Film No. 36 (2015) May 31st. 4:50 PM THE WINDSOR Nedlands.
"The truth is every human being is ridiculous in their own way. So we shouldn't fight because in the end none of it matters, none of it". (Billy Connolly's granddad character Gordie discusses a simple life philosophy with his grand-daughter Lottie).
What We Did On Our Holidays
I'm always fascinated, in this digital age, when a film is still showing in a suburban cinema 4 months out from its release date. What We Did On Our Holidays is one such film continuing it's "time in the sun" in the western suburbs of Perth. To quell my fascination, I joined the queue and experienced a very amusing film with more life lessons than an hour in a local church.
I'm a fan of Outnumbered, that quirky British comedy series which relies on the brilliance of the child actors to be at their improvisational best. Creators Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin take their formula to a feature length project in Holiday and to my way of thinking they have a true gift when it comes "out of the mouths of babes" entertainment. The film is slightly too saccharine for its own good. It has a brilliant opening stanza which is hard to live up to but it remains amusing to the end.
Doug (David Tennant) and Abi (Rosamund Pike), recently separated, play happy families for a short holiday period for the sake of Doug's dying father Gordie (Billie Connolly). They travel to the picturesque Scottish highlands to celebrate what is likely to be Gordie's last birthday, his 75th. Doug's brother Gavin (Ben Miller), a short seller (the theme for a very funny scene), lives in a mansion, the setting for the many antagonistic verbal family stoushes.
Hamilton and Jenkin give their audience a children's eye view of the ridiculous adult behavior unravelling before our eyes. The unscripted responses from Jessie (Harriet Turnbull) and Mickey (Bobby Smalldridge) in particular give the film the extra dimension which then grows as Connolly and grand-daughter Lottie bring a different chemistry again to the story. But as you may have gleaned, this feature is all about the kids. They are the reasons for the drama of Holiday and they unnervingly and without fear help to solve the ills of the complicated family around them. 9GUMS
I'm a fan of Outnumbered, that quirky British comedy series which relies on the brilliance of the child actors to be at their improvisational best. Creators Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin take their formula to a feature length project in Holiday and to my way of thinking they have a true gift when it comes "out of the mouths of babes" entertainment. The film is slightly too saccharine for its own good. It has a brilliant opening stanza which is hard to live up to but it remains amusing to the end.
Doug (David Tennant) and Abi (Rosamund Pike), recently separated, play happy families for a short holiday period for the sake of Doug's dying father Gordie (Billie Connolly). They travel to the picturesque Scottish highlands to celebrate what is likely to be Gordie's last birthday, his 75th. Doug's brother Gavin (Ben Miller), a short seller (the theme for a very funny scene), lives in a mansion, the setting for the many antagonistic verbal family stoushes.
Hamilton and Jenkin give their audience a children's eye view of the ridiculous adult behavior unravelling before our eyes. The unscripted responses from Jessie (Harriet Turnbull) and Mickey (Bobby Smalldridge) in particular give the film the extra dimension which then grows as Connolly and grand-daughter Lottie bring a different chemistry again to the story. But as you may have gleaned, this feature is all about the kids. They are the reasons for the drama of Holiday and they unnervingly and without fear help to solve the ills of the complicated family around them. 9GUMS
Seems to me though that the scriptwriter has never actually heard children speak so was free to write what he thought would be good for a film. Usual crudity with BBC somehow involved.
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