from the quotes on the DVD. I would expected a little less laughs if this was marketed more like a depressing drama or deep yet quirky (meaning not a whole lot of laughs) indie film.
It plays like a depressing Mighty Boosh. Think of Mighty Boosh, then take the humor out for the most part and have it play like a serious deep yet quirky (meaning not that funny) indie film and there you go! :) OK, add in the fact that the Harold Moon like guy in this one gets the girls and the Vince Noir like guy doesn't and is a shut in...it's all about the same for me. This could have easily been a Mighty Boosh film with a few script edits. Overall, I didn't hate or love this film, I am sort of neutral to it, hence the 5. I watched it all the way through and didn't turn it off, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. Maybe it was just high hopes! If Paul King wasn't so good with other projects, I wouldn't be so judgmental!
I did watch a marathon of Darkplace today, OK, it was a short marathon, but still, maybe this made me think Bunny and The Bull would be non-stop hi-jinx and laughters away. It started out well, with a guy who lives in his house and won't go outside. The scene where he finds his food marked with the days of the week eaten by mice then has to call the crab place for some depressing veggie mix is funny. It doesn't pick up speed from there. It goes from this well developed space to being awkward (but not even in a funny way) and less interesting.
Simon Farnaby, who reminds me of Julian Barratt from The Mighty Boosh and even played a double of Howard Moon (called Harold Moon) in one of my favorite episodes, The Power of the Crimp, is the funniest part of the film. I don't think he's given much to work with but tries to make it as funny as possible. Basically, if you laugh, 90% of the time, it will be him doing it. The lead, Edward Hogg, reminds me a lot of Noel Fielding, the two of them could be brothers. Noel Fielding plays Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh as the other main character to Howard Moon. So, this reminds me a lot of The Mighty Boosh with its actors and creative style. Yet, it isn't funny like the Mighty Boosh is. Picking two guys who look like the leads in his TV series, makes me wonder if Paul King didn't take the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to the two guys having crazy adventures route.
The road trip idea sounds like a good one, especially if done without leaving the house. I love the sets and the Michel Gondry-ness of it all. It does have a sort of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibe, but the opposite way, as Stephen the Shut-In (Hogg), reflects on his trip to Europe with Bunny (Farnaby). I was pretty sure what had happened to Bunny as Stephen had flashbacks every time he opened the eye piece on his door to look out...and it wasn't happy. There is a scene too, where a cartoon horse that stumbles so our hero's horse can win and they can go to Europe. But then the stumbled horse gets shot with a slash of red on the screen which isn't very funny or tragic, it's plain odd. I suppose it is meant to be ironic, but it's jarring to me. I am not really sure what the point of the movie was, other than to have Stephen go outside again and face his fears of the world. I mean, that could have been done in a more dramatic or funny way, this movie doesn't do either. It sort of sits on the fence, not wanting to make a choice. I do get how this movie is supposed to be in a mind and the mind can get tragedy mixed with comedy in odd ways, like a dream...so why I am not liking this? Even the bull part was Fisher King-like and I liked The Fisher King. This has so much I like in it, yet I can't get into its world and it is so frustrating!
Perhaps this wasn't supposed to be a comedy. Or maybe it's a drama with black comedy elements that I didn't get completely. But I like movies like that. I like The Mighty Boosh, Darkplace and IT Crowd. I like dark comedies. This film is totally marketed wrong from the quotes on the DVD. I would expected a little less laughs if this was marketed more like a depressing drama or deep yet quirky (meaning not a whole lot of laughs) indie film.
It plays like a depressing Mighty Boosh. Think of Mighty Boosh, then take the humor out for the most part and have it play like a serious deep yet quirky (meaning not that funny) indie film and there you go! :) OK, add in the fact that the Harold Moon like guy in this one gets the girls and the Vince Noir like guy doesn't and is a shut in...it's all about the same for me. This could have easily been a Mighty Boosh film with a few script edits. Overall, I didn't hate or love this film, I am sort of neutral to it, hence the 5. I watched it all the way through and didn't turn it off, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. Maybe it was just high hopes! If Paul King wasn't so good with other projects, I wouldn't be so judgmental!