Thursday 3 March 2016

GRIMSBY

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher
Writers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston,Peter Baynham
Director: Louis Leterrier


When top MI6 agent Sebastian Butcher (Strong) is wrongly identified as the person who carried out an assassination at a high profile charity event fate sends him into hiding with Nobby (SBC), the brother he hasn't seen for 28 years. Nobby, on the face of it, isn't exactly the sort of bloke to assist a secret agent - he likes football, drinking, looking after his ever-increasing number of kids and basking in the glory of being shacked up with the most gorgeous girl in Grimsby (Rebel Wilson). However, he's always been looking forward to the day when he and his brother would be reunited and he's going to help Sebastian out whether he likes it or not...

Grimsby is not going to be to everyone's taste. Subtlety is not on the menu, a lot of the jokes are centred on matters below the waist and those that aren't poke fun at HIV infection, religion, the disabled....you get the general idea. Having said that, the gags are almost always so over the top they come across as silly rather than offensive - although if you're actively looking to be offended there's plenty here to get irate about. Okay, I found the running joke about HIV extremely tasteless and not especially amusing but it's not like I went into this expecting something along the lines of A Room With A View.

So it's crass, vulgar, idiotic...and it made me laugh. Quite a lot. Yes, it does take the mickey out of the lifestyles of working class people but I come from a background that isn't the poshest in the world and to be honest I think this section of society can take it. Personally, I think the film's insistence on hammering home the point that these people are just as good as everyone else was unnecessary, it could have just left the audience to conclude, quite easily, that Nobby and his mates are a bit rough and ready but they're essentially decent.

From his previous movies and TV work it's obvious that Sacha Baron Cohen has no qualms about putting himself in the most embarrassing and disgusting situations possible to get a laugh and this holds true in Grimsby - just wait for the bit with the elephants. Strong proves equally game, throwing himself into the proceedings with gusto - just wait for the bit with the elephants. Sebastian's deadpan reactions are just as chucklesome as Nobby's clowning around and as a comedy pairing they're very good.

In fact, the film is so focused on Nobby and Sebastian that the supporting characters are there merely as dressing. Isla Fisher frets on the sidelines as Seb's MI6 contact and Ian McShane has a small role as the agent's boss but it's the comedic talent that's given the shortest shrift here. Rebel Wilson is hilarious as Lindsey but after the opening scenes she all but disappears until very close to the end. Worse still, the brilliant Johnny Vegas is squandered in a bewilderingly inconsequential role. Oh, and for the Euro crowd, the lovely Penelope Cruz is there too. Does she get anything to do? Not really.

Whilst it's not my favourite Sacha Baron Cohen movie (Borat, please step forward) and its targets may be a little too obvious this is still solidly amusing across its 83-minute running time and boasts some impressive action sequences (director Leterrier helmed The Transporter). It isn't sophisticated entertainment but I suspect it will make a lot of people smile.

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