A League of Mullets Movie Review

Yo, we watched Venus and here is our review: Ok we'll admit it. We were hesitant about watching this movie from the get go. The prospect of seeing an old Peter O'Toole, the man who has the best stage name ever!, dodder around and go all gaa gaa over a young tart did not fill us with excitement. But Dr. Monkey's girlfriend insisted we watch this movie and guess what? We are totally glad she did.
The film is a bittersweet, poignant, moving tale about two lonely people who connect. They just happen to be a 70 something year old man and a sexy young girl from the the countryside who comes to live in London. O'Toole plays a semi famous actor on the down side of life and heading fast for death. He fights off his impending death by keeping active with his friend Ian, by taking bit parts in TV and films, and perhaps most importantly for the film, by remaining an old horn dog. He meets the young daughter of his friend Ian's niece who has come to London to live with Ian so she can look after him in his old age. O'Toole is smitten and even though he can't get it up, he still pursues the young blonde tart, played to perfection by Jodie Whittaker.


At first Whittaker is horrified by his advances but as their friendship develops, she is flattered and uses the old letch's desires to wheedle things out of him. It's kind of creepy on one level to see their relationship play out, but on another level, it very warm and touching to see the young girl develop affection for the old man. Whittaker plays this part pitch perfectly. As does the old pro O'Toole. Their performances in O'Toole's death scene are achingly good.
Also giving great performances in this film are Vanessa Redgrave, as O'Toole's long suffering ex wife, and Leslie Phillips as O'Tooles old sparring partner of a friend. This film was written by Hanif Kureishi. Kureishi is the man who also wrote the seminal British film that launched a renaissance of sorts in UK cinema in the 1980's and was the film that was responsible for springing Daniel Day Lewis on the film going world, My Beautiful Launderette. It's good to see Kureishi still working and writing films in today's youth obsessed cinematic culture.



We got to admit that we loved this film even though no one had a mullet hair do in it. It's got brief nudity in it so be careful watching it around the kids or your religious conservative family members. The DVD extras are kind of skimpy, there's a making of feature and a few deleted scenes, but we really can't quibble with that since we liked the film so much.

See this movie, you will not be disappointed.

So say us! So say we all!!!