In this episode we review "The Trouble With Jessica": a British black-comedy/farce that we enjoyed a lot.
The reviewers are:
- Bob Mann of One Mann's Movies (http://www.onemannsmovies.com) and BBC Radio Solent; &
- Rev. Andy Godfrey of Konnect Radio (https://www.konnectradio.com) and Sorted Magazine (https://sortedmag.com).
The video version of this podcast is available here: https://youtu.be/SrPhyAH5z_I
AI Generated Show Notes
Summary
The Trouble with Jessica is a dark British comedy film with a great cast and a Hitchcockian vibe. It revolves around a dinner party where trouble ensues with the arrival of a character named Jessica. The film is set in London and has a sharp and witty script that offers a humorous and well-observed commentary on British society. The amount of swearing in the film may be off-putting for some audiences. Overall, it is a black comedy with excellent acting performances and a quirky music score.
Keywords
The Trouble with Jessica, film, dark comedy, British, dinner party, Hitchcockian, cast, script, British society, swearing, black comedy, acting performances, music score
Takeaways
- The Trouble with Jessica is a dark British comedy film with a Hitchcockian vibe.
- The film offers a humorous and well-observed commentary on British society.
- The amount of swearing in the film may be off-putting for some audiences.
- The acting performances and the quirky music score are highlights of the film.
Sound Bites
- "A great cast, I have to say."
- "A very underrated actress in my view." (Olivia Williams)
- "A black comedy of which Hitchcock would have been proud."
#filmreview #filmreviews #onemannsmovies #movie #moviereview #moviereviews #cinema #flickeringdreams #thetroublewithjessica
Music: Hip Jazz by Bensound.
Any clips used are taken from YouTube trailers or posted clips. Copyright remains with the original owners. As this podcast involves review, criticism and observation on the copyrighted materials, the clips are used under a ‘Fair Use’ policy. If copyright owners object to such use, please email bobthemovieman1@gmail.com and they will be removed.
Bob Mann (00:00)
Right. Hello and welcome to this episode of Flickering Dreams. We are on episode 71 at the moment and we are looking at a film which is on a very limited release, I have to say, in UK cinemas at the moment. It's called The Trouble with Jessica. And in The Trouble with Jessica, we have two...
couples who are having a dinner party at one of their houses but one of the couples brings along a character called Jessica and you'll never guess there's going to be trouble with Jessica. Here's a
great cast, I have to say. There you saw all five members, main members of the cast. We've got Shirley Henderson, obviously Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter, as she's best known for. Alan Tudyk, playing her husband. Rufus Sewell, who we'll come back to in the next episode of Flickering Dreams. And Olivia Williams, a very underrated actress in my view. And playing Jessica is Indira.
Varma of a striking lady indeed. Andy, do you want to give me your kind of views on this? We talked about films being Hitchcockian didn't we last week? And this is...
Rev. Andy Godfrey (01:30)
Yeah, I Yeah, I mean, I loved I love this so much I got myself on the poster for Sorted magazine and on the poster it actually says a black comedy of which Hitchcock would have been proud. I think this is funny. I think it is just a tremendous zany wacky British comedy that probably only the British could produce. And let's remember when Hitchcock made The Trouble With Harry. He was British.
Bob Mann (01:39)
Hahaha.
Rev. Andy Godfrey (02:00)
The Trouble With Harry was set in a rural setting, this is set in a London and same basic premise, but I think that this has got that real Britishness about it. It did kind of remind me of that episode of Faulty Towers, where one of the guests has died and Basil and Manuel are shifting the body around. I thought that the script was sharp. I thought it was witty. I thought that it was really well observed, really good observation of British society. There's a particular dessert.
Bob Mann (02:15)
Yes.
Rev. Andy Godfrey (02:30)
in this film that features really really heavily I know you gave the dessert credit in your review Bob because it gives such a good performance, but with justification and it's really really funny. I saw it a long time ago I saw it in a press screening back in November and this was one of those films that was delayed because of the actor's strike
Bob Mann (02:31)
you
Yes, the word Clafouti must have been mentioned a hundred times in this film, which is extraordinary.
Rev. Andy Godfrey (02:57)
According to the distributors when I asked them why hasn't come out until now. I'm really disappointed. It's only got a really limited Showing in my local Cineworld It's only been shown once a day all week and not a lot of people you know to get to see it because this should be said I think it it doesn't necessarily matter if you haven't seen it on the big screen because this is a film you could easily watch at home because it would make it as you said in your review a great stage play so So I hope it's a hit when it comes on on streaming
Bob Mann (03:09)
Yes.
Yes, I agree.
Yeah, it actually reeks of being a COVID lockdown type of film, doesn't it? I don't know when it was actually filmed, but it is a kind of a closed sort of set film. I mean, I've been specifically avoiding saying exactly what the trouble with Jessica is, despite the fact that the trailer actually gives it away. And I think if you go into this film without knowing the detail of what's happened, which is...
Rev. Andy Godfrey (03:30)
It does. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
The least you know, the better. I agree. Yeah, I do agree.
Bob Mann (03:53)
which is spoiled by the trailer, I think it becomes a more enjoyable black comedy. And it is a very black comedy, I have to say. I watched it again the other night and there's not that many laughs. I mean, it's not a comedy comedy per se. It's a comedy of situations and it's a bit of a farce.
Rev. Andy Godfrey (04:18)
That's the point, it's a British farce, it's a typical British farce.
Bob Mann (04:20)
It is very, very dark indeed as a film, I have to say. I thought the acting performances were excellent. There's also an appearance by Anne Reid, who's playing a nosy neighbour, who I know best from playing one of the villagers in Hot Fuzz from many years ago. But she's a... Yes, One Foot in the Grave, that's right. Yes.
Rev. Andy Godfrey (04:24)
Yeah. Oh, it's dark.
I mean, she was in Only Fools and Horses. No, One Foot in the Grave, wasn't she? She was the neighbour in One Foot in the Grave. That's right, yeah.
Bob Mann (04:48)
and she's that sort of face of a British actress who keeps popping up in lots and lots of different things. You think, where on earth have I seen her? I thought she was very good. The one thing which might upset some audiences is the amount of swearing in this film. It is a very sweary film and it really earns its 15th certificate for that. I actually first saw this a couple of months ago on a flight to Cairo on Air Egypt. And...
Rev. Andy Godfrey (04:55)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yes, it's true.
Bob Mann (05:18)
the in -flight movie was redacted for all the swear words. So it tried to watch it. It tried to...
Rev. Andy Godfrey (05:25)
There wasn't a lot left.
Bob Mann (05:30)
That wasn't a -
a lot left to watch. So, yeah, but I thought it was good And there's a really quirky, nice little music score as well that goes along with it, a sort of jazzy music score as well, which is quite surprising in places. I gave this one a eight out of 10.
Rev. Andy Godfrey (05:45)
School's terrific.
Bob Mann (05:54)
I might have been a little bit generous in doing that and watching again, but I'll stick with it. 8 out of 10. Andy?
Rev. Andy Godfrey (06:01)
Well, I was quoted as I said, I was on the poster. I really love this one. I'm just a fave one of my favorite films of the year. I'm giving it a nine Bob. I really enjoyed it. Yeah.
Bob Mann (06:09)
There you go and nine, okay, so that's great So that's a Flickering Dreams score of eight point five out of ten making the trouble with Jessica a big hit so No, no trouble at all. You may struggle to see it in cinemas as we said because it is on very limited release
Rev. Andy Godfrey (06:22)
No trouble at all.
Yeah, but as I say when it comes on streaming It this would make a great stage play you could see this making a great stage play So I don't think that you're going to lose a great deal by watching it at home Yeah, other than the cinematic experience obviously, but it We perfectly fine to see it on TV at home. Yeah
Bob Mann (06:35)
Yeah. Yeah.
No, I agree. I agree. Yeah.
Yeah, so we'll wait to watch that one on streaming and thanks for watching. Yeah, we'll see what Emma and Scott think then. They'll probably rubbish it. It'll probably reduce the Flickering Dreams score down to 4.7. There you go. There's no shark in it, so Emma won't like it, but there you So thanks for watching this episode of Flickering Dreams. Please subscribe, please like, please share where you can on the different platforms we show on, and we'll see you next time.
Rev. Andy Godfrey (06:52)
see what Emma and Scott think.
Yep.
Bob Mann (07:16)
Thanks so much.