Mubi Monday: The Angels' Share (2012)

Robbie (Paul Brannigan) is a thug when we first see him in The Angels' Share. His criminal history paints an ugly picture, one he can never seem to change due to an ongoing feud and the facial scar that leads to him being pre-judged wherever he goes. He is, however, ready to try and change his life. His girlfriend (Leonie, played by Siobhan Reilly) is due to have their baby, and his latest bout of community service sees him benefiting from the kindness of the driver/supervisor, Harry (John Henshaw). This leads to him, and a few of his fellow criminals, being shown the world of whisky tasting, which leads to them hatching a plan. That plan is based around the idea of the angel's share, a portion of the whisky that is lost from the cask by evaporation.

On the surface, this comedy-drama would seem like an unexpected outing from director Ken Loach, best known for his filmography being practically bursting at the seams with social commentary, especially when it comes to the class divide in the UK. But, working once again with writer Paul Laverty (the pair have been quite the team now for over two decades), it soon becomes apparent that this is exactly the kind of tale that Loach would enjoy telling. It has some big laughs, arguably some of the biggest in any Loach film, but also never strays too far away from the focus on how people often become trapped in bad lives, and how it only takes one or two acts of kindness to sometimes really help turn things around for them. Although everything here is based around whisky, and steeped in the Scottish landscape and language, the scenario faced by the main character is one that many face throughout the UK.

Brannigan is a very likeable lead, even in the scenes that have him violently reacting to the other men who won't let him keep his past in the past, and he's surrounded by a great selection of characters. Henshaw is the agent of change that the younger ones need, treating them with decency and kindness that they don't get from many other people. Reilly is sweet as the woman who wants the best for her family, Jasmin Riggins (billed as Jasmine Riggins) is the light-fingered woman who proves essential to the plan, and William Ruane and Gary Maitland are the other members of the group, with Maitland getting most of the best lines playing a character who is far from the sharpest sgian-dubh in the drawer.

Making good use of his locations, mainly Glasgow but also some moments in Edinburgh and further afield, Loach creates something that, overall, sits very nicely near the top of the pile of many great films that have made the most of Scotland. Those who don't like swearing my wince every now and then, and there's one absolutely disgusting moment that I always forget about until I rewatch the movie, and then it makes me gag again, but most people should find plenty to enjoy here. Even if it is another film to use I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) on the soundtrack.

8/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.

Mubi Monday: Tamara Drewe (2010)

As is mentioned in almost every discussion of Tamara Drewe, it is a film based on a graphic novel (by Posy Simmonds) that is itself loosely, although not too loosely, based on "Far From The Madding Crowd", by Thomas Hardy. The Hardy novel is namechecked just a minute or two into the film, just in case people weren't aware of the connection, and I am sure that fans of his work will have extra fun spotting the similarities in this modernised riff on his work.

I must confess that my knowledge of Hardy extends to knowing of his name and seeing a couple of movies based on his works. I have not, as yet, ever made my way through one of his novels, and the chance of me changing that situation soon looks very unlikely, as my "to watch" and "to read" piles grow in inverse relation to the spare time I have available. I don't say this in an attempt to boast of my ignorance, because I really do wish that I had the time to get through more classic literature, but am rather hoping to acknowledge that others may enjoy Tamara Drewe more than I did.

This film just didn't work for me, which is surprising when you consider the wonderful cast. Gemma Arterton, Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Tamsin Greig, John Allam, and Bill Camp all give good performances, and they are all people I have enjoyed in other roles, but they just can't do enough to overcome the biggest problem; it's hard to care about most of the main characters.

Arterton is Tamara Drewe, a young woman who returns to the small village she grew up in, aiming to renovate the family home and sell it. She's blossomed during her time away, and also had a nose job. The main people taking interest in her return are a farmhand who used to be in love with here (Luke Evans), and maybe still is, a philandering writer (Roger Allam), the long-suffering wife of the philandering writer (Tamsin Greig), and a couple of young girls who spend their time being generally nosey and up to mischief. There's also a rock band playing nearby, which leads to Tamara getting involved with the drummer (Dominic Cooper), who is on the rebound after a very recent and public separation from his partner.

Director Stephen Frears has given us some great films over the years, including at least one personal favourite of mine (The Grifters), so I was pleased to see his name attached to this, along with that great cast. I'm not sure what went wrong here, and maybe other people would argue that nothing at all went wrong anyway, but it feels like he doesn't have a good handle on the material. The script, by Moira Buffini, doesn't help at all, and I am not sure if that is mostly her fault or a fault with the source material, but it creates a number of situations that could have been played out in a number of different ways and then, for me, picks the worst possible variant. The drama doesn't work because of the characters being largely impossible to care about, the comedy doesn't work because it's just not funny enough to make up for the more serious elements, it's not an enjoyable romance, and there aren't even any major consequences for MOST of the main players.

It looks nice enough throughout, the lovely rural setting helps to make this a comfortable vewing experience, it's technically all well and good, and the cast all do what's asked of them, but this is a disappointing film that could have worked better as a 6-part BBC series, in my opinion.

4/10

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