Movie Description
Barely stopping to breathe between productions, outrageously prolific director Michael Winterbottom follows his graphically intimate 9 SONGS with the raucously entertaining TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY. This time around, Winterbottom is out to film the unfilmable novel: an adaptation of Laurence Sterne's sprawling 18th Century masterpiece of digression, THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY, GENTLEMAN. What begins as a seemingly straightforward attempt to recreate the frenetic novel--starring Steve Coogan as the title figure and Rob Brydon as his Uncle Toby--quickly derails into a behind-the-scenes document of the film's actual production. Working triple time (for he also plays Tristram's father), Coogan is hilarious as the insecure "Steve Coogan," a shallow actor who is more interested in his cute assistant (Naomie Harris) than the mother of his newborn child (the always delightful Kelly Macdonald). Meanwhile, "Rob Brydon" is trying desperately to convince "Steve Coogan" that his role is a co-lead, not merely a supporting one. As the production threatens to spin out of control, the filmmakers hire Gillian Anderson (playing herself, of course) to fill a much-needed role. Coming off like a madcap collision of BARRY LYNDON and 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, Winterbottom's film is a hilarious and surprisingly tender ode to fatherhood and moviemaking in general.
This film screened as part of Lincoln Center's 2005 New York Film Festival.
| Credits | | Producer: | Andrew Eaton | | Cast: | Ian Hart, Jeremy Northam, Kelly MacDonald, Kieran O'Brien, Rob Brydon, Shirley Henderson |
Editorial Reviews
"[A]n enjoyable and ragged romp....Winterbottom does capture the playful, anarchic feel of the book."
Movieline's Hollywood Life - Stephen Farber (01/01/2006)
"[Winterbottom] has pulled off a technical feat that's packed with laughs..."
Uncut - Adam Sweeting (02/01/2006)
"[A] brave and almost quixotic piece of film-making....Winterbottom self-consciously plays with cinematic form, just as Sterne's novel plays with literary form. The film thus has a real fidelity..."
Sight and Sound - Sam Davies (02/01/2006)
"[T]he movie swings with inventive pleasures, the work of a protean filmmaker who thrives on experimentation." -- Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (02/03/2006)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's really inventive and bizarre and marvelously entertaining."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (02/09/2006)
"[I]ngenious and entertaining....Swift, funny and surprisingly unpretentious..."
New York Times - A. O. Scott (02/03/2006)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[T]he consistently inventive moviemaking team of director Michael Winterbottom and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce have concocted a true-to-the-spirit tribute to Sterne by casting this as a process piece..."
Premiere - Glenn Kenny (03/01/2006)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's enjoyable, and the two leads trade brilliantly on their own friendship and natural chemistry."
Ultimate DVD - David Richardson (07/01/2006)
Ranked #14 in Film Comment's "20 Best Films Of 2006."
Film Comment - Film Comment Staff (01/01/2007)
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