Terry Johnson’s telepic on comedians Peter Cook & Dudley Moore tries to hide its basic conventionality with a bit of time jumping and B&W alter-ego commentary. But the "Star Is Born" cliches of rise & fall stardom, self-loathing & self-destructive behavior, are unavoidable here and nothing to be ashamed of mining for all they're worth. Rhys Ifans & Aidan McArdle embody rather than impersonate Pete & Dud in fine warts & all perfs. The script, based on a bio of Cook, shows its bias (Moore’s musical talent is somehow judged less worthy than Cook’s free associative comedy . . . and Cook's sheer shittiness given something of a pass), but any BEYOND THE FRINGE fan will find this riveting stuff. And the guys playing Jonathan Miller & Alan Bennett are tremendous.
No comments:
Post a Comment