Writer: Frank Cottrell Boyce (based on a novel by Laurence Sterne)
Cast: Steve Coogan (Himself/Tristram Shandy/Walter Shandy), Rob Brydon (Himself/Captain Toby Shandy), Keeley Hawes (Herself/Elizabeth Shandy), Shirley Henderson (Herself/Susannah), Gillian Anderson (Herself/Widow Wadman), Dylan Moran (Himself/Dr. Slop), David Walliams (Curate), Stephen Fry (Himself/Patrick Curator/Parson Yorick), Jeremy Northam (Mark), Ian Hart (Joe), James Fleet (Simon), Naomie Harris (Jennie) & Kelly Macdonald (Jenny)
A film crew attempt to shoot an adaptation of Laurence Sterne's essentially unfilmable novel, "The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman."I can't claim to have read The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemen, although I gather it's one of those "unfilmable" novels... like The Lord Of The Rings once was! The purpose behind director Michael Winterbottom's movie A Cock And Bull Story, is to comment on its unfilmable nature by presenting us with a film about its filming. Laurence Sterne's 18th-Century novel was possibly the first literary example of post-modernism, so it's fitting that this film continues that theme.
Steve Coogan plays himself, cast in the lead role of Tristram Shandy, with Rob Brydon as his "co-lead" Toby Shandy, and both actors gladly poke fun at how we perceive them; Coogan's egotistical and trapped by Alan Partridge adoration, while Brydon's obsessed with fame and his thinning hair.
The film is an extended joke, as we flit between scenes from the actual film and the making of the film, with Coogan acting as a fourth-wall breaking tour guide, making the leaps in filmed chronology easier to follow. The novel remains unrealized onscreen in any meaningful way, but that's the gag. More interesting than the Shandy storyline (of which we only get brief scenes from the novel) is the seemingly improvised comedy interludes behind-the-scenes, featuring an all-star British cast only bettered by the Harry Potter franchise.
Dylan Moran appears as a forceps-obsessed doctor, Shirley Henderson (Potter's Moaning Myrtle) is a cute maid, Keeley Hawes (Spooks) spends the film moaning with labour pains, Jeremy Northan is the film's director (why didn't Winterbottom take this role, for added japes?), Ian Hart (Dirt) is the screenwriter, James Fleet (Vicar Of Dibley) is an affable producer, Naomie Harris (28 Days Later) is film buff Jennie, the object of Coogan's affections, and Kelly Macdonald (Trainspotting) is Coogan's loving wife. Other celebrities appear for brief scenes; from Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), to music guru Tony Wilson -- who sadly died recently, and was played by Coogan in 24 Hour Party People.
The film just about sustains its 94-minute runtime, although the joke grows thinner than Brydon's scalp after an hour. The acting is impeccable from everyone, while the insight into making a period costume drama is very atmospheric and good fun. I particularly loved the chilly battle sequences that were being filmed outside a picturesque country mansion, as the stars hobnobbed inside.
Coogan is certainly the star performance here, self-detrimental and able to make a rather tepid love triangle with sexy Jennie (Harris) and wife Jenny (Macdonald) work, despite its limited screentime and absence of a big climax. It's certainly a shame Coogan has never truly escaped Partridge, as he again displays a relaxed, likeable, fragile side that's a million miles away from the brash Norwich radio presenter.
Real-life friends Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan work brilliantly together, and their games of one-upmanship are easily the funniest moments in the film. An opening discussion about the yellow tone of Brydon's teeth, Brydon's excellent Partridge impersonations and their competitive mimicing of Al Pacino over the closing credits, are all great scenes. It's such a shame their "double-act" is absent for long stretches in the middle. There's always something bubbling away to keep your interest when they're not around, but it does become an exercise in celebrity spotting after awhile.
A Cock And Bull Story is undoubtedly an acquired taste and isn't as funny or insightful as it thinks it is. Most of the time it resembles a literary in-joke, dreamed up by screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce and being acted out by Winterbottom and his famous friends. It manages to be entertaining and funny for brief spots, but it's ultimately a bit tiresome and quickly forgotten.
If you're after something a bit different from the norm, you could do far worse... but you could also do much better.
Red Bus/BBC Films
Budget: £2.8 million
94 minutes
