Synopsis
When life knocks you down... stand up.
A comedian uses her troubled past as material for her stand-up routine, trying to rise up through the comedy circuit by playing Northern England's working men's clubs.
2017 Directed by Adrian Shergold
A comedian uses her troubled past as material for her stand-up routine, trying to rise up through the comedy circuit by playing Northern England's working men's clubs.
Maxine Peake Stephen Graham Christine Bottomley Paddy Considine Tony Pitts Alun Armstrong Lindsey Coulson Kevin Eldon Hannah Walters Diane Morgan Macy Shackleton Hebe Beardsall Tom Gibbons Ashton Steele Vic Reeves John Bishop Graham Hughes Richard Hawley Corinne Bailey Rae Bobby Knutt Kevin Rowland Dominic Brunt Duggie Brown Robert Curtis Steven E Harris Kate Russell-Smith Jayne Bickerton Steve Money Kay Boggett Show All…
퍼니 카우, 喜剧女王, 欢乐守护者, Смешна крава, Funny cow, Vicces Maca
E-One. Apple TV
2.35:1
Color
35mm + Codex
15
“You can't hold onto tablets when you're drowning”
Devastating, yet heartwarming and corrosive. A beautiful poignant blend of stoic and subtle emotional torment that builds up to moments of ever so dry and captivating one can only be somewhat blown away in the majestic prowess.
85
Maxine Peake is phenomenal in Funny Cow, giving one of the best performances of the year. The supporting cast is also uniformly outstanding. This is one of those films that's clearly made by a whole bunch of talented people. It's a proper British drama film, filled with great period detail and a real passion for showing the grittiness of everyday life. Yet, despite the harsh domestic elements shown, Funny Cow is a lively and easy watch. There's just something delightful about its crude, acerbic wit. There's one, maybe two, overdramatic missteps, but mostly Funny Cow nails its comedy-drama tonal balance. It's hardly a deep or mesmerising film, but I pretty much loved watching this all the way through.
Side-note: Some characters go see a film and I recognised the interiors of the building they were in - they were in my favourite local cinema!
In case you haven't seen much British cinema, you're probably unaware that things are grim "up north", regardless of the era when a film is set there - the 40s? 90s? The present day? It doesn't matter - "up north" cinematically, is a fucking depressing shit show. So combine this compulsory dreary location with a story set largely in the 70s (a decade entirely bereft of vibrance, style, hope or anything pleasant) and you should have one of two things - a Ken Loach type, social realism, kitchen sink drama or an uplifting, underdog, triumph over adversity tale, both of which Britain is no stranger to producing with some terrific results.
"Funny Cow" seems determined to make it's way down…
It would surprise no one to learn that this was one of my most anticipated films of this year (so much so that I created the profile of it for TMDB and have pretty much counted the days to its release ever since) but it may surprise people to learn that I only really liked it, rather than loved it and I hope my review might explain why that's the case.
It's a film that is a real labour of love for Tony Pitts and Maxine Peake who spent ten years getting it off the ground. The brutish-seeming Pitts appears on typically snarling, nasty form as Bob, the abusive husband of Peake's eponymous stand up comedian 'Funny Cow' (she's never…
In her appearance on Adam Buxton's podcast, Sally Wainwright admitted she'd always wanted to write a drama about a stand-up comedian, but she couldn't, because she wanted it to be a popular stand-up comedian, and the challenge of writing reams of material good enough to make the audience believe it would be a hit always defeated her. Tony Pitts's debut script - he also co-stars - finds an elegant way to get round this. You don't have to enjoy the material Maxine Peake's nameless protagonist (Funny Cow is her stage name) performs, you just have to accept that it would be a hit in Northern English working mens' clubs during the 1970s.
That certainly lowers the bar, but it also…
Dark, depressing but compelling.
This is far from the comedy I was expecting. It's actually more of a hard hitting (literally) look at how tough working class Northern Britain was during the 70/80s.
Funny Cow is played brilliantly by Maxine Peake. Greatly assisted by a strong supporting cast.
Although, at times, difficult to watch due to the content, I did enjoy the movie and would recommend but just don't expect a nice feel good comedy.
I wanted to kick most of the men in this movie, especially the old fart who hung himself when she was funnier than him.
Rewatch has seen me notch this up a half star to make it a 4 star rating. Pretty much all I want to say about this film today has been said by Dr Kermode and in what I've previously rambled about in my original review.
However I will say that it still irritates me that in that first scene between Peake and Considine in the latter's bookshop I can see Miranda Carter's 2001 biography of Anthony Blunt - it's supposed to be the 1970s! I know, I know, this kind of thing only bothers me.
Oh and I will point out this is the only time John Bishop has made me laugh; when his dog flees the stage he shouts "Don't leave me like she did!"
Funny Cow is a bitter sweet dark comedy about a woman who suffers abuse for her entire life and finds the one thing that makes her feel loved - Stand up comedy .
I really enjoyed this film . Not so much for the story itself but from the performances . Maxine Peake is a very special talent . She has performed many great roles , mainly on British TV .
She IS this film. She IS the Funny Cow and you have to admire her acting chops .
There are quite a few special cameos in this film . From the brilliant Stephen Graham to comedians such as Diane Morgan , John Bishop , Vic Reeves and 70’s stand…
A fine, sporadically funny British drama-comedy that is almost entirely soured by one especially distasteful and wholly misjudged sequence designed to perform as our protagonist's defining moment of glory.
That such a disappointing scene, riddled with homophobia and racism, and overlapping another unnecessary and unearnt development, really derailed my enjoyment in this is a shame. Beside Maxine Peake's solid performance and some interesting production design, that mean-spirited moment will be my major takeaway from Adrian Shergold's peculiar creation.
Films about working class northern women are so so important to me. I do think this had some rather hamfisted moments, but the cast (with some amazing cameos and an unsuprisingly great performance from Maxine Peake) and flecks of charming comedy accompanying the dark main plot work well. The dialogue is pretty awful, kind of to be expected from this era, but still made me wince a little.