Review of The Tall Guy (1989) by Barnaby E — 30 Mar 2009
The Richard Curtis film that everyone seems to forget, especially after the gigantic 'Four Weddings And A Funeral' hit. But, for me personally, this works better than 'Four Weddings' because it seems more realistic.
Yes, you can argue that characters breaking the fourth wall and a musical of The Elephant Man, as well as Jeff Goldblum at his most Goldblum-ish, can never be described as realistic, but there's just something grounded here and easy to empathise with.
Scenes and scenarios are returned to with more polish and aplomb in his later films, but Richard Curtis delivers a wonderful semi-autobiographical slice of life. And, again, Rowan Atkinson proves that he's at his very best when he's being nasty.
His bumbling, witless idiots (Mr Bean, Johnny English, etc) are just not in the same league as his sarcastic Blackadder persona, which is on show here. Emma Thompson is delightful and shares what is the funniest and, oddly, the most erotic scene of sex in cinema history.
Buttered toast stuck to a buttock will never be bettered! This romantic story is true to life in the dialogue and the actions of the two leads (Goldblum and Thompson), with some surreal moments thrown into the mix, and a sing-a-long at the end.
A forgotten gem.
This review of The Tall Guy (1989) was written by Barnaby E on 30 Mar 2009.
The Tall Guy has generally received positive reviews.
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