Post by Dirty Epic on Nov 12, 2015 15:33:19 GMT
Watched this a few weeks ago and just wondering is anyone else a fan of this quirky mid-1980’s film. May contain spoilers.
Bill Paterson is radio DJ Alan ‘ Dicky’ Bird a real life ‘Alan Partridge’ type with a cheesy early morning show. He seems successful with a popular media profile and a trophy girlfriend Maddy (Eleanor David). However Maddy is a kleptomaniac and restless and a few days prior to Xmas she leaves Alan taking most of his possessions with her. Maddy’s rejection leaves Alan rudderless and during the Xmas period he seeks solace with a close friend Colin (Patrick Malahide). Alan also feels his life and career are a bit futile and wants to do something to revive them.
Meanwhile a chance encounter with a good looking woman in an ice cream van, Charlotte (Clare Grogan) improves Alan’s mood and intrigued follows the ice cream van to a housing estate on Glasgow’s outskirts. The ‘Mr Bunny’ ice cream van is operated by Trevor (Alex Norton) an interloper who works inside the territory of the more established ‘Mr McCool’. Alan orders an ice cream from Trevor and goes back to his BMW convertible meanwhile a Cortina draws up and attacks Trevor’s van. The attackers recognise ‘Dicky’ Bird and want his autograph and a request for the relative.
The experience leaves Alan wanting to find out more and to revive his journalistic past. He puts the idea of a feature on these ‘ice cream wars’ to his boss at his radio station Hilary (Rikki Fulton) who is dismissive and humours Alan into sticking with a winning formula. Meanwhile Alan hasn’t played the request for the attackers of Trevor’s van who are part of Mr McCool’s family. They leave ice cream inside his BMW and ask Alan to meet with Mr McCool (Roberto Bernardi) and his sons Bruno, Paolo, and Renato. Mr McCool explains to Alan that Mr Bunny is poaching their trade and the retaliation is a form of defence. They (coerce) want Alan to broker a truce with Mr Bunny and give him a gift (ice cream) to put this in motion. Alan seeks out Trevor and crashes his BMW into Trevor’s van. Furious Trevor has lost a van for the nights trade and has heard Alan has been talking to Mr McCool. The pair go back to the Mr Bunny base where Trevor explains Mr McCool intends putting the independents out of business and is in no mood to call a truce or agree territory. Meanwhile Mr McCool and his associates arrive and attack the vehicles, however when Trevor and Mr McCool meet they reveal they are in fact family members (with Charlotte being his daughter) and the rivalry is merely down to a family feud. Alan’s not impressed and wants no part of it but both parties won’t accept this and Alan is threatened by them both to take a side.
A busted relationship, his career going off the rails and being in the middle of an ice cream war seems that Alan’s life is unravelling but he chances upon an old Chinese recipe for ice cream fritters. He’s also found the solution not only to the issues between Mr Bunny and Mr McCool but a savvy business opportunity and asks to meet both parties. Alan agrees to give them the recipe upon the proviso the war stops and agree to share resources as Trevor owns a fish and chip shop ideal to produce the fritters. Alan also wants 30% of the gross profit if the enterprise is successful too. Both parties agree and Alan has seemingly got himself back on track and at the end of the film he’s recording a radio commercial for his new product ‘Frosty Hots’.
I have seen mixed reviews and commentary towards Comfort and Joy but on the whole I do quite like it. Alright like most British films in the 1980’s at certain times it can feel quite hit and miss and may not be up there with other Bill Forsyth comedies like Gregory’s Girl but on the whole I’d say it’s an enjoyable feel good movie which as Xmas is coming up is a more interesting and enjoyable movie for the period than the usual stuff which gets dragged up this time of year. In contrast to the brash 1980’s the cinematography has an authentic gloomy feel of a Scottish winter to it and even though I’m not really fan of Dire Straight’s the soundtrack from Mark Knopfler works well too – very fitting for the time it was made. Patterson, Norton and Malahide are all very good in it and I’d certainly say you could do much worse than watch this if/when it turns up on the likes of BBC2 again.
Also nice to see some of the film’s locations in Glasgow I’ve been too (and some I'd like to find) as well!
Any thoughts.
Bill Paterson is radio DJ Alan ‘ Dicky’ Bird a real life ‘Alan Partridge’ type with a cheesy early morning show. He seems successful with a popular media profile and a trophy girlfriend Maddy (Eleanor David). However Maddy is a kleptomaniac and restless and a few days prior to Xmas she leaves Alan taking most of his possessions with her. Maddy’s rejection leaves Alan rudderless and during the Xmas period he seeks solace with a close friend Colin (Patrick Malahide). Alan also feels his life and career are a bit futile and wants to do something to revive them.
Meanwhile a chance encounter with a good looking woman in an ice cream van, Charlotte (Clare Grogan) improves Alan’s mood and intrigued follows the ice cream van to a housing estate on Glasgow’s outskirts. The ‘Mr Bunny’ ice cream van is operated by Trevor (Alex Norton) an interloper who works inside the territory of the more established ‘Mr McCool’. Alan orders an ice cream from Trevor and goes back to his BMW convertible meanwhile a Cortina draws up and attacks Trevor’s van. The attackers recognise ‘Dicky’ Bird and want his autograph and a request for the relative.
The experience leaves Alan wanting to find out more and to revive his journalistic past. He puts the idea of a feature on these ‘ice cream wars’ to his boss at his radio station Hilary (Rikki Fulton) who is dismissive and humours Alan into sticking with a winning formula. Meanwhile Alan hasn’t played the request for the attackers of Trevor’s van who are part of Mr McCool’s family. They leave ice cream inside his BMW and ask Alan to meet with Mr McCool (Roberto Bernardi) and his sons Bruno, Paolo, and Renato. Mr McCool explains to Alan that Mr Bunny is poaching their trade and the retaliation is a form of defence. They (coerce) want Alan to broker a truce with Mr Bunny and give him a gift (ice cream) to put this in motion. Alan seeks out Trevor and crashes his BMW into Trevor’s van. Furious Trevor has lost a van for the nights trade and has heard Alan has been talking to Mr McCool. The pair go back to the Mr Bunny base where Trevor explains Mr McCool intends putting the independents out of business and is in no mood to call a truce or agree territory. Meanwhile Mr McCool and his associates arrive and attack the vehicles, however when Trevor and Mr McCool meet they reveal they are in fact family members (with Charlotte being his daughter) and the rivalry is merely down to a family feud. Alan’s not impressed and wants no part of it but both parties won’t accept this and Alan is threatened by them both to take a side.
A busted relationship, his career going off the rails and being in the middle of an ice cream war seems that Alan’s life is unravelling but he chances upon an old Chinese recipe for ice cream fritters. He’s also found the solution not only to the issues between Mr Bunny and Mr McCool but a savvy business opportunity and asks to meet both parties. Alan agrees to give them the recipe upon the proviso the war stops and agree to share resources as Trevor owns a fish and chip shop ideal to produce the fritters. Alan also wants 30% of the gross profit if the enterprise is successful too. Both parties agree and Alan has seemingly got himself back on track and at the end of the film he’s recording a radio commercial for his new product ‘Frosty Hots’.
I have seen mixed reviews and commentary towards Comfort and Joy but on the whole I do quite like it. Alright like most British films in the 1980’s at certain times it can feel quite hit and miss and may not be up there with other Bill Forsyth comedies like Gregory’s Girl but on the whole I’d say it’s an enjoyable feel good movie which as Xmas is coming up is a more interesting and enjoyable movie for the period than the usual stuff which gets dragged up this time of year. In contrast to the brash 1980’s the cinematography has an authentic gloomy feel of a Scottish winter to it and even though I’m not really fan of Dire Straight’s the soundtrack from Mark Knopfler works well too – very fitting for the time it was made. Patterson, Norton and Malahide are all very good in it and I’d certainly say you could do much worse than watch this if/when it turns up on the likes of BBC2 again.
Also nice to see some of the film’s locations in Glasgow I’ve been too (and some I'd like to find) as well!
Any thoughts.