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As Good As It Gets

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Not the worst movie ever, and it's less than an hour and a half long. It raises an occasional wry smile. Enough praise, on with the review. I suppose the younger set, who this movie is aimed at, may not have seen these comedy cliches before, but for anyone else, everything here is recycled from as far back as (in my memory anyway) Benny Hill and Tony Hancock. Skitting an Eighties sci-fi/detective series (a sort of Bergerac/Six Million Dollar Man mash-up) is shooting fish in the proverbial barrel. The deluded, cocksure hero, thinking he's a hit with the ladies, but paunchy and pathetic, is a standard character. And the strong, sensible female lead (ironically given very little of note to do) is becoming a hackneyed trope too. The most annoying thing about the recent wave of Brit comedies and TV shows is that it's the same cosy little cartel of comics and actors, seemingly more intent on making each other laugh than the audience. This just more of the same.

From the start it looks like bit of British take on the Anchorman but as the movie progresses it brings out its distinction. The plot gets a bit too straight forward near the end but the movie never ceases to charm the laughter out of the viewers. I absolutely loved it. Mindhorn is one of the best comedy movies in the past 5+ years much better than big Hollywood budgets are pathetically struggling to achieve lately.

How to describe Mindhorn......take the Six Million Dollar Man, Magnum PI and Knight Rider....smash them all together then wrap it in a self destructive narcissistic washed up actor. That would best describe Richard Thorncraft played by Julian Barrett of The Mighty Boosh fame.Barrett doesn't stray far from his Boosh character Howard Moon in terms of self depreciation. The only difference is Thorncraft is an overly egotistical opportunist always on the lookout for a big comeback.I won't give away too may details but in spite of the movie reveling in being a silly parody, it does allow you to witness Thorncraft go on a journey of humility, forgiveness and redemption even if it is done in a comical way. The laughs are done almost 100% at Thorncraft's expense and you may find yourself alternating between laughing at him and feeling sympathetic towards his character. If nothing else it's a refreshing break from the standard comedic fare we are inundated with these days.

British comedy has almost become extinct in cinema. Sure it's all over British TV and stars like Ricky Gervais, James Corden and Sacha Baron Cohen have broken out into Hollywood, but traditional, truly independent British comedy films are few and far between... Or they just haven't been showing at my local cinema, but I like to think I'm right in saying British comedy has found a home on television. Mindhorn is a traditional British comedy that sadly offers absolutely nothing new, funny or particularly interesting, to the comedy genre.The film opens with a mockumentary of the making of a B movie styled 80's show. This direction taken by director Sean Foley is, in my opinion, the highlight of the film and I would have preferred the film to adopt this style for the rest of its run time, thus making Mindhorn extremely unique. Unfortunately this style is taken only to provide context for the rest of the film, which is a shame as this film could have really had some potential. As well as the films start, Julian Barrett and Russell Tovey's performances carry the film and are the reason any of the jokes come off as somewhat amusing... Well for me at least.This film is a comedy, so the big question is "Is Mindhorn funny?" Now personally, I did not find Mindhorn funny, the film may make you smile a couple times and maybe exhale-out-the-nose-laugh once, but ultimately the film isn't very funny and this is down to the traditional nature of the film and the fact that the jokes aren't original. This film will however please older, more traditional audiences who find comedies like 'Allo 'Allo! and Only Fools and Horses hilarious after the 30th repeat on Gold. For me though, more or less every joke is a British comedy cliché and I am thus desensitised to Mindhorn's many attempts at humour. The film does have some clever and original jokes but you can count them on one hand. For the most part, Mindhorn takes a tried and tested formula and uses it. It's just unfortunate that this formula only really works for a small audience in the world.To conclude, Mindhorn is a very traditional, very British, very unoriginal comedy film. Julian Barrett and Russell Tovey display good acting and the opening sequence offers an interesting style that is unfortunately not continued. If you enjoy traditional British comedy and find that the same old jokes crack you up every time, then you will enjoy Mindhorn. But if you are like me and look for something a bit different, original and outside the box, then Mindhorn is probably not the film for you. It's truth time, and the truth is Mindhorn isn't good.