Minor spoilers.
"Very Annie Mary" giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other. It has some hilarious vignettes and the acting of Rachel Griffiths, who is always a joy to watch, is often inspired. I can forgive this film a a lot for the chance to see Ioan Gruffudd performing, with camp deliciousness, 'Annie Get Your Gun'.
But we're never sure whether we should be crying with Annie Mary, laughing with her, or laughing at her. As scripted, she seems almost simple minded; many of the film's moments of humiliation that she endures are purely her own fault. The story lurches from parody of the crudest sort - the cheap laughs got from the pop group - to pathos and tragedy, with very few ropes to guide the viewer across the ravines. Most crucially, the key device of the film, Annie Mary's voice, fails to convince - a comment made by my friend, and she liked the film.
There should be more good Welsh films. Sadly, this ain't one of them.
"Very Annie Mary" giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other. It has some hilarious vignettes and the acting of Rachel Griffiths, who is always a joy to watch, is often inspired. I can forgive this film a a lot for the chance to see Ioan Gruffudd performing, with camp deliciousness, 'Annie Get Your Gun'.
But we're never sure whether we should be crying with Annie Mary, laughing with her, or laughing at her. As scripted, she seems almost simple minded; many of the film's moments of humiliation that she endures are purely her own fault. The story lurches from parody of the crudest sort - the cheap laughs got from the pop group - to pathos and tragedy, with very few ropes to guide the viewer across the ravines. Most crucially, the key device of the film, Annie Mary's voice, fails to convince - a comment made by my friend, and she liked the film.
There should be more good Welsh films. Sadly, this ain't one of them.