Review of Cemetery Junction (2010) by Clayton W — 25 Aug 2010

Cemetery Junction is certainly an interesting change of pace for the hilarious Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, but it's a successful one, too. Written and directed by the pair, the film still retains some of the trademark humor you'd expect, though there's more drama and darkness than in the pair's other work. The screenplay is witty and wry, combining both the lewd and the clever to often brilliant effect. The ensemble cast is fantastic, with great performances from lesser-knowns (Tom Hughes and Christian Cooke especially) and the bigger names, including Ralph Fiennes and Gervais himself.

The story itself is perhaps overly familiar, but when it's this well done, it hardly matters. The romance is sweet (if the payoff is clicheed), and the characters' various arcs satisfy. It's really disappointing this film didn't get a theatrical release in the US, because it will likely find even fewer viewers as a DVD-only release.