Review of Mindhorn (2016) by Kj P — 17 Jun 2017

All comedy is subjective, but when it comes to dry British humour, it's always hit or miss for me. I'll start off by saying that this film offered enough jokes to make me laugh, which outweighed the misses, but Mindhorn is just another film where I feel it could've been handled so much better. This is the very definition of dry humour, so if that's not your thing, you might as well take this as warning to stay far away from this movie. Sadly, I'll probably never watch this movie again, due to the fact that I think I got the most out of the jokes it delivered. That being said, I do have quite a few positives to say about Mindhorn, so let's dive in.

The plot is ridiculous but simple, an actor who is most famous for portraying the fictional television character Mindhorn, a 1980s detective, is recruited to help stop a convicted serial killer when the killer says he will only answer to Mindhorn, whom he believes to be a real person. The premise alone is hysterical, but the film takes a much more serious approach in telling this particular story. I found myself slightly bored throughout the majority of the film, due to the fact that the humour was almost too dry. That being said, when the laughs hit, they hit pretty hard and there are definitely a few gut-busters.

Julian Barratt is easily the most likeable actor in the film, but he is upstaged by side characters that I found to be more interesting. The comedy was only present when he was interacting with others, leaving me needing more each time he was alone on-screen. In my opinion, Essie Davis' portrayal of Patricia Deville was the most enjoyable aspect about this movie. How her character was related to Barratt's Richard Thorncroft and how she helped give him the arc he deserved was what made this film watchable throughout the full 90 minutes. The core story is funny and the main character in Thorncroft has quite a few quirks, but the movie would feel incomplete without the inclusion of each side character.

If it wasn't for the comedic aspect of this film, Mindhorn would be a complete train wreck, because going from comedic to dramatic in a matter of seconds isn't easy, but it's much easier when the film itself isn't to be taken seriously. I found myself chuckling in one instant and then wondering if I should be chuckling in another, which hurt my overall enjoyment of the film. I wasn't expecting anything amazing going into this movie, but I can confidently say that they could've done a better job in weighing the tonal shifts throughout the course of this movie. Still, there are some great laughs to be had here, so I can't complain too much.

Overall, Mindhorn is the type of film that harkens back to productions like that of Monty Python and the Holy Grail or even the television show The Pink Panther. There are some truly hilarious jokes here, but the majority of them don't hit very hard for me. If done well, this type of humour is arguably the best out there, but I couldn't help but want more when this film ended. I enjoyed watching these characters and the premise itself, but it juggles the serious and comedic aspects so sloppily that I was taken out of the film on more than one occasion. Mindhorn is a decent film to watch once and you may find more enjoyment with a group of film fans, but this wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be, which is this case wasn't a good thing. I had some fun with this film, but it's ultimately forgettable.