Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

 

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005)

Directed: Michael Winterbottom

     I can't admit to being a huge fan of Michael Winterbottom's work though I did love Welcome to Sarajevo and enjoyed 24 Hour Party People.  I stumbled upon The Trip, the psuedo-sequel to Tristram Shandy, figured I might as well see the films in order, and moved Tristram Shandy to the top of the Netflix queue.  I've always loved films about making films, from the more recent Adaption, further back through 8 1/2, and others, Barton Fink, Mulholland Drive, Sunset Blvd., The Player.....  Everything pointed to this being one of those films I should have seen earlier and just never got around too.  While not a big fan of British humor, this film is full of dryly delivered one liners, plays on words, sight gags, and all that goes into British comedy, delivered perfectly by Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.  The basic plot revolves around Coogan and Brydon, real life friends and British actor/comedians, as they try and film the unfilmable novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne.  The scenes revolves back and forth between the filming of the fictional movie and the actual actors themselves off camera, often comparing their roles, private lives, and the not to subtle competition between them.  Petty and trivial differences in the filming arise throughout, drawing in prop masters, writers, directors, producers, and even the assistants on set.  Arguments over scenes to exclude, A list Hollywood talent to bring in for cameos, scenes cut, and additional filming costs serve only to further nobody's actual interests.  While the film certainly shines a light on the behind the scenes antics on film sets, it mainly serves as a platform for Coogan and Brydon to shine playing off one another.  Fantastic British actors show up in minor roles as well, Jeremy Northam, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Fry, and even Shirley Henderson (best known for roles in 2 powerhouse British franchises, Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter films, and Jude in the Bridget Jones films).  Henderson, while minor in this film,  has always been a favorite supporting actress of mine, showing up in Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People, and Trainspotting, also with Macdonald.  There is even a great cameo by Gilliam Anderson in the film, though her part gets cut from the fictional move.  The star of this film is clearly Coogan himself though, and while Brydon steals most of the best lines, it is Coogan we follow throughout the film as Tristram himself.  Always funny, Coogan's character manages to redeem himself in the end, fighting through his actor neuroses along the way.  I enjoyed the film quite a bit actually and at a short 90 minutes it goes by very fast. A very funny film and a relatively original look at life behind the lens and on set. 

4/5 Stars