An improvised comedy, shot over five days by Shane Meadows, devised with and starring Paddy Considine. Rock roadie and failed musician, Le Donk has lived, loved and learned. Along the way he's lost a girlfriend but he has found a new sidekick in up-and-coming rap prodigy Scor-zay-zee. With Meadows' fly-on-the-wall crew in tow, Donk sets out to make Scor-zay-zee a star...
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The success of Shane Meadows' recent television series on Channel 4 will hopefully spike a revival of interest in his brilliant movies; including this one, his funniest film yet. In his youth, Meadows was in a band with Paddy Considine, whose career as an actor he later helped launch; and the two are back together here, with Meadows playing a fictionalised version of himself, a film-maker shooting a documentary about the life of a roadie (Considine) and his musical protégé, a most unlikely rapper. Considine is great, as ever, in playing the part of a social misfit utterly lacking in self-awareness: the film is full of laugh-out-load moments, yet still manages to be touching in places. I don't know if the low budget is the reason why the role of a supposedly new-born baby is played by a child who's practically a toddler, and it's scarcely a weighty piece, but it's delightful nonetheless. I continue to find Meadows' ongoing struggle for commissions amazing - to me, he's the best film-maker we have in the U.K. right now.
This is a seriously funny film, for so many different reasons. If you like the dynamics of Meadows and Considine in films such as Dead Mans Shoes and A Room for Romeo Brass then this film will amaze you.Firstly Considine has a real East Midlands English edge to him when he acts with Meadows, those shifty unpredictable eyes, and that stare that lasts a little bit too long. Naturally he is a scary actor, and so to see him become a goofy, comedic clown is so surprising it takes half the film to convince yourself it's actually him.The film is improvised and yes they probably shot miles of footage for the 71 minutes used, but my God they looked like they were having a great laugh. Meadows can often be heard pissing himself laughing in the background when Considine throws out some serious offbeat ideas (and words). This in itself made me laugh.The comedy is funny because it feels quite natural, you spend most of the time laughing at the characters and the anecdotes they spill, more than you do at the situations they are in, which adds something really interesting to the film, it's not a slapstick for the Americans.The film holds together fairly well, but I didn't really care about that, I just enjoyed laughing out loud to it. I would recommend though watching Dead Mans Shoes just before to give you an amazing contrast, and sharpen the experience.Like I said it's funny, entertaining and if you like any of the actors or meadows in it - it's a must see. I just wished I was there when they shot it.
As you might imagine, I had great expectations of this film, indeed I have great expectations of any film starring Britain's scariest actor Paddy Considine. But this was yet another sleight outing from Shane Meadows who had the semi-eponymous Mr Considine giving a fine performance, but, mysteriously, as David Brent!Nevermind, I found his companion-in-title Scor-Zay-Zee fascinating, all the more so when I contemplate he is actually a rapper! Extra marks were on offer if Shane had turned his camera across the road at the final Arctic Monkeys gig for a quick shot of my old school.All in all, an opportunity missed!Ron(Viewed 10Oct09)
Shane Meadows has earned an incomparable amount of slack over the course of his 13 year career, and although this takes an even bigger cut than last year's well observed but insubstantial Somers Town, its an enjoyable watch.And although real life Nottingham rapper Scorzayzee gets top billing, this is basically the Paddy Considine show, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.Its dramatically underpowered and about as edgy as an episode of Last Of The Summer Wine, but its short and peppy and there are quite a few laughs in it.But no 71 minute film should really be allowed to have four heedless musical montages in it.And I'd have been monumentally p*ssed off if I'd have paid to see it in a cinema.