2025, Chris Foggin (Bank of Dave) -- Amazon
Pantomime plays, or panto, are a distinctly British thing. Blah blah, ancient Rome, blah blah ancient Greece. We are not talking history here folks, we are talking about a weird, opaque British traditional mashup of faery tales, musical theatre, pratfall comedy, old theatre cross dressing and audience participation. Its one of those things most people (focus on most readers) won't get, and not even all people in the UK embrace them. But they are ubiquitous, and apparently saying, "Oh no they didn't !" will cause most people to erupt in laughter filled cries of, "Oh yes they did!" They also often employ celebrity leads.
Shrug. I don't care if they are actually performed here in Toronto at the Elgin theatre, since the 80s, I am not all that familiar with them.
Oh, and the are most often performed during Xmas.
Brad Mack (Kiefer Sutherland, 24) is an aging action star more akin to Scott Adkins than Jason Statham. He's finishing his latest movie when he learns its his last movie, the eighth in a popular franchise. You see, Brad Mack is a primo dick -- his costars dislike him, he's abusive to film crews and even his agent (Katherine Ryan, The Duchess) hates him. Which is why she cons him into going to the UK to "do theatre" when in fact, she has set him up with an iron clad contract to do panto in some a PST in England. He is to play "Buttons" in a Cinderella Panto.
Again, that is supposed to be something we would understand innately -- this is a very British movie.
Oh, amusing bit about the PST of "Stonebridge" in that during an establishing shot showing a rather grand old stone bridge crossing a river, I recognized it as the famous Knaresborough Viaduct from an episode of one of Marmy's British shows called "Landscape Artist of the Year".
At first, like instantly, he tries to get out of it. But he learns that he would have to cover the profits of the entire run of the panto, and that could amount in millions, "And that's in POUNDS Bradley, not dollars." His own extravagant lifestyle has him Hollywood Broke (only owns five homes), so he cannot afford to cover this.
This is a standard fare British Feelgood Movie, but beyond the charming cast of the panto, its often so saccharine, I wondered if it was being a mockery of Feelgood Movies. Its also supposed to be an Xmas romcom but the awkward casting of Kiefer Sutherland and Rebel Wilson (as Kim the choreographer) must have been so apparent, they pared it down in the editing room and reshoots and they work out better as Just Friends. You'll just have to forgive me, but Rebel Wilson (Isn't It Romantic) not playing cringe-awkward comedy is almost more cringe worthy than her usual roles. But the rest of the cast are British Comedy staples (Jason Manford, Danny Dyer, Mawaan Rizwan, Asim Chaudry, etc.) and the background characters seemed to be having more fun than the main castings.
Its a weird little British Xmas Movie with some heart but a lot of awkwardness and (unintentional?) kitsch that I kept on feeling like someone was taking the piss with me. But maybe, like with pantos, I just didn't get it.
Oh yes you did !!
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