So here we are, my first ever film review and it’s (drum roll please . . . ) Cemetery Junction. What? I hear you cry for despite the involvement of Ricky Gervais this film came and went with relatively little fanfare which is a shame as there is quite a lot to admire here.
The story revolves around three working class young men from Reading in 1973 all looking to make a change to their lives and not simply follow in the footsteps of their Fathers. Freddie (Christian Cooke) wants to become a successful life insurance salesman and reap the material and social rewards that come with it. Bruce (Tom Hughes) talks of leaving the area and not ending up like his Father who simply sits in front of the TV all day with a beer, while their friend Snork (Jack Doolan) simply wants to get laid. These desires to escape their current lives combined with the various factors keeping them where they are make for a compelling dynamic between the friends. Added to this is the complications provided by an interesting collection of supporting characters including Freddies new boss Mr Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes) and his beautiful daughter Julie (Felicity Jones).
The film, written and directed by a combination of Ricky Gervais and his long term comedy partner Stephen Merchant, is well presented with some sparkling dialogue and an excellent 70's soundtrack. The performances from the central cast are superb and come with predictably wonderful support from the likes of Fiennes and Emily Watson, however there is an elephant in the room and its name is Ricky Gervais. Now I am not a Gervais basher in fact I am quite a fan of his tv work as well as his performance in the underrated Ghost Town but here he is woefully miscast (by himself I presume!) as the working class factory machine operating father of Freddie. In fact despite the presence of Anne Reid and Julia Davis (as Freddies Gran and Mum respectively) the scenes involving Freddies family don’t appear to work well with the rest of the film as they rely heavily on Gervais trademark smart yet slightly smarmy delivery. In fact much of the dialogue in these scenes feels at odds with the rest of the film and even features some “ooo weren’t we racist in the 70′s” dialogue that is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. This is a great shame as the rest of the film seems much more subtle and indeed the issue of racism is dealt with better elsewhere in the movie in a short scene involving a scuffle in a nightclub. Thankfully the relationship between Bruce and his Father (underplayed beautifully by Francis Magee) is much more believable and their subplot provides the film with its most memorable and emotional punch. The heart of the film lies with the relationship between Freddie and Julie and despite relatively little screen time together it is easy to cheer them on such is the chemistry between the two.
Gervais and Merchant have clearly got the talent behind the camera to make the leap from the small screen to the big and despite its flaws there is much here to suggest that there may be greater successes to come for the pair.
