A FILM WITH ME IN IT - On DemandJanuary 24, 2010
IFC Films
On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand from the perspective of watching them from the comfort of your home. This week, "A Film With Me In It."
Funded by the Irish Film Board and directed by UK TV director Ian Fitzgibbon, 2008's "A Film With Me In It" is a dark comedy written by Mark Doherty who also stars as "Mark" (the eponymous "Me").
Mark and Pierce (Dylan Moran) are, respectively, a struggling actor and aspiring screenwriter with no luck, no money, no prospects and no respect. They live in a dilapidated flat and owe three months rent. Mark is tied down by his wheelchair-ridden brother David (David O'Doherty), rebuffed by his unhappy girlfriend, Sally (Amy Huberman) and despised by the landlord, Jack (Keith Allen).
One afternoon a series of freak accidents around the flat kill the landlord, the girlfriend and the brother. Mark and Pierce realize that no matter the reality, it looks really bad. They then try to escape the predicament by rewriting the days events (e.g. moving bodies around to create a believable story). When a police officer shows up, their quandary is just getting started.
Described by the Irish Times as "'Withnail & I' reworked by Joe Orton" the film starts out funny in a pathetic loser way, progresses to funnily morbid and then gets ridiculous (in a good way) as the body count keeps rising and the leads' decision making gets worse and worse. Doherty's hangdog expression and solid performance is enough to convince us to believe this man's life as well as his ability to stupidly follow Pierce. His character leads to chuckles. But for any fans of British comedy, Dylan Moran (Black Books, Shaun of the Dead) as Pierce is inescapably the one to watch. He plays a familiar character (the boozing, delusional, outspoken Irishman) but it's always enjoyable.
Favorite lines include "Not many people die by chandelier, Mark" and "Everything's OK, basically" (Pierce telling the bound and gagged cop this after wheeling her through the house to show her the bodies and describe what "really happened.") Notes: Neil Jordan and Jonathan Rhys Meyers make funny cameos. The wheelchair-bound brother is played by the lead's actual brother and the landlord played by Keith Allen also dies a premature death in Danny Boyle's "Shallow Grave."
While it doesn't have the planet-aligning, magical chemistry of "Withnail," "A Film With Me In It" stands out as a kind of modern independent rarity - a darkly morbid, fun Irish farce - and one to watch (if you like that sort o' thing).
Sean McPhillips is a new contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. He is a former vice president of acquisitions for Miramax Films (During Harvey's reign). He is a current writer/director for NY-based Secret Hideout Films
