Writer-director Andrew Fleming was a constant presence in multiplexes – well, his films were – across the 1990s. The Craft is the most remembered, but it’s well worth digging out Threesome and Dick too, as well as his 2008 Sundance hit, Hamlet 2. In recent times, his film output has thinned, which given his natural comedic and human touch has been a pity.
The story thus travels a familiar path, and yet there’s material here that lifts it. Coogan in particular is terrifically spiky as Erasmus, a blend of vanity and vulnerability, along with tip-top comedy timing, that serves the film well. Rudd, too, is the metaphorical straight man in the comedy partnership, and it’s unflashy, quality bearded work that he puts in.
Furthermore, the film’s funny. Watching Coogan and Rudd on screen together is a real pleasure, and Coogan offers the most memorable uttering of the words “Dances With Wolves” since the Academy handed Kevin Costner an Oscar.
Bits of the film around the outsides of these characters don’t work quite as well. The moments where Angel’s father come onto the scene feel narratively necessary more than particularly interesting. Furthermore, the film does take a little while to get motoring, not really a luxury it has with its commendable hour and a half running time.
Also, the film treads a very fine line between pulling the leg of stereotypes, and relying on them. The core couple are utterly matter of fact about their relationship, and for the most part, so is the film. Yet it still has a few lines and moments here and there that feel a little out of their time.
