Review of Cemetery Junction (2010) by Nebojsa N — 13 Aug 2010

Say what you will about Ricky Gervais and his previous feature film outings, he's jumped through the necessary hoops to prove he can both act AND direct.

Cemetery Junction is the first project that (having written, directed and produced) is truly his own and as a huge Gervais/Merchant fan I had high expectations. The finished result isn't exactly what I'd hoped for, whilst not bad, I was left disappointed.

The plot is predictable. The acting is, for the most part, of a high standard; the films three leads are all charming, Emily Watson's understated performance is excellent (despite her limited screen time) and Matthew Goode also deserves praise. Ralph Fiennes, arguably one of the most typecast actors in Hollywood is once again, wait for it ... the bad guy.

Overall I feel as though Cemetery Junction is a missed opportunity. There's a good film in there somewhere but it pains me to say that Gervais & Merchants inexperience and free reign is ultimately its downfall. The film feels underdeveloped and uncertain, the intended emotional scenes miss the mark and there's an especially terrible scene that we'll call the "tea scene" - Fiennes and Goode could have held up signs saying "we're c**ts" and it would be more subtle.

That being said, there's a couple of decent laughs to be had.

Not bad, just disappointed.