So, let's talk about Steve Coogan for a moment. I'm not his biggest fan (though my friends may not believe me), and it's mainly because I don't like the awkward comedy wheel to which he revolves. But that doesn't mean that I don't like some of his stuff. Like 24 Hour Party People or even Around the World in 80 Days, which is probably one of the worst adaptations ever made (and one day we will get to it). I still don't understand why he appears in so many kids films, and always in supporting roles. Well, apart from The Wind in the Willows. Wow, doing this introduction has made me realise just how many films of his that I've seen. Anyway, let's take a look at Coogan's first staring role directed by Australia's own John Duigan.
Probation officer Simon Garden (Coogan) is forced to move from Blackpool to Manchester after everyone in his department complained against him, and then just to make his day worse he witnesses his boss, Detective Inspector Burton (Stephen Dillane), murder an accountant. Now, the only way to clear his name is to steal the security tape that documented the crime with the help of George (Om Puri), Jeff (Steven Waddington) and Colin (Ben Miller), his only three successfull probation cases. They are then joined by Kirsty (Emma Williams), a feisty teenager who had drugs planted on her by Burton, and they get help from police officer Emma (Lena Heady). But will they be able to get the tape out without getting arrested in the process? (Obvious spoiler: They get the tape.)
So, by now you've probably noticed the first problem with this film. The main character is a probation officer rather than a parole officer. I guess The Probation Officer didn't have the same ring. The second problem with this film is that it's very predictable, but one shouldn't hold that against it. There are a lot of enjoyable films that are incredible predictable, and no one seems to care. It's the parts in between, the deviations in the script from other films in the same genre. And how does The Parole Officer stand up when viewed from that light? Well, a little hit and miss. There are some obvious jokes that they make at times, including one scene with a statue and a giant penis featuring a cameo from Simon Pegg. But the actual heist is quite ingenius in parts, mainly because the gimmick for this heist is that they're all amateurs and barely know what they're doing. For example, instead of ski masks they use insect masks and crazy string to block up the cameras.
Of course, this does mean that the heist is the best part of the movie, which is true. The forced romance between Coogan and Heady is just that, forced all the way. And in a really awkward, embarrassing way as well. Considering Coogan wrote this, I can only assume that he just wanted a make out scene at some point. Apart from Heady's character (who really is wasted in this), the other side characters are really fun, especially the crew that Simon puts together to rob the bank. And out of them, especially Emma Williams as Kirsty, who is the smartest out of all of them, really. The villain is nicely camp, but not overly so. He is able to be menacing when he needs to be. And he does have some of the best lines.
But now we come to the crunch. Is this mediocre? Well, kinda. If you're a fan of Coogan, or of his style of comedy then you should like this. If you like heist movies, even the silly ones, or parody movies then this might interest you. But otherwise, I'd give this a miss. It's by no means terrible, but it is rather ... predictable. I'm sorry, but that is one of the most accurate words to describe it. But now that I can put my critic hat away, I'm going to say that I do really like this film, awkward Coogan moments and all. Call a little bit of a guilty pleasure. Though I do think that the side characters are better than the main character, which is not generally a good thing.
So, to end this little review, I'm just gonna say that if you want something a little silly to pass the time, then this could be it. I do know it has cheered me up in the past week while I've been lying on my arse feeling sorry for myself. Dunno what will happen with this blog after next week when I start uni for the first time. Which I'm still a little apprehensive about. Wish me luck, readers. Until next time.
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