Rob Brydon, afloat without a paddle or Steve Coogan
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5, Good - Very Good
 |
| Rob Brydon as Eric in Swimming With Men. Image source. |
Rob Brydon reins in his impressive range of impersonations used to such good effect with Steve Coogan in ‘The Trip’ trilogy. But flush with the success of that notable TV series he has star billing and delivers a low-key but effective performance in Swimming With Men, directed by Oliver Parker.
This story focuses on a band of middle-aged misfits who enter the world of synchronised swimming at their local leisure centre. All have their reasons to escape from humdrum domestic problems and with a hugely talented cast this film should have skimmed smoothly above water. Instead the running time of 103 minutes scarcely allows them time to breathe. This is a shame, as actors of the high octane calibre of Daniel Mays, Adeel Ahktar, Jim Carter and the ensemble could have added enough flesh to characters to sustain interest in a six part TV drama.
 |
| Swim team in Swimming With Men. Image source. |
Brydon’s character Eric, bored witless with his job in finance has begun to suspect that his wife (Jane Horrocks) is having an affair and this paranoia leads to estrangement from her and his family. Thus, seeking escape and solace he churns out length after length at the local swimming pool. There he chances upon the aforementioned synchronised swimmers. One day, he notices that they need an extra body to complete the rotational symmetry involved in one of their sequences and after telling them how to make the move work he is swept onto their team.
Eric relishes the camaraderie within the group and the film gathers momentum when pool manager and synchronised swimming star Susan (Charlotte Riley) offers to train them. Her sergeant-major style of coaching creates ripples but unsurprisingly she knocks them into cohesive shape and they enter as the British team for the world championships in Italy. The film enters Full Monty mode at this stage but aided by superb underwater sequences there is enough tension to root for them as they compete for real. Adding symmetry to this feel-good watery tale, every performance is uniformly excellent and the humour bubbles along consistently above and below the surface.
 |
| Coach Susan (Charlotte Riley) in Swimming With Men. Image source. |
Details:
Director: Oliver Parker
Starring: Rob Brydon, Jane Horrocks, Adeel Ahktar, Daniel Mays, Charlotte Riley, Jim Carter, Thomas Turgoose, Rupert Graves and Nathaniel Parker.
Writer: Aschlin Ditta
Genre: British Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 6 July, 2018
Language: English
Certificate: 12A
Length: 103 minutes
__________
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to hear more stories about people and events across the capital.
__________
No comments:
Post a Comment