Cemetery Junction

source: Cemetery Junction

I expected this film to be about restless teenagers escaping their small town, and while this is generally what the film is about, most of the film is spent setting the scene. Set in 1970's Reading, the story follows three young men living life as they've always done (graffiti, bar fights, womanising), desperate to make something of themselves and not end up like their parents. I'm pretty indifferent to Ricky Gervais so I'm sure people who like his work would probably enjoy this more than I did. However, there are strong performances from the largely unknown younger cast, as well as some very funny dialogue (the exaggerated, Daily-Mail grandma is particularly brilliant). Merchant/Gervais have created a nostalgic portrait of small-town life but this never really gets going the way it could. I suppose you could say that it's not meant to get going, that it's meant to reflect the static nature of their lives, but it starts to drag in the latter half of film. The cast is excellent though; as usual, Ralph Fiennes is a wonderful villain, with subtle underplaying from Emily Watson as his oppressed wife. However, I really couldn't stand Felicity Jones' horribly clichéd hippie-photographer and I thought the lingering close shots of the main characters looking purposeful and serious was kind of self-indulgent/unnecessary. In short, I did find this film relatively enjoyable, albeit quite slow paced, but I wouldn't watch it again.

CEMETERY JUNCTION – TRASH IT ( C+ ) I've been waiting for this movie ever since I heard about its premises, I thought its going to be funny, interesting British piece of art but sadly I was completely disappointed. It was like a Plain on Runway, which starts running but never flies off. The movie has some really funny lines and hilarious moments but it's the story, substances and above all the characterization of the characters that lacked. All young fresh British actors did a fine job from Dashing Christian Cooke, Ugly Tom Hughes, Beautiful Felicity Jones and Fat Jack Doolan. Other veteran actors like Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson & Co-director himself Ricky Gervais were wasted. Overall a complete disappointment from such renowned British Directors team Mr.Ricky and Mr.Merchant.

Loved this film. It really took me back. They don't quite nail the period, but you can tell when Fiennes is talking about his schooldays at the start, about leaving at 14, that they're blurring things a bit, or at least his character doesn't realize how things have changed... The preoccupation with obscenity, for example, is more 60s than 70s. (They work the idea so much of the Swinging 60s passing Cemetery Junction by that it's almost homage to Tom Courtenay and Rita Tushingham and that crowd!) It's England before punk, before the computer revolution, when the establishment thought they had won the argument that there was no cause left worth rebelling for/against, when there was still a workshop rather than silicon chip flavor to working life. You can criticize the Hollywood stuff if you like, but Gervais and Merchant like to work where they can at different levels, as long as they get to take the mick out of all of them. I didn't hear the old radio shows much, but enough to know that. This is no exception. Not a strong plot. You have seen it lots of times before. Billy Liar is a better variation. But great dialog, great comic acting , beautifully observed, very funny, fantastic soundtrack. The only time I have ever liked the Osmonds' Crazy Horses. Great entertainment. You'd need to be really hard to please to be disappointed on that score. Personally I'd have liked a bit more sync with the Reading Festival, maybe some Rory Gallagher on the soundtrack, but bluesy Zeppelin will do, I'm not complaining. I'll take 2 stars off, though. You still have to read between the lines to see the influence Ireland is starting to have. Made me wonder if they were starting to chicken out a bit from the path they've established, but we'll see, and I think there is something there. In the meantime, if you fancy a really funny film set in Belfast (different decade, 73 in Belfast was hell) there's always "An Everlasting Piece". But Cemetery Junction is not as petty and insignificant as some of the reviewers suggest. What exactly were they expecting? "Jane Eyre"? "War and Peace"?

This film is about a teenager from a deprived part of Britain in 1970's, who decided to live a different life and was determined to climb up the social ladder. I was expecting "Cemetery Junction" to be a comedy as it is a Ricky Gervais film, so I thought the first half was an absolute train wreck. The jokes were in the form of endless insults to other people, which was not funny. Worse still, there was no discernible plot apart from three teenagers mucking about. The first half of the film is so dull and depressing! I should have known it was not a comedy, as Ricky Gervais is not in the lead but has a small supporting role as one of the teenager's father. Once I realised the film was a drama instead of a comedy, I appreciated the film a little more. When the teenagers finding their calling, the plot starts to be engaging. However, I have already lost all interest. If "Cemetery Junction" was marketed as a drama, it could have more success.

Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais are behind two of my favourite ever TV shows in Extras and The Office. Unfortunately, neither of them have ever lit up the cinema screen (Gervais was ina couple of rather bad films) to the extent that many Biritsh film fans probably would've hoped. Finally, they're collaborating for a film called Cemetery Junction and, for the most part anyway, they're at their best. The film is set in the 1970s; a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama about three young men reluctantly heading towards adulthood. It's set in Reading and has three total unknowns in the lead role, yet somehow the story works. You've got eager white-collar hopeful Freddie (Christian Cooke), lippy Jagger-ish rebel Bruce (Tom Hughes) and their lardy lovable friend Snork (Jack Doolan). The basic setup is that they want to get out of Reading and escape their tedious lives of messing about and getting drunk. It's a pretty simple and unoriginal setup and the film does take a while to get going. Ricky Gervais' comedy work in films has been patchy in the past and in the first 30 minutes or so it worried me that Cemetery Junction looked to be going the same way as some of previous craptaculars like The Invention of Lying. The bad jokes and awkward euphemisms get in the way of the films cool, breezy 70s vibe that director Stephen Merchant has created. Basically, it felt like Gervais was trying too hard. Luckily, things start to pick up later on and Gervais and Merchant's gift for creating fine comedy starts to show. The introduction of Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones and Emily Watson coincide with the films upturns in fortunes. Fiennes does a sharp sketch in callous entitlement as the boss from hell, and Emily Watson lends her sad wisdom to the role of his wife, an unappreciated person who wants her daughter (Felicity Jones) to fare better. It would be unfair to suggest that the 3 leads were a bit incompetent, but Gervais seemed to be using their youth as an excuse for cheap gags and puns before introducing some proper comedy when the more experienced trio turned up. It feels like we're in safer hands from here on, and the film's spreading warmth is its salvation. That's not to say that the 3 leads are bad. Tom Hughes is especially good; he's charismatic and his timing is practically perfect. The other two don't fare quite as well, but improve as the film itself does. Cemetery Junction got off to a worrying start. Gervais' writing was at odds with Merchants directing style until Ralph Fiennes and team turned up which seemed to flick Gervais' funny switch on and he started to turn out some really great moments. The first 30 minutes is undeniably awkward and dull, but if you can get through that then you'll find an exceptionally funny film in which Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant finally get their great comedy right on the big screen. 3/5

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's nostalgic comedy drama of 1970s Britain has its heart in the right place. OK, there is nothing strikingly original here – think 'The Likely Lads' meets American buddy movie spliced with stock Gervais stand-up material – but the craft of this movie lies not in breaking boundaries. Instead, it offers its audience a chance to feel the warm cosiness of familiarity. The film charts the hopes and dreams of three friends as they seek to break out of a small, stagnating community before they end up trapped in the same dead-end lives of their parents. Their loyalty to each other forms the heart of the story, even as they come to realise that their aspirations will inevitably lead them in different directions. The motivation for their friendship relies on a genuine apprehension that there may be no escape from the stifling 50s attitude that pervades their community. This is, as they so wryly remark, a town that the Swinging Sixties passed by. The characters work well together – there's an engaging chemistry between the three relatively unknown actors. Christian Cooke plays Freddie Taylor, the boy with a job with an insurance company, hoping to leave behind the factory work of his father. Tom Hughes is excellent as the angry, rebellious Bruce, appalled by his dad's lack of spirit yet all too aware of his own grim prospects. The trio is completed by Jack Doolan as 'Snork', the hapless station announcer looking up to the flair of his closest friends. The three leads are ably supported by a cast that includes Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson, as well as some familiar faces from the Gervais and Merchant back catalogue. A prize for anyone who spots Karl Pilkington's fetching moustache Whilst there are moments where the dialogue appears more than a little stilted, for the most part the action fizzes nicely between the three characters. He may only have a small role within the actual film, but Gervais' voice is clearly audible whenever there is an intelligent put-down or a comic observation. At times this intrudes on the authenticity of the characters, but generally the dialogue allows for a neat separation between Gervais' inclination towards biting comic scrutiny, and his more tempered capacity for gentle human interaction. Including a jukebox medley of a soundtrack that includes 70s classics from, among others, David Bowie and T-Rex, the film has that reflective rose-tinted-spectacle feel that has become so familiar to us in American films, but is far less common with the British cinema industry. Perhaps it's the weighty budget behind this film that sets it apart from other recent British period pieces. Perhaps it's the ability of the directors to throw off their typical British scepticism and capture that sense of breezy reminiscence. Whatever the answer, this is, for me, far more of an "American" film than movies such as 'Trainspotting', 'The Full Monty', or 'This Is England'. However, there is enough self-conscious humour and knowing sideways glances to make us realise that this is still a British film by a pair of British writers who, in 'The Office', gave us the best portrayal of British society for the new millennium. Gervais and Merchant have confirmed in this film that they are just about capable of making that dangerous leap from television to cinema. There is hopefully more to come, but 'Cemetery Junction' shows that their tongue-in-cheek blend of laughter and tears isn't likely to end with 'The Office' and 'Extras'. James Gill Twitter @jg8608 Find more reviews at http://web.me.com/gilljames/Single_Admission

Has the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant partnership tried to break into film to early? It has. The boys have attempted to make a film which is a social study of the early 70's but have created an over poignant bit of tat that delivers very little compared to The Office and Extras days. Badly edited with inconsistent direction and acting the whole film has potential and looks good in places but overall falls flat on it's face on putting across a decent storyline. The redeeming elements come from the soundtrack and Stephen Merchant's makeup. Poor show boys

A bunch of 3 lads with nothing apparently in common, no past explained and no explanation of why they are friends at all? are portrayed for a little while in the 70's. One looks like a male hair-flicky model and is squeaky clean (our protagonist). One looks like a bad photofit and is a disgusting thug. One looks and acts literally mentally retarded, so I assume is. While I really like Gervais and Merchant's previous 'hits' and enjoyed Gervais in this film (essentially playing a dream retro-70's sitcom role) I was disappointed and thought the whole thing overrated. None of the characters were either believable or likable. Let me rephrase that, the only remotely likable characters were completely unbelievable, most were repulsive (and unrealistic). From the repulsive thug friend to the repulsive and ridiculous moron friend. The only laughs I had were the absurd joke about the tattoo (the first time they trotted it out) and Gervais' interaction with the '70's sitcom style family. The whole film and idea, such as it was, is the kind of thing they tend to put on TV occasionally on Sunday evenings (minus the swearing) as an extended one-off, or several part TV 'drama/comedy', where it might have worked better (I don't think the "C*nt" joke would be a great loss). I've lost count of the number of these shown on British Sunday evening TV about a bunch lads growing up in the 50's/60's/70's/80's, most were better though in every way, not least having some believable or likable main characters...

Clichéd, pretentious, deeply unfunny and shallow. Cemetery Junction makes The Invention of Lying seem like Citizen Kane. The film lacks soul, laughs, originality, an engaging story and an interesting plot. There is so little going for it that I regret being forced into awarding it even one star. There are some incredible talents making original British comedies, Gervais and Merchant simply lack the wit, humour and creativity to be considered among them. There may be some value in watching this in a 'so bad it's good' way, but if you're after a quirky British comedy, avoid Cemetery Junction, for it merely aspires to be either quirky or a comedy.