Review of Peacock (2005) by Roy C — 13 Apr 2010

Peacock baffles me. On one hand, while I admire it's sheer boldness and uniqueness, I have absolutely no idea what it is aiming for. Cillian Murphy plays John Skillpa, a man whose mother passed away a year ago, and he's since developed a split personality disorder, transforming into some sort of Norman Bates -- doing all the house chores in drag and with a slightly higher voice.

But when the caboose of a train unexpectedly goes flying into his backyard, while "she" is outside tending to the laundry, the jig is up! Almost. The town believes that the woman in the backyard must be John's secret wife, and soon his backyard (and his "wife" -- "Emma") become key participants in a local political election.

Soon Emma and John find themselves at odds over the fate of the caboose and the man in the dress, and eventually prostitution, child abuse, and even murder become key plot points! Is there anything this film can't fit into it's 90 minute running time? This might actually be OK if intended to be a dark comedy, but surprisingly, none of this is EVER played for laughs.

Peacock's plot is so utterly bizarre and ridiculous, it's hard to take it seriously ...so I can't figure out why (or how) the filmmakers did.