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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 12/21/2010 : 14:41:12
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No, not a Slavic doco, or one about "those" dancers, but an almost hilarious pseudo-doc about two loser friends who decide to "do something" to save the world from eco-fuck-ups.
One, Stephen Mangan, whose planet-passion is genuine, but may also be driven by the utter hopelessness of his private life, is joined by best-pal Rhys Thomas who approaches life as a kind of adventure whatever it throws at him. His naive enthusiasm contrasts well with Mangan's more stolid sense of purpose.
They decide they can best save the world by walking, unsupported, to the North Pole. Unsupported means they can accept no help from anyone once they begin their snowy hike near the edge of the Artic Circle. Mangan aims to stay true to his organic, vegetarian lifestyle, whereas Thomas is keen to make it into the Guiness Book of Records. You get the feeling, though, that if Mangan would rather starve than eat a dead seal, Thomas would wolf down a wolf if it meant saving his life over principles.
Both men are skilled comic actors, frequently appearing in some of the funniest UK television shows where they've honed timing, understatement, and a wonderful sense of irony.
Thomas garnered national praise as the green-around-the-gills host of a BBC Radio4 pseudo-phone-in show, largely a vehicle for some of Britain's finest comic actors to create and present a gallery of characters.
So appreciative of his and Mangan's work was Helen Baxendale (the one that Ross marries in Friends), star of the hit series Cold Feet, that she endorsed them for her second feature as Executive Producer. Both films are beautifully directed and co-written by her partner David Williams.
The film shifts effectively from comedy to a deeper exploration of the all levels of human relationships. It's the kind of presentation done so well by The Office, so that itself isn't a problem. But there is one of focus.
So, even at under 1� hours, the film feels too long, and perhaps may have started life as a pilot for a television series that got poked and prodded into a feature somewhere along the way.
The supporting cast, particularly the ever-reliable Mark Benton as the lads' equally absorbed point-of-contact back home and long under-rated Rosie Cavaliero as Thomas's devoted girlfriend, are excellent no matter how much screen time they occupy.
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Edited by - BaftaBaby on 12/27/2010 18:58:28 |
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Beyond the Pole- please see my Bafta thread
