Review of Cemetery Junction (2010) by Tony P — 20 Apr 2010

A by-the-numbers coming-of-age film that still manages lots of easy, natural comedy and has frequent laugh-out-loud hilarity. So you know exactly how the film's going to turn out and what's going to happen; it doesn't stop you enjoying watching it happen.

The characters are very well-rounded, with solid performances across the board and very believable delivery. The actors interact as though they've been playing these characters with each other for years, and the whole thing felt very believable and was really engaging.

It's clear Gervais is a great writer - but lordy, directing is not his forte. It was very heavy-handed; serious conversations where characters learned valuable lessons were signified by the camera slowly zooming in on their faces as the lessons were learned. And at one point, when two characters reach a new equilibrium with each other, their previously gloomy front room literally lights up and the colour actually comes back into the shot. It all felt a bit message-heavy. The music was just as bad, reaching a guitar-riff crescendo during significant moments of the movie.

The direction and editing actually lost this film a star for me - but don't let that put you off. You'll probably want to wait for the DVD, but this is worth watching and a great laugh. Good, heartwarming British cinema!