Film Review | Gambit (2012)

"Development hell" is one of those movie terms that seems to make any film it's applied to a free-for-all for derisive comment. Any negative issues are automatically inflated, with the good points often conveniently overlooked. True, there are examples of truly awful films making their way out of "development hell", but there are probably just as many - if not more - that eventually emerge to provide at least a fair amount of entertainment. A remake of 1966 Michael Caine film Gambit has apparently been on the cards since 1997, with everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Ben Kingsley attached to various roles. Fifteen years later, the finished product was finally released and (surprise surprise!) panned by many. Unfairly, I might add. Whilst Gambit isn't a comedy masterpiece, it has plenty of worth to offer.

The film's promotional material makes a lot of the fact that its screenplay is written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and whilst this is certainly nowhere near the brothers' best work, there's enough here to entertain with some snappy dialogue throughout. One exchange between Harry (Colin Firth) and P.J. (Cameron Diaz) overheard by two hotel employees with an entirely more lascivious meaning is a highlight straight from the playbook of classic British sitcom or one of the better Carry On films. Both Firth and Alan Rickman as his bully of a boss Lord Shahbandar get the majority of the script's best material, but there are pleasing moments for some other characters too.

That said, nobody here is exactly stretched to their dramatic heights: Firth's performance wavers between awkward upper-middle class Brit and Michael Caine impersonation, but is entertaining throughout nonetheless showing an aptitude for visual humour not often seen from him; Rickman is fine with his usual deprecating act, mixing in some smarm for good measure; less convincing is Diaz with a lazy performance and a Texan drawl that lacks authenticity even to my English ears. Tom Courtenay and Stanley Tucci are sadly given little of interest to do, with the latter channeling his best stereotypical German as if he'd been given some old copies of 'Allo 'Allo to watch as research for the role.

The humour occasionally falls back on lazy attempts at laughs - Rickman in the buff a couple of times, and even a cheap (albeit very well-timed) fart joke - but there's also enough eccentricity and caper-style comedy here to keep things amusing and enjoyable. It's never anything of substance or truly memorable, but Gambit manages to provide entertainment enough to make it a worthwhile watch.

6/10

Film Review | Death At A Funeral (2010)

Remaking a film is never a straightforward business. Changing things too much can provoke a backlash from audiences, especially if the film you're remaking is much-loved. By the same token, produce a shot-for-shot remake and people simply start asking what the point is. But every so often, a remake comes along that gets it just right, with a few key examples where the remade version ends up more highly regarded than the original. And then there are films like 2010's remake of Death At A Funeral, which changes just enough to feel worthwhile whilst at the same time feeling decidedly safe, and ends up about as successful overall as the original.

Not put off by the universal trashing of his last attempt at a remake in 2006's The Wicker Man, Neil LaBute's Hollywood version of Death At A Funeral came only three years after the British-made original. LaBute's version stays largely faithful to Dean Craig's script, with only a few minor plot points changed which ultimately make very little difference to the story being told. The film therefore shares a lot of the successes and shortcomings of Frank Oz's 2007 film.

The cast here are largely as successful as that seen in the original, with LaBute assembling mostly black actors for his film. A smart move that substitutes well the parochial nature of leafy middle class England for an equally close-knit community in the United States. One or two members of the cast are noticeably inferior to their 2007 counterparts however: James Marsden tries hard, but never manages the same level of lunacy as seen in Alan Tudyk's performance; so too for Loretta Devine in the relatively minor role of grieving widow Cynthia, who can't quite match up to Jane Asher in the original. That said, there are also some superior casting decisions that redress the balance, most notably Danny Glover as the perpetually grumpy Uncle Russell. Casting Peter Dinklage once again in his role from the first film is also a smart move.

By transferring the setting to the United States LaBute does lose some of the humour derived from the prim and proper nature of the British original, and there are a handful of elements which worked before but here feel considerably less successful. But, almost as a trade off, the majority of the cast feel a lot more relaxed here. Oz's original often felt like a theatrical performance being filmed, whereas LaBute's film comes across as a lot more natural.

In the end, there's not a lot between the two versions of Death At A Funeral. LaBute's remake shares the majority of the hits and misses seen in the original due in no small part to Craig's script; there are also things that LaBute gets right that Oz got wrong, and vice versa. In the end, this is just as worth watching as the 2007 version, but if you're looking for a film which remedies the failings of the original then this is likely to disappoint.

6/10