Faintheart reviews
Review by on 25 Sep 2008
Funny, thoughtful, poignant, heart-warming and sensitive, a real feel-good romcom for these dispiriting times that will make you want to stand up and cheer! Vito Rocco elicits superb performances from this excellent cast, including outstanding newcomes, and directs with deftness and sensitivity. Go see it!
Funny, thoughtful, poignant, heart-warming and sensitive, a real feel-good romcom for these dispiriting times that will make you want to stand up and cheer! Vito Rocco elicits superb performances from this excellent cast, including outstanding newcomes, and directs with deftness and sensitivity. Go see it!
Review by on 25 Sep 2008
Good hearty Britcom for the masses
Good hearty Britcom for the masses
Review by on 25 Sep 2008
Fantastic movie - great to see new talent given a chance on the big screen.
Fantastic movie - great to see new talent given a chance on the big screen.
Review by on 25 Sep 2008
This was seriously funny! I wasn't sure what to expect, but am really pleased I made it to this one.
This was seriously funny! I wasn't sure what to expect, but am really pleased I made it to this one.
Review by on 24 Sep 2008
Sort of like Mike Leigh, only actually funny, and without the patronizing attitudes.
Sort of like Mike Leigh, only actually funny, and without the patronizing attitudes.
Review by on 24 Sep 2008
A brilliant film about loosers and love. Amasing casting! A MUST BE SEEN FILM...
A brilliant film about loosers and love. Amasing casting! A MUST BE SEEN FILM...
Review by on 24 Sep 2008
Excellent, fun and moving - quintessential low budget British film at its sweetest and best -deserves a wide release
Excellent, fun and moving - quintessential low budget British film at its sweetest and best -deserves a wide release
Review by on 24 Sep 2008
A very funny and heartwarming film. The leads completely had you engaged throughout the movie. I have seen some British so called comedies recently with much bigger budgets that are nowhere near as good as this one. I hope Faintheart and it's Director go on to be as sucessful as they deserve to be.
A very funny and heartwarming film. The leads completely had you engaged throughout the movie. I have seen some British so called comedies recently with much bigger budgets that are nowhere near as good as this one. I hope Faintheart and it's Director go on to be as sucessful as they deserve to be.
Review by on 24 Sep 2008
Fab!
Fab!
Review by on 22 Sep 2008
Despite a novel casting method, Faintheart is ultimately a comedy that isn't really funny. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this film is that some of the actors were recruited not through traditional channels but from the social networking website, MySpace. One of these recruits, Chris R. Wright, gives an outstanding performance as a smarmy D.I.Y. store superintendent which makes you wish the rest of the film was as funny. Don't blame the actors, however - in this case the problem lies squarely with the script. References to Klingons, Odin and "wenches" bombard the audience in a sort of freak show designed to induce laughter at the main characters' outlandish interests. Unfortunately, this nerdy camouflage cannot disguise the fact that the jokes themselves simply are not funny; when the script occasionally makes a brief foray into humour that isn't leaning on Star Trek for support, the results are even more dire.
In fairness, the film has a certain heartwarming quality which will sicken only the hardened cynics in its audience. The plot, though formulaic, was able to retain our interest. Worse films have been made for far more money, and Faintheart is to be commended as a coherent, if pedestrian, ambitious feature made on a low budget.
Despite a novel casting method, Faintheart is ultimately a comedy that isn't really funny. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this film is that some of the actors were recruited not through traditional channels but from the social networking website, MySpace. One of these recruits, Chris R. Wright, gives an outstanding performance as a smarmy D.I.Y. store superintendent which makes you wish the rest of the film was as funny. Don't blame the actors, however - in this case the problem lies squarely with the script. References to Klingons, Odin and "wenches" bombard the audience in a sort of freak show designed to induce laughter at the main characters' outlandish interests. Unfortunately, this nerdy camouflage cannot disguise the fact that the jokes themselves simply are not funny; when the script occasionally makes a brief foray into humour that isn't leaning on Star Trek for support, the results are even more dire.In fairness, the film has a certain heartwarming quality which will sicken only the hardened cynics in its audience. The plot, though formulaic, was able to retain our interest. Worse films have been made for far more money, and Faintheart is to be commended as a coherent, if pedestrian, ambitious feature made on a low budget.
Review by on 22 Sep 2008
When one hears the popular social networking website MySpace was involved in the production of a film the word ‘disaster’ may spring to mind. Others may wish to skip FAINTHEART altogether due to this groundbreaking venture into filmmaking but to do so would be a mistake in the simplest of terms. The story of a Viking enthusiast who unwittingly neglects his wife and son before setting about winning both back is unimportant here; the real gold is in the cast who work exceptionally well together and provide several high points in this charming British comedy. Eddie Marsan is on fine form as usual as the lead, creating undeniable sympathy for his character, but it is Marsan’s best-friend Ewen Bremner who threatens to steal the show with his amusing exploits with women and his life-long love affair with Star Trek. The younger members of the cast are very competent in their roles, which comes as a pleasant surprise, and it would seem the process of MySpace users voting for those that auditioned through the medium of self-made videos was a beneficial one. A few of these said ‘auditions’ were shown as a special treat for the audience beforehand, following an interesting (to say the least) interview with director Vito Rocco via the internet, and two of the youngsters selected answered a few questions in the flesh. FAINTHEART is set for a February 2009 national release and young and old alike would be well advised to go and see it.
Matt Waters, Festival Daily
When one hears the popular social networking website MySpace was involved in the production of a film the word ‘disaster’ may spring to mind. Others may wish to skip FAINTHEART altogether due to this groundbreaking venture into filmmaking but to do so would be a mistake in the simplest of terms. The story of a Viking enthusiast who unwittingly neglects his wife and son before setting about winning both back is unimportant here; the real gold is in the cast who work exceptionally well together and provide several high points in this charming British comedy. Eddie Marsan is on fine form as usual as the lead, creating undeniable sympathy for his character, but it is Marsan’s best-friend Ewen Bremner who threatens to steal the show with his amusing exploits with women and his life-long love affair with Star Trek. The younger members of the cast are very competent in their roles, which comes as a pleasant surprise, and it would seem the process of MySpace users voting for those that auditioned through the medium of self-made videos was a beneficial one. A few of these said ‘auditions’ were shown as a special treat for the audience beforehand, following an interesting (to say the least) interview with director Vito Rocco via the internet, and two of the youngsters selected answered a few questions in the flesh. FAINTHEART is set for a February 2009 national release and young and old alike would be well advised to go and see it.Matt Waters, Festival Daily
Review by on 21 Sep 2008
Superbly silly. A genuinely funny British movie, a real celebration of geekdom. The director's Skype introduction was very funny, and seemed an apt way to introduce the film given the MySpace connection. I look forward to his next feature..
Superbly silly. A genuinely funny British movie, a real celebration of geekdom. The director's Skype introduction was very funny, and seemed an apt way to introduce the film given the MySpace connection. I look forward to his next feature..
Review by on 21 Sep 2008
Certainly well worth seeing. Actually a very conventional film given the Myspace user generation whatnot that accompanied its production but none the worse for that. It had apparently a £1m budget so its not made on a shoestring but the Director makes that budget go a long way - it looks good and makes good use of location, and it is funny.
Certainly well worth seeing. Actually a very conventional film given the Myspace user generation whatnot that accompanied its production but none the worse for that. It had apparently a £1m budget so its not made on a shoestring but the Director makes that budget go a long way - it looks good and makes good use of location, and it is funny.
Review by on 21 Sep 2008
A thoroughly enjoyable film. It's funny, it's tender, and it's very, very sharp. At times I laughed so much it hurt: the characters were so like people I know, but with that marvellous wry twist which is the hallmark of the very best of British comedy. Well worth seeing.
A thoroughly enjoyable film. It's funny, it's tender, and it's very, very sharp. At times I laughed so much it hurt: the characters were so like people I know, but with that marvellous wry twist which is the hallmark of the very best of British comedy. Well worth seeing.
Film details
Faintheart
NEW FEATURES
Director: Vito Rocco
Actor: Eddie Marsan
Actor: Ewen Bremner
Actor: Jessica Hynes
Actor: Bronagh Gallagher
Actor: Tim Healy
Actor: Anne Reid
Actor: Eddie Marsan
Actor: Ewen Bremner
Actor: Jessica Hynes
Actor: Bronagh Gallagher
Actor: Tim Healy
Actor: Anne Reid
UK, 2008.
90 mins. English.
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