Customer Reviews

Tristram Shandy : A Cock & Bull Story : Widescreen Edition

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Forget most of what you've read about this movie. It is not postmodern, nor "Pythonesqe", nor any of the other adjectives I've read in user reviews. What it is is a very intelligent, and very different piece of filmmaking that is quite unlike anything you've ever seen. If I had to compare it to any movie in recent history, I'd say it's a bit like "Adaptation", but that film was crude and heavy handed in comparison to "Tristram Shandy". It's also a bit like "This Is Spinal Tap" in the deadpan way it presents some very silly parody.

Imagine a Merchant-Ivory costume drama in which the principal actor suddenly stops, turns to the camera, and tells a Groucho Marx story, And imagine that part way through an increasingly confusing narrative, that keeps movinng forward and back, in fits and starts, the camera abruptly pulls back, and we see a film being made.

From that point on, "Tristram" becomes the story of the attempt to make a film from a very difficult to film novel, with a very difficult cast. The lead hasn't read the book, and is consumed with petty jealosies concerning the main supporting actor. The producers don't want to put any more money into it. And it just gets sillier, and sillier- while never quite falling into slapstick.

In point of fact, as conditions around the film get sillier, the lives of the main characters become more complicated, and consumed by some very serious issues. And yet everything slowly comes togethers, a few people learn a few lessons, and a film is made... although no one seems to ber very pleased with the results. And then, as the credits are rolling, the two main actors are debating acting techniques, in what may be the funniest scene of the entire film.

So what we have here is a very complex film that requires close attention, and perhaps even a little knowledge of literature and history to get all the jokes. This is not simple minded slapstick, and those who prefer that sort of humor simply aren't going to get it. But for veiwers who bring with them the intelligence to apppreciate all the jokes and references, it delivers a very satisfying and laughter filled two hours.

Brilliant modern take on an early novel. The director captures the premise of the novel: that life is chaos by setting the film in the past and present at once. Brilliant concept and execution. I didn't know what to expect, but thoroughly enjoyed the film and it's cleverness, it's inspired direction and editing and some stellar performances. A joy to watch.

To fully appreciate Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, most viewers who haven't read the famous Laurence Stern novel upon which the film is loosely based, will at least need to have an idea of its concept. But I cannot envisage getting into this film with no foreknowledge of both the novel and Steve Coogan's irreverent brand of comedy.

The tone is light-hearted and witty, and the performances are very good, and the period induced first half is an absolute riot, but Michael Winterbottom's latest film might be a bit elitist for most, depending a little too much on parallels to the classic book's structure and the fashionable imprint of Coogan's celebrity. It all presupposes that you're part of the "in" club and familiar with the humor to actually get the joke.

Anyway, for those of us who appreciate films that impertinently skewer the classics of English Literature the Tristram Shandy is mostly a real treat. The film begins with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in makeup, arguing over the colour of Rob's teeth and whether Brydon's part is a "co-lead" or a supporting role.

Coogan is supposed to be the title character, which makes him, supposedly, the star of the picture, but as the story progresses, he becomes increasingly concerned that his star wattage is being taken away from him. But I digress - the first half of the movie involves Tristram's birth as the movie constantly flips backwards and forwards with his father (played by Coogan) trying to meticulously plan his conception, birth and life. Shirley Henderson does a marvelous turn here as a maid trying to get everyone to focus on the birth.

The movie then interrupts Sterne's narrative and switches to the story of the director (Jeremy Northam) shooting a film adaptation of the book, starring Coogan and Brydon. The production is plagued with problems - the period shoes aren't high enough, the costumes aren't quite the correct period, and there isn't enough money for the battle scenes.

The story ambles between scenes of the movie being shot, and scenes of the actors, director, writer, producers, wardrobe people and others involved in the production as they wrangle, flirt and drive each other crazy. Coogan is beset by a sycophantic journalist while being pressured to constantly attend to his lovely girlfriend Jenny (Kelly MacDonald), who has traveled to visit him over the weekend with their infant son.

Coogan's assistant Jennie (Naomie Harris) - a film nut and Fassbinder enthusiast - has a crush on him, and in one-instance, propositions him. The film is shot, then re-shot, with the costumers resorting to tears and the production assistants getting more frustrated and when the film is finally screened for a group of writers and producers, they all realize what a monumental failure they have on their hands.

Luckily American actress Gillian Anderson is available to save the day, and at the last moment gets hauled in for a romantic subplot playing the previously excised Widow Wadman. The film is very clever in its re-imagining of the novel and all the actors are superb with their improvisations and impeccable timing.

Depending on how you feel about Steve Coogan, you might find that his constant banter becomes a bit irritating after a while. Characters seem to come into the film, then leave at random never fully coming into focus. I would love to have seen much more of Gillian Anderson and Shirley Henderson - and even more of the sexy Jeremy Northam.

The film also employs various stylistic devices such split screens, sideswipes and closing irises and of course there's the film within a film concept which as been used before. As a film about the difficulty of making a film based on a book about the difficulty of writing a book, Tristram Shandy is pretty unique.

It's probably a bit of a stretch to call it one of the best movies of 2006 so far, but parts of it are entertaining and it certainly takes us though the coarse and stressed out tumult of the classics of literature and movie making, breaking down celebrity, and focusing on all the obsequious and the nastiness that goes along with it. Mike Leonard July 06.

"Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story" reminded me a bit of an Altman film--it's a story within a story about a novel being filmed--but it's really about the chaos of life. It has a bit of a amateur film feel about it, that draws one into the middle of the making of the film. The film opens with a vignette about the vanity of actors--are my teeth too yellow? do I look good with a big nose? should I get a chin tuck? am I too short? Characters move in and out, and it's not always clear who is who--the agent, the nosy journalist, the moneymen (and women), the history expert, the girlfriend, the pretty assistant, the babies. Some scenes are truly hysterical--all you need to know is that almost all of the Sterne novel happens before the narrator is born, and the filming of the birth is hilarious. This film is not for linear plot types, or those who are bothered by heavy British accents or mumbled dialog. It's sly, quirky--but I liked it much more than I expected to!

How do you film a story about telling a story? You nest it in a film about making a film, then bring in elements from the offscreen life of its star, Steve Coogan, until you've created this Russian doll effect, each story distinct but similar in shape. It's a great idea, but the film works a little too hard at being clever, and some powerful questions about celebrity, autobiography, and the nature of stories take a back seat to making the next witty narrative jump. Coogan and his co-star Rob Brydon are enjoyable to watch, and there's a winning low-key quality to the production that makes you feel like you're on the set watching everyone make it up as they go along. I wish more movies took risks like this, even though I found myself admiring it more than enjoying it.

This movie is not for everyone -- I was completely enthralled while my boyfriend was falling asleep -- (no really, I had to keep poking him to keep him from snoring). I however found it to be fascinating, with a multi-layered story line, and some hilarious sequences to round it out. If you enjoy watching the behind the scenes features on your DVDs, you will enjoy this movie. It shows the drama that goes on behind the scenes, like trying to get funding to re-shoot portions of the film, and the buereacracy involved in every step of the process. The movie also has several stories running through it. There is the story of the Tristram Shandy film itself, then there is the struggle by actor Steve Coogler to accept his new family and lifestyle while trying to overcome his past career moves. There is also a rather funny rivalry between two of the main actors in the Shandy movie. As I said above this is not for everybody, if you have a hard time following a british accent, you may miss a lot, as well as if you are completely unfamiliar with british culture and slang. If this is not a concern, you may find that Tristram Shandy is a breath of fresh air. If you are bored with all the typical stuff out there, this is something entirely new.

This is a pretty tough review to write, mainly because this film definitely won't be for the general population. If you like potty humor and in-your-face laughs, avoid this movie. TRISTRAM SHANDY is a thinking man's comedy, with jokes inside jokes inside jokes.

For those who are unfamiliar with the title (THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY, GENTLEMAN), this is in reference to the 18th century literary paperweight composing nine volumes written by Laurence Sterne (famous author John Updike has been quoted as saying, "It's the one novel I want to read before I die"). Considered a "comedy ahead of its time," it caught on quickly with London's upper class and became quite a success. But as times changed so did the literary climate, and now the volumes are seen as ...well ...voluminous. Attempting to make a coherent film out of something so incoherently nonlinear certainly would present a challenge, too, so I was quite surprised to see that the books had been translated to the silver screen.

Or so I thought...

The amazing thing about this movie is that it did something completely unexpected: it stayed true to Laurence Sterne's style (being possibly the first example of "stream of consciousness" writing) but did so by not attempting to tell the story of Tristram Shandy at all. I found this to be one of the funniest aspects of the movie. I could picture the directors and producers in a room talking about the impossibility of turning the books into film and then someone saying, "Hey, why don't we not even try?" So, in the spirit of its original author, that's exactly what these film makers did.

The story starts out with a film maker (Steve Coogan, director) trying to tell the story of Tristram Shandy while living a life within the movie itself. Basically, it's the story of a man trying to make a film about a film within a film. It can seem somewhat confusing as the audience is ripped through scenes, unsure of where and - most importantly - when they are. To try and tell you how the movie flows would be absolutely impossible, because it has no flow ...and yet it does. The laughs are surprising and often hidden, so a watcher might have to view it several times before connecting with all of the gags (the only exception being when they try to show how funny the film's going to be by dropping a hot chestnut down a man's pants ...seeing that might be worth the price of admission for some).

I was surprisingly riveted to the screen throughout the movie, worried that I might miss something (Is the battle scene over? Will it be in the film they're trying to make? Will there be a love scene with Gillian Anderson?).

I think this film might get panned by quite a few professional reviewers because it is so different than anything we're used to as movie-goers. But the high comedy can't be denied. It's sheer genius how it all came together (and watch for the running joke on poor British dental hygiene throughout the film).

The classic novel by Laurence Sterne is best described in this movie: "This is a postmodern novel before there was any modernism to be post about."

So it sounded pretty disastrous that a film was being adapted from it. Actually, half a film -- the other film is a mockumentary about a film crew desperaately trying to make some kind of movie, out of a book with way too much material. It's wickedly clever, but there's too little Tristram Shandy and too much about the shoes.

While his mother is in labor, a grown Tristram Shandy (Steve Coogan) narrates the backdrop of his life -- his awkward conception, the farcical circumstances of his birth, early penile injury, his uncle's obsessions and (ahem) war wounds, and the circumstances of being named Tristram (and not Trismegistus, which is even worse).

But then we cut to the real world, where a film crew is filming the whole thing. Star Steve Coogan (himself) and director Michael Winterbottom (Jeremy Northam) are struggling to make this novel as true to the spirit of Stern's book as possible. The problem is, there's WAY too much material, and everyone wants different aspects -- love story, battle, his own character -- to stand out as the MAIN part of the story. Will the movie be funny? A sell-out? A big confusing mess?

Filming an unfilmable book is usually either going to be a disaster or a masterpiece -- for the latter, look at "Lord of the Rings." But "Tristram Shandy" hovers somewhere in the middle, courtesy of its mockumentary storyline, and some pointed mockery of the studio bigwigs.

Basically, the bigwigs interfere and insist on stars -- such as Gillian Anderson, who barely makes it to the final cut -- and hoard money, because the movie is too quirky for their tastes. Meanwhile, the stars quibble about minutiae (like shoe height), and real-life director Michael Winterbottom deliberately blurs the lines of fantasy and reality, letting one seep into another. And it has Coogan in a giant plastic womb.

And there's an extra kudos for the dialogue. Half of it is deliciously witty modern stuff ("The thing is, I can't act..." "I know that." "... with Gillian Anderson. I have a proper sexual thing for Gillian Anderson. I covet her"), but there's a whole different style for Tristram. He tends to have these faux-serious metafictional monologues, which end up being very funny ("That is a child actor, pretending to be me. I'll be able to play myself later").

The problem? Well, there's too much of Coogan and not enough Shandy, especially in the second half. It would have improved the movie dramatically to cut some of this stuff about Coogan flirting with Jennie out, because it's really quite dull compared to Tristram. When the fantasy/reality starts leaning too heavily into reality, the movie starts sagging. Big time.

Coogan does a pretty good job playing himself, but he's much better as Tristram/Walter -- arch, wry and kind of inconsiderate. Rob Brydon is enormous fun as himself/Toby, and Naomie Harris is fairly good as a movie nut who specializes in arty German cinema, and not much else. Anderson isn't in the movie for long, but her "equipment" scene is gutsplittingly funny.

"Tristram Shandy - A Cock and Bull Story" is a very funny film, but one bogged down by too much reality (and Coogan). Entertaining, witty and strange.

Steve Coogan is irresistibly entertaining in this offbeat film - a movie within a movie that crosses portions of a fine novel with the machinations if turning that novel into a film. Yes, this has been done successfully before, but rarely with the loonieness and candor that suffuses this entertaining insider look at making a novel visual.

Director Michael Winterbottom and the entire cast and crew making the film Tristram Shandy follow a script (by Frank Cottrell Boyce), but in a manner that feels like extemporaneous commentary on the 18th century Lawrence Sterne novel. Steve Coogan is introduced as the makeup artists are altering his nose and facial features to reflect those of Tristram while his co-star Rob Brydon is being transformed into the character of Captain Shandy. From conversations about technical aspects of shooting a film the camera splices into actual scenes from the 'movie', most of which deal with the birthing of Tristram. The purpose of the film reflects an aspect of the book about a man who is attempting to delve into the history and actions that result in the creation of the title character.

The cast is strong: in addition to Coogan and Brydon, the minor roles are filled by Jeremy Northam, Kelly Macdonald, Shirley Henderson, Benedict Wong, Keeley Hawes, Gillian Anderson, Naomie Harris in addition to the costumers and makeup artists as well drawn characters in and of themselves! For many the film may feel disjointed and meandering, but give into the concept of the delightful mix of shortcuts enhanced by commentary from the actors and crew and this Cock and Bull story is a terrific costume period piece romp. It is just meant to be fun and full of chuckles. Grady Harp, August 06

A long, seemingly pointless shaggy dog story of a movie, but beyond that a real tale with genuine moral dimensions. The "hero," played by Coogan, is barely likeable, he's egocentric, petty and dissolute. Yet through the chaotic maze of the film, he ends up acting as a tender father to his infant son and a faithful lover to his mistress/wife. There really is a subject matter, and humane center, after all, despite the layers and layers of postmodernist posturing. Brilliantly done, even if not for all tastes.