'The Cricklewood Greats' will bring back nostalgic memories not just for those who recall the British film industry of the mid-20th century, but also for those who recall Harry Enfield's hilarious 'Norbert Smith: A Life', which took a similar approach (the documentary parody) to the same subject matter. Enfield's effort was arguably funnier, partly because in Peter Capaldi's film, the stories followed seem more arbitrarily assembled (in 'Nobert Smith', a single actor provided a link); but Capaldi is (expectedly) good in mocking the forms of the modern celebrity-led documentary, where everything is presented as that most weary of clichés, the personal journey. Other than this, Capaldi's targets are fairly obvious: I smiled a lot, but Norbert had me in hysterics.
Review of The Cricklewood Greats
