I saw this one in the wee hours last night. I respected it more than I enjoyed it.
Don't get me wrong. The film has plenty of amusing moments, and I grinned more than once, but it worked more as a thought experiment than as a narrative comic film. The movie itself weaves into and out of the making of an adaptation of TRISTRAM SHANDY, sharing more in common with DAY FOR NIGHT than any period drama. The film helpfully informs us that TRISTAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY was a postmodern novel in a time before the invention of modernism. Further, it makes it clear that very few people involved in the making of the movie have actually gone to the trouble of reading the book. That's amusing as far as it goes, but I think the film still requires a certain familiarity with the subject novel in order to get all of its gags and its insights.
If you're an anglophile, you may very well love this movie. If you have an abiding passion for postmodern literature and film, you may very well love this movie. If you respect and encourage experimentation, you'll respect this movie. And respect is good enough for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment