Monkey Movie Review

Lately at Big Lots they've been selling DVD's on the cheap. I'm talking $2.99 each, which is less than you pay to rent one at Blockbuster. So I've been buying some DVD's and this is one of the ones I recently bought:

This movie is another in a long line of films about white British folks living in colonial Africa. It tells the story of the break up of a family, Gabriel Byrne is the father, Miranda Richardson is the mother, and their son is played by two different actors with Nicholas Hoult playing him during the time when most of the story is told. Some of you will recognize Hoult from another British film that I love called About a Boy. The short version of this film is Richardson, playing her usual cold calculating bitch part, is cheating on Byrne. She leaves Byrne and she leaves the son with him as well. They muddle through and Hoult is sent to boarding school. When he comes home on a break he finds out his dad has married an American stewardess, played by a lively and sexy Emily Watson. Eventually everyone bonds with Watson and they nearly live happily ever after until a reappearance of Richardson in their lives and Bryne's cancer screws things up for all concerned.

This type of story has been told in other films but this telling is a satisfying one. All the leads turn in good performances and everything looks and sounds authentic to the time period portrayed. I've really liked Hoult in everything I've seen him in and he's very good in this film as well. Watson nearly steals the film with her great performance. Byrne is good as the alcoholic father who finds redemption but he always looks to me like he could use a shower and some freshening up. I'm guessing he sweats gravy and single malt whiskey like every other Irish actor and that's why I think he could use a shower all the time.

All in all I liked this movie, which by the way was written and directed by the British actor Richard E. Grant. I don't like it as much as I liked White Mischief, another British folks in colonial Africa movie but that's only because Wah Wah didn't have Greta Scaachi in it. There were no extras in the DVD version I bought but even without any I still recommend this film.