Cemetery Junction - 2010

The debut film from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant arrived with a certain amount of expectation. After creating one of the finest British sitcoms in The Office, followed it up with the excellent if flawed Extras you could be forgiven for thinking Cemetery Junction would be the best thing since sliced bread.

It's with reluctance then that I have to admit the disappointment I felt coming out of Cemetery Junction. It's not a bad film, not by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually very good, both funny and moving, silly and poignant, its just that it is never enough of one thing to elevate it above a run of the mill British comedy. Compare it to other recent comedies from TV stalwarts such as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Borat or In The Loop and as a comedy is comes last by a long way. Given the reputation of Gervais and Merchant and the comedy gold they have mined previously it feels very lightweight in the comedy quota, and those moments of comedy which are sprinkled throughout are so good, your left wondering why there aren't more.

Similarly, when one remembers The Office it is as much for the pathos and moments of genuine emotion as for the comedy cringing of David Brent. Yet in Cemetery Junction, bar Bruce (Tom Hughes) and his relationship with his father, the film rarely reaches the emotional heights of The Office, or even Extras for that matter.
I loathe having to compare the film to the TV shows but when a film comes with expectations, and in watching it you are reminded of how good it could have been, the comparisons are almost inevtiable.

The central story revolves around three friends, Freddie, our hero, who wants to break free of the life that awaits him, as personified by Gervais (here playing himself yet again) who plays his father, a factory worker his entire life, his best friend Bruce, destined to end up either in prison or stuck in the factory, who constantly states his intention to leave, but never gets round to it, and Snork, the cliche-rdidden fat friend who might just find love, if he could only think before he speaks.

The main problem with the film doesn't lie in its lack of continuous comedy, or as a serious drama, but rather with the lack of stakes. This is a small story about small characters in a small world. Whatever happens will have no real impact on their lives, beyond their own aspirations or dreams being doused, and as such as a viewer I was left wondering what the point was. The film never attempts to say anything too big, their are hints about the era (1977) being a time when a shift is taking place, as the old paternal figures are constantly ridiculed for their archaic notions and attitudes, but this is subsidiary the central story.

The other problem is in the focus. While Freddie and his burgeoning love for Julie is the central plot, it would have made much more sense to foreground Bruce, as the poster does, and explore more his relationship with his father; a final dialogue free scene is tear-droppingly poignant in a way the rest of the film never comes close to and only hints at just how good this film could have been.

Thankfully the film is held up by a few strong quirky characters and a supporting cast including Emily Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode and Stephen Spiers that provide most of the drama. But ultimately, when you expect so much from such talent you never expect such an underwhelmingly good film. It might feel unique as a British comedy, not falling into either the Richard Curtis mold or social realism, but then it has hardly created any new. Here's hoping for their next effort Gervais/Merchant can find the charm of Cemetery Junction, but with more laughs and more heart.