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Barely stopping to breathe
between productions, outrageously prolific director Michael
Winterbottom follows his graphically intimate 9 SONGS with the
raucously entertaining TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY.
This time around, Winterbottom is out to film the unfilmable
novel: an adaptation of Laurence Sterne's sprawling 18th
Century masterpiece of digression, THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF
TRISTRAM SHANDY, GENTLEMAN. What begins as a seemingly
straightforward attempt to recreate the frenetic
novel--starring Steve Coogan as the title figure and Rob
Brydon as his Uncle Toby--quickly derails into a
behind-the-scenes document of the film’s actual production.
Working triple time (for he also plays Tristram's father),
Coogan is hilarious as the insecure "Steve Coogan," a shallow
actor who is more interested in his cute assistant (Naomie
Harris) than the mother of his newborn child (the always
delightful Kelly Macdonald). Meanwhile, "Rob Brydon" is trying
desperately to convince "Steve Coogan" that his role is a
co-lead, not merely a supporting one. As the production
threatens to spin out of control, the filmmakers hire Gillian
Anderson (playing herself, of course) to fill a much-needed
role. Coming off like a madcap collision of BARRY LYNDON and
24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, Winterbottom's film is a hilarious and
surprisingly tender ode to fatherhood and moviemaking in
general.
This film screened as part of Lincoln Center's 2005 New York
Film Festival.
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