Review of Cemetery Junction (2010) by Sy B — 22 Apr 2010

Penned by Ricky Gervais and Stephan Merchant, 'Cemetary Junction' is a welcomed return to romanticised British comedy-drama, following Freddie (Christian Cooke) as he discovers there may be more to life than living in the squalid estate of Cemetary Junction in 1970's Reading. The undeniably strength of 'Cemetary Junction' lies in the relationship between the three male friends, tracking them first hand as they experience a typical day in Reading: getting caught up in bar fights, ending up in jail, partaking in graffi art and working there tiresome jobs for a meagre wage. The actors portraying the three friends put in terrific performances and are supported by turns from Gervais, Merchant, Fiennes and Goode, while Emily Watson and Felicity Jones bring a female-touch and sense of beauty, however sad, to the films masculine feel. It is, however, not Gervais and Merchants best work. Not only does the film suffer from an over-ambitious, and often ambling, script, but it all feels too forced and clichéd to be considered anything but average.

Brilliant performances from the central cast and intermittently witty dialogue aren't enough to save this from being a rather dull, lazy and unoriginal look at life in 1970's Britain.