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Note: also appears at my review site, ShaunMunro.co.uk. Cheers!
~~~
Daniel Craig recently took time out from cavorting in revealing swimwear and ousting international terrorists to star in little-known British independent film Flashbacks of a Fool. Starring as egotistical fading film star Joe Scott, Craig’s character returns home to England for the funeral of a childhood friend, and is forced to confront the demons of his childhood.
Flashbacks of a Fool is certainly a beautifully shot picture – the lush expanses of both the US and UK landscapes have been captured superbly by helmer Baillie Walsh and cinematographer John Mathieson. For all of the film’s plentiful scenes of empty contemplation, the picturesque horizons and glistening waves encompassed within certainly make this venture far more tolerable.
With all of the drug and sex-addled hedonism and ditzy starlet characters enveloping the film’s opening moments, it would be easy to dismiss Flashbacks of a Fool as a superficial and bathetic drama. For all of its flaws (of which there are many), the film is a mildly intriguing psychological character study, and Daniel Craig is a more than suitable lead, both by performance and looks. Where the film loses stability, however, is in its execution, delivering a personal melodrama that never connects the dots and more importantly, fails to relate to the viewer.
Much criticism can be directed at Walsh’s script, which is overblown and further compounded by actors who make their best efforts, but cannot bring the awkward dialogue back down to Earth. Thus, much of the film plays out like a grossly inflated melodrama. One can argue that such is an intention to represent the sheer absurdity of Hollywood’s social circles, yet this does little to mitigate quite how irritating portions of this film are.
Daniel Craig, to his credit, manages to remain convincing as the self-centered, irritable film star, although the constant histrionics thrown his way do not aid the situation. However, Craig does manage to persuade both as the chiseled film star and as the washed out, drug-addled fiend – a strange and beautiful dichotomy.
The film is certainly at its best when leaving Scott to his own devices, uninhibited by the grossly underdeveloped characters around him, unveiling the cerebral undercurrent of the narrative. Here is a man who, haunted by his past, is unable to escape it, even with all of the money, sex, drugs and alcohol in the world, even as hard as he does invariably try to. Ultimately, however, Joe’s psychological portrait is formed with little complexity, harmed entirely as director Walsh opts for a meandering pace that does little beyond pad out a relatively simple story. Several of the film’s scenes are certainly well-intended and absolutely beautifully filmed, yet miss their mark entirely (such as the ever-clichéd “contemplative bathing in the sea” scene).
Once the film enters “flashback mode”, events truly grind to a halt. Moreover, Scott’s young life in England is far too glamorous and hedonistic to aptly dictate any meaningful character development. The flashbacks would have been far more effective if Joe did not grow up around glamorous and beautiful people with large houses and flush bank accounts (particularly in relation to love interest Ruth). Thus, what would have been compelling disparity is lost.
It is only as the film waltzes into the third act that it manages to amount to the sum of its parts with one visceral and sudden punch to the gut. However, in the end, it still lacks cohesion with the rest of the narrative, in particular Joe’s present existence. Moreover, the fact that Scott’s deceased friend Boots is horribly underdeveloped does not aid proceedings, and we are constantly kept at arm’s length from the present day Joe, who remains off-screen for upwards of thirty minutes at once.
The film’s final dramatic scenes carry emotional impact and solid chemistry between the actors, but plod along at such a painstaking pace that you may find yourself rather restless waiting for the story to arrive at its inevitable and predictable climax.
Baillie Walsh has crafted a beautiful looking and competently acted picture, to which effect it is all the more disappointing that Flashbacks of a Fool is a narratively flimsy film that lacks dramatic cohesion. Walsh spends far too much time in going through unnecessary motions with his overreaching narrative, never amounting to a meaningful whole, and never promoting the character development that one would expect in a character piece. Daniel Craig and Harry Eden (playing the younger Joe) do their best in spite of the lackluster script, yet Flashbacks of a Fool is unable to deliver more than a hollow dramatic piece due to Walsh’s inability to coherently articulate his characters.
5/10
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
~~~
Daniel Craig recently took time out from cavorting in revealing swimwear and ousting international terrorists to star in little-known British independent film Flashbacks of a Fool. Starring as egotistical fading film star Joe Scott, Craig’s character returns home to England for the funeral of a childhood friend, and is forced to confront the demons of his childhood.
Flashbacks of a Fool is certainly a beautifully shot picture – the lush expanses of both the US and UK landscapes have been captured superbly by helmer Baillie Walsh and cinematographer John Mathieson. For all of the film’s plentiful scenes of empty contemplation, the picturesque horizons and glistening waves encompassed within certainly make this venture far more tolerable.
With all of the drug and sex-addled hedonism and ditzy starlet characters enveloping the film’s opening moments, it would be easy to dismiss Flashbacks of a Fool as a superficial and bathetic drama. For all of its flaws (of which there are many), the film is a mildly intriguing psychological character study, and Daniel Craig is a more than suitable lead, both by performance and looks. Where the film loses stability, however, is in its execution, delivering a personal melodrama that never connects the dots and more importantly, fails to relate to the viewer.
Much criticism can be directed at Walsh’s script, which is overblown and further compounded by actors who make their best efforts, but cannot bring the awkward dialogue back down to Earth. Thus, much of the film plays out like a grossly inflated melodrama. One can argue that such is an intention to represent the sheer absurdity of Hollywood’s social circles, yet this does little to mitigate quite how irritating portions of this film are.
Daniel Craig, to his credit, manages to remain convincing as the self-centered, irritable film star, although the constant histrionics thrown his way do not aid the situation. However, Craig does manage to persuade both as the chiseled film star and as the washed out, drug-addled fiend – a strange and beautiful dichotomy.
The film is certainly at its best when leaving Scott to his own devices, uninhibited by the grossly underdeveloped characters around him, unveiling the cerebral undercurrent of the narrative. Here is a man who, haunted by his past, is unable to escape it, even with all of the money, sex, drugs and alcohol in the world, even as hard as he does invariably try to. Ultimately, however, Joe’s psychological portrait is formed with little complexity, harmed entirely as director Walsh opts for a meandering pace that does little beyond pad out a relatively simple story. Several of the film’s scenes are certainly well-intended and absolutely beautifully filmed, yet miss their mark entirely (such as the ever-clichéd “contemplative bathing in the sea” scene).
Once the film enters “flashback mode”, events truly grind to a halt. Moreover, Scott’s young life in England is far too glamorous and hedonistic to aptly dictate any meaningful character development. The flashbacks would have been far more effective if Joe did not grow up around glamorous and beautiful people with large houses and flush bank accounts (particularly in relation to love interest Ruth). Thus, what would have been compelling disparity is lost.
It is only as the film waltzes into the third act that it manages to amount to the sum of its parts with one visceral and sudden punch to the gut. However, in the end, it still lacks cohesion with the rest of the narrative, in particular Joe’s present existence. Moreover, the fact that Scott’s deceased friend Boots is horribly underdeveloped does not aid proceedings, and we are constantly kept at arm’s length from the present day Joe, who remains off-screen for upwards of thirty minutes at once.
The film’s final dramatic scenes carry emotional impact and solid chemistry between the actors, but plod along at such a painstaking pace that you may find yourself rather restless waiting for the story to arrive at its inevitable and predictable climax.
Baillie Walsh has crafted a beautiful looking and competently acted picture, to which effect it is all the more disappointing that Flashbacks of a Fool is a narratively flimsy film that lacks dramatic cohesion. Walsh spends far too much time in going through unnecessary motions with his overreaching narrative, never amounting to a meaningful whole, and never promoting the character development that one would expect in a character piece. Daniel Craig and Harry Eden (playing the younger Joe) do their best in spite of the lackluster script, yet Flashbacks of a Fool is unable to deliver more than a hollow dramatic piece due to Walsh’s inability to coherently articulate his characters.
5/10
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Note: also appears at my review site, ShaunMunro.co.uk. Cheers!
~~~
Daniel Craig recently took time out from cavorting in revealing swimwear and ousting international terrorists to star in little-known British independent film Flashbacks of a Fool. Starring as egotistical fading film star Joe Scott, Craig’s character returns home to England for the funeral of a childhood friend, and is forced to confront the demons of his childhood.
Flashbacks of a Fool is certainly a beautifully shot picture – the lush expanses of both the US and UK landscapes have been captured superbly by helmer Baillie Walsh and cinematographer John Mathieson. For all of the film’s plentiful scenes of empty contemplation, the picturesque horizons and glistening waves encompassed within certainly make this venture far more tolerable.
With all of the drug and sex-addled hedonism and ditzy starlet characters enveloping the film’s opening moments, it would be easy to dismiss Flashbacks of a Fool as a superficial and bathetic drama. For all of its flaws (of which there are many), the film is a mildly intriguing psychological character study, and Daniel Craig is a more than suitable lead, both by performance and looks. Where the film loses stability, however, is in its execution, delivering a personal melodrama that never connects the dots and more importantly, fails to relate to the viewer.
Much criticism can be directed at Walsh’s script, which is overblown and further compounded by actors who make their best efforts, but cannot bring the awkward dialogue back down to Earth. Thus, much of the film plays out like a grossly inflated melodrama. One can argue that such is an intention to represent the sheer absurdity of Hollywood’s social circles, yet this does little to mitigate quite how irritating portions of this film are.
Daniel Craig, to his credit, manages to remain convincing as the self-centered, irritable film star, although the constant histrionics thrown his way do not aid the situation. However, Craig does manage to persuade both as the chiseled film star and as the washed out, drug-addled fiend – a strange and beautiful dichotomy.
The film is certainly at its best when leaving Scott to his own devices, uninhibited by the grossly underdeveloped characters around him, unveiling the cerebral undercurrent of the narrative. Here is a man who, haunted by his past, is unable to escape it, even with all of the money, sex, drugs and alcohol in the world, even as hard as he does invariably try to. Ultimately, however, Joe’s psychological portrait is formed with little complexity, harmed entirely as director Walsh opts for a meandering pace that does little beyond pad out a relatively simple story. Several of the film’s scenes are certainly well-intended and absolutely beautifully filmed, yet miss their mark entirely (such as the ever-clichéd “contemplative bathing in the sea” scene).
Once the film enters “flashback mode”, events truly grind to a halt. Moreover, Scott’s young life in England is far too glamorous and hedonistic to aptly dictate any meaningful character development. The flashbacks would have been far more effective if Joe did not grow up around glamorous and beautiful people with large houses and flush bank accounts (particularly in relation to love interest Ruth). Thus, what would have been compelling disparity is lost.
It is only as the film waltzes into the third act that it manages to amount to the sum of its parts with one visceral and sudden punch to the gut. However, in the end, it still lacks cohesion with the rest of the narrative, in particular Joe’s present existence. Moreover, the fact that Scott’s deceased friend Boots is horribly underdeveloped does not aid proceedings, and we are constantly kept at arm’s length from the present day Joe, who remains off-screen for upwards of thirty minutes at once.
The film’s final dramatic scenes carry emotional impact and solid chemistry between the actors, but plod along at such a painstaking pace that you may find yourself rather restless waiting for the story to arrive at its inevitable and predictable climax.
Baillie Walsh has crafted a beautiful looking and competently acted picture, to which effect it is all the more disappointing that Flashbacks of a Fool is a narratively flimsy film that lacks dramatic cohesion. Walsh spends far too much time in going through unnecessary motions with his overreaching narrative, never amounting to a meaningful whole, and never promoting the character development that one would expect in a character piece. Daniel Craig and Harry Eden (playing the younger Joe) do their best in spite of the lackluster script, yet Flashbacks of a Fool is unable to deliver more than a hollow dramatic piece due to Walsh’s inability to coherently articulate his characters.
5/10
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
~~~
Daniel Craig recently took time out from cavorting in revealing swimwear and ousting international terrorists to star in little-known British independent film Flashbacks of a Fool. Starring as egotistical fading film star Joe Scott, Craig’s character returns home to England for the funeral of a childhood friend, and is forced to confront the demons of his childhood.
Flashbacks of a Fool is certainly a beautifully shot picture – the lush expanses of both the US and UK landscapes have been captured superbly by helmer Baillie Walsh and cinematographer John Mathieson. For all of the film’s plentiful scenes of empty contemplation, the picturesque horizons and glistening waves encompassed within certainly make this venture far more tolerable.
With all of the drug and sex-addled hedonism and ditzy starlet characters enveloping the film’s opening moments, it would be easy to dismiss Flashbacks of a Fool as a superficial and bathetic drama. For all of its flaws (of which there are many), the film is a mildly intriguing psychological character study, and Daniel Craig is a more than suitable lead, both by performance and looks. Where the film loses stability, however, is in its execution, delivering a personal melodrama that never connects the dots and more importantly, fails to relate to the viewer.
Much criticism can be directed at Walsh’s script, which is overblown and further compounded by actors who make their best efforts, but cannot bring the awkward dialogue back down to Earth. Thus, much of the film plays out like a grossly inflated melodrama. One can argue that such is an intention to represent the sheer absurdity of Hollywood’s social circles, yet this does little to mitigate quite how irritating portions of this film are.
Daniel Craig, to his credit, manages to remain convincing as the self-centered, irritable film star, although the constant histrionics thrown his way do not aid the situation. However, Craig does manage to persuade both as the chiseled film star and as the washed out, drug-addled fiend – a strange and beautiful dichotomy.
The film is certainly at its best when leaving Scott to his own devices, uninhibited by the grossly underdeveloped characters around him, unveiling the cerebral undercurrent of the narrative. Here is a man who, haunted by his past, is unable to escape it, even with all of the money, sex, drugs and alcohol in the world, even as hard as he does invariably try to. Ultimately, however, Joe’s psychological portrait is formed with little complexity, harmed entirely as director Walsh opts for a meandering pace that does little beyond pad out a relatively simple story. Several of the film’s scenes are certainly well-intended and absolutely beautifully filmed, yet miss their mark entirely (such as the ever-clichéd “contemplative bathing in the sea” scene).
Once the film enters “flashback mode”, events truly grind to a halt. Moreover, Scott’s young life in England is far too glamorous and hedonistic to aptly dictate any meaningful character development. The flashbacks would have been far more effective if Joe did not grow up around glamorous and beautiful people with large houses and flush bank accounts (particularly in relation to love interest Ruth). Thus, what would have been compelling disparity is lost.
It is only as the film waltzes into the third act that it manages to amount to the sum of its parts with one visceral and sudden punch to the gut. However, in the end, it still lacks cohesion with the rest of the narrative, in particular Joe’s present existence. Moreover, the fact that Scott’s deceased friend Boots is horribly underdeveloped does not aid proceedings, and we are constantly kept at arm’s length from the present day Joe, who remains off-screen for upwards of thirty minutes at once.
The film’s final dramatic scenes carry emotional impact and solid chemistry between the actors, but plod along at such a painstaking pace that you may find yourself rather restless waiting for the story to arrive at its inevitable and predictable climax.
Baillie Walsh has crafted a beautiful looking and competently acted picture, to which effect it is all the more disappointing that Flashbacks of a Fool is a narratively flimsy film that lacks dramatic cohesion. Walsh spends far too much time in going through unnecessary motions with his overreaching narrative, never amounting to a meaningful whole, and never promoting the character development that one would expect in a character piece. Daniel Craig and Harry Eden (playing the younger Joe) do their best in spite of the lackluster script, yet Flashbacks of a Fool is unable to deliver more than a hollow dramatic piece due to Walsh’s inability to coherently articulate his characters.
5/10
Thanks for reading,
Reefer