A Bunch of Amateurs Review

After the constant nagging of my father, I finally sat down and watched the “comedic display of British brilliance” (clearly I get my descriptive skills from my dad), which is ‘A Bunch of Amateurs’ (2008). I hadn’t heard of this film prior to my dad raving about it, and therefore only had a vague idea of the plot, alongside low expectations, when watching this, but I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised.
The story focuses on Jefferson Steel (Burt Reynolds), an obnoxious Hollywood fade-out, who is tricked by his failing agent into playing the role of King Lear in an amateur charity production. This British comedy was directed by Andy Cadiff, and also features acting stars such as; Samantha Bond, Imelda Staunton and Derek Jacobi.
As mentioned above, I did not have particularly high expectations for this film, especially due to some of the poor reviews I had then read, but, I must admit that the film pleasantly surprised me. The storyline isn’t overly dramatic or action fuelled, but it is heavily enjoyable none-the-less. It’s the kind of film that does not require your undivided attention, which I find usual with the comedy genre, but is still very enjoyable and feel-good, all-be-it a little predictable when it comes to plot-twists.
The lack of action does make reviewing the film slightly more difficult, as there were no dramatically good or bad aspects. Many reviews I read prior to watching the film did say that the script and performances were poor; however, I think these statements are far from the truth. I felt that the whole casts performances were superb, and the script was full of calm humour that will make you chuckle.

As a whole, I would say that this film is a superb British comedy, although would probably rate it as average in comparison to an overly dramatic comedies, as this comedy is definitely more realistic and witty. The performances were fantastic, and I don’t really have much more to comment on without repeating myself. It’s the kind of film to just put on when you’re not quite sure what to watch, and is definitely the type of film that you can watch again and again.     

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