Customer Reviews

Comfort and Joy

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Comfort and Joy (Bill Forsyth, 1984)

It's kind of hard to describe the appeal of Bill Forsyth's fourth (yes, there was one before Gregory's Girl) feature film, Comfort and Joy, without sounding like a raving lunatic. Not that that's ever stopped me before. A popular radio DJ, Alan 'Dickie' Byrd (Bill Paterson [Foyle's War, Truly Madly Deeply]), has his girlfriend Maddy (Eleanor David [White Hunter Black Heart, he Wolves of Willoughby Chase]) move out on him a few days before Christmas. While trying to get over it, he spies a gorgeous woman in an ice cream truck and, on a whim, pursues her, and it, to the outskirts of town, where it's attacked by a band of masked robbers. One of them recognizes Alan, which gets him involved in a turf war between the rival ice cream vendors Mr. McCool and Mr. Bunny. Which results, of course, in everyone around him thinking he's utterly mad.

While it's not Forsyth's best work (that title is reserved for Housekeeping), Comfort and Joy is, well, a joy. Forsyth's use of visual tricks and sight gags makes for a wonderful experience, and as for the plot, well, what can be better than warring ice-cream factions? An overlooked gem that's begging for a DVD release. **** ½

This is a thoroughly enjoyable film that I remember seeing on cable in the mid-1980's, wondering why it never got the attention that other films from the UK get. In the same vein as Bill Forsyth's "Local Hero," this film doesn't star any American actors, just good, Scottish character players. Bill Paterson, (probably best known to American audiences for his bit roles in "Crush" and "Witches") portrays morning drive DJ Alan "Dickie" Bird, whom we meet a week before Christmas--the day his girlfriend leaves him. Depressed and lonely, Alan looks for meaning in his life. Along the way, he stumbles upon a nasty turf war over ice cream (between the "Mr. Bunnys" and the Mr. McCools") and gets sucked in the middle. Set in modern Glasgow at a popular radio station (by the way, the radio station scenes are realistic) this film includes a lot of light, matter-of-fact ironies and funny moments (check out Alan's precious BMW at the beginning of the film and at the end; the xylophone player and the vocalist at the ice cream plant; and the shirts Alan's audio engineer wears). Enjoyable any time, but a shame this film will probably never be available on DVD. My favorite Christmas movie of all time.

A real crime that this isn't available on DVD, as this is my all time favorite christmas movie. Quietly funny, sad and sweet, and the perfect antidote for a lonely christmas. Nice soundtrack by Mark Knoffler, full of quirky oddball performances, and a hilarious "Mr. Bunny" jingle that will stick in your mind whether you want it to or not ("hello folks!").

This film is one of the best character-based movies I've ever seen. Alan "Dickie" Bird is a popular morning drive announcer in Glasgow. The week before Christmas, his longtime kleptomaniac girlfriend up and leaves him. Alan is lonely and depressed and looking for companionship, he wanders unknowingly into the middle of an ice cream war. Sucked in the middle, Alan decides to try to help negotiate an agreement. Filled with plenty of subtle funny moments, "Comfort and Joy" is a great holiday film I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys a well-written script and strong character development.

Yes, an Ice Cream Mafia War. This is the high art that Bill Forsyth was so well-known for in the 1980s. Fabulous performances by all, as a DJ gets drawn into an ice cream war, helping him to get over heartache at the holidays. I don't believe CP Grogan as an Italian girl (nightmare accent when speaking Italian!), but she's gorgeous and they're all funny and it's worth it just to hear the partriarch say, "Mr. Bunny."

With his usual tongue-in-cheek, director Bill Forsyth sets out to document the 1980s ice-cream wars in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Abandoned at Christmas by his long-time livein and kleptomaniac Maddy (Eleanor David), Edinburgh disc jockey Alan (Bill Paterson)seeks 'comfort and joy' in the company of his friend Colin and family, only to feel lonelier than ever. His ensuing involvement with feuding gangs of ice-cream vendors provides a fine comedic counterpoint to his sense of loss.

Probably the best scene in the film is a confrontation between ice-cream mafioso Mr. MacCool (Roberto Bernardi) and his wayward offspring. The mix of lowland Scots and Italian accents may be too much for most American audiences, but it had me rolling on the floor. Alan's obvious interest in the mafioso's daughter (the much-underseen C.P. Grogan) points up his sense of futility - she's gorgeous, mysterious, and obviously a tease, and he's middle-aged, balding, potbellied, and trying to hang on to vestiges of youth by owning 'the ultimate driving machine.'

Not as entrancing as 'Local Hero,' nor as sincere as 'Gregory's Girl,' 'Comfort and Joy' is just right for those who want to see a non-sappy Christmas movie.

As a native Glaswegian I actually saw some of this film being made! (outside my Grandfather's house in fact - you know, the bit with the ice-cream assault....but that's another story....)

This is a great movie and well worth seeing - the humour and characters are typical Forsyth...even if the plot does get a bit daft from time to time.

All in all a superb film to warm the heart and split the sides!

Comfort and Joy was written and directed by Scotsman Bill Forsyth, whose previous credits were Local Hero and Gregory's Girl. Like these earlier films, it is a gem, a perfect little film filled with subtle humor, a strong taste of Glasgow and interesting characters caught up in the most unexpected of situations. The principal character is Dickey Byrd, a morning radio personality newly dumped by his larcenous and very pretty girlfriend. The way she leaves is both funny and sad, but this is the kind of interaction that makes the movie so memorable. Forsyth has an eye for humorous ironic detail and its a delight to see him reveal it. Dickey finds himself alone and struggling with his identity. It's Christmas, nothing is making sense, even the birds hate his car. After some evaluation, he wants to be taken seriously as a professional, not just a jokester delivering the traffic report. Armed with a taperecorder, he's off to report on the underbelly of his town, the truth below the surface. He finds that hidden truth with his unwitting entanglement in a turf war between two families over ice cream. Now, here's a story! From here, the movie escalates with a series of very funny battles and confrontations between the families, with Dickey and his poor BMW caught in the middle. By the end, he has mediated the crisis and creatively saved the day, and some large part of himself.

Great moments fill this movie. A few include Dickey's visit to his friend's house, where in due course, Dickey compliments his friend -- a doctor with a wife and two small chidren -- on having it all together. The look his friend gives in response, drink in hand, is worth a movie in itself. Then there's the masked gunman running away from an ice cream van he and his mates have just trashed, who on recognizing Dickey also running away, chases him down to ask for an autograph. ("Hey, it's Dickey Byrd. Give us an autograph, Dickey!") Forsyth's occasional use of an unseen newscaster reporting on an African civil war is an interesting counterpoint to the story. Keeps our perspective right. His footage of gray and grim Glasgow is also a treat, attractive in a melancoly way. Then there is the great sax score provided by Mark Knopfler. All this adds up to a movie not meant for everyone, not even meant for most, but for those appreciative of anything Scottish, of anything romantic, and anything extremely well written. A gem.

A well written and very affecting film from Bill Forsyth. There is nothing contrived or false, just honest storytelling with a little humor thrown in. I watched this film after ending a relationship and I saw myself in the character's examination of himself and his relation to the world in general. Highly recommended for any season (the film takes place during the Christmas season).

I was looking online for days, just to find the name of this wonderful Bill Forsyth film. Seems others recall seeing this 25 years ago on cable, as I do, but have not been able to locate a copy to own. I was in radio at the time, and had a few lonely Christmases under my belt, so I was able to identify with this superb, quiet, witty comedy. If you like "Local Hero", you'll recognize similar devices here: the struggle between capitalism and individualism, the smart but oddball characters that never distract from the plot but decorate it, and the underlying sadness at a past that has no future. Even though I saw it twice in the mid '80s and never since, this is of my all time favorites. It's a real antidote to the smarmy, sugary junk Americans are drawn towards this time of year.

There is another film of the same name, and it is exactly what I mean by "smarmy and sugary". Don't be confused...this one is set in Scotland. Why no DVD ????