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A Bunch Of Amateurs (2008)

Director: Andy Cadiff

Time Out rating

Average user rating

23 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

A Hollywood has-been slums it in an amateur British production: it’s a description that covers both plot and film in this amiable but scattershot comedy. Burt Reynolds is Jefferson Steel, a pampered action star desperate to make a comeback. He accepts an offer to do Shakespeare in Stratford, little knowing that it’s not upon Avon, but the (fictional) village of Stratford St John in Suffolk.

Naturally, the amateur theatre group is in raptures about the arrival of their LA King Lear, but the man himself is less than enthused about acting alongside pig farmers and staying in a B&B with no ensuite facilities. It’s a reasonably amusing idea, and the script duly has fun with the contrasts between LA-la land and sleepy Suffolk. Steel pops his shoes outside his bedroom door only for a dog to chew on them. Later, the local mobile library is hurriedly transformed into a makeshift trailer.

Such antics raise a smile, but no belly laughs. Those are reserved soley for Imelda Staunton, who puts in a jolly performance as the owner of the B&B and Steel’s biggest fan. Derek Jacobi also acts a bland Reynolds off the screen in a no-brainer role as a Shakesperian purist. But the story is completely preposterous, as anyone with a passing knowledge of Hollywood and agents (ie 'Entourage' viewers) will know. It’s also hastily edited and, in places, poorly cast. The talents of Staunton, Jacobi and love interest Samantha Bond aside, the title may be more accurate than originally intended.

Author: Anna Smith 2008-12-23 11:22:59

Time Out London Issue 2000/2002, 18-31 December, 2008

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User reviews of this film

Michelle said...

Posted on Sep 13 2009 20:22 Very predictable and not funny enough to make you even crack a smile

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andy b said...

Posted on Aug 13 2009 22:39 After a slightly shaky start, with an obviously aged Burt R shuffling about, I feared the worst but it picked up a little once we were over here in the company of some English thesps. I may have imagined layers of subtlety in the film that aren't there, but I thought it was wonderful and I had tears in my eyes during the last reel. I read a little about BR and his chat shows/one man shows and theatre work and am forced to realise he's more versatile than he would normally be given credit for. Any film that takes you out of yourself into another world for 90 minutes does what it says on the tin; this is one of those and is a film well worth watching.

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phil the moviegoer said...

Posted on May 08 2009 08:52 I thought the film was super from beginning to end. No dull boring bits to sit through. I was laughing all the way through the film and so was the rest of the audience and it takes a lot to get me laughing. Okay the plot was a bit unreal but so are many film plots.It was a real feelgood film and just the sort of entertainment we need.

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Peter said...

Posted on Apr 23 2009 16:49 A surprising range of reviews above. Perhaps this has something to do with age. I loved this gentle film with its interesting scenario and quiet humour. Of course the story was ludicrous but you could say that about "Harry Potter". I watched this in a cinema in a small market town. 220 people laughed loudly throughout the programme and stood to applaud at the end. Is this a usual response to modern cinema? Very much in the style of the old Ealing comedies but perhaps with more depth than some of your critics give credit. The film proved the point it was making - Burt Reynolds cannot play Shakespear!

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Joseph Brewer said...

Posted on Mar 10 2009 19:20 Awful film. Reynolds so wooden he was in carpentry. The other actors were miscast and the script worse than I have seen for a long time. But the ticket or rather the butchewrs ticket has to go to Ciaran O'Quigley, unknown actor and thats the way it should stay. Whoever cast this joker into the pack must really have been 'an amateur'. Staunton did her best but Hislop needs to retirer.

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martincj said...

Posted on Feb 20 2009 18:28 I enjoyed the film rather in the way I enjoyed Mamma Mia, not because it was a good film, but because it had pace and fun. Most of the characters were caricatures: ludicrous cliches, in fact, especially Burt Reynolds and Derek Jacobi. However, as with MM maybe the cliches were the whole point!

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laura said...

Posted on Feb 13 2009 22:15 This was a very funny film with a fantastic performance from Imelda staunton in particular. Knowing the story of King Lear I could see the clever way the story mirrored the Shakespear play. Burt reynolds did liik a bit stiff but this worked for the most part as that was his character in the film.I had a good laugh and would recommend the film. Oh, and the scenery of the Isle of man is lovely to look at too.

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Ian said...

Posted on Jan 14 2009 23:35 A very enjoyable film with a lot of laughs from top-notch British actors.

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Rowena Preston said...

Posted on Jan 14 2009 23:28 A hugely enjoyable film...very amusing and extremely well acted.I love films that are set in English villages! Add actors such as Imelda Staunton, Samantha Bond and Derek Jacobi, and you can't fail to enjoy, even if the story is a little far-fetched.Fantastic entertainment!

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Violet said...

Posted on Jan 04 2009 16:39 An absolute shambles of a film. Slow, ridiculous script, unfunny, ham acting. How it ever got made baffles me.

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Jenny said...

Posted on Jan 02 2009 13:24 I loved it - the perfect feel good film.

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Helen said...

Posted on Jan 01 2009 21:44 A great film with a funny cleverly written and well observed script. The acting was not only excellent but also subtle and very very funny. A must see.

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suzanne said...

Posted on Dec 31 2008 16:13 Bert Reynolds was miscast, as his attempts at acting in the film were not good. I don’t know if it is because of his face lifts, but there was only one expression on his face – blank . Charles Durning, who played Reynolds’ agent has an excellent pedigree, however he appeared quite infirm and I thought he was about to breath his last at any minute which took away any comedic value.
Another unfortunate aspect of the film was the fact that the sound equipment kept appearing above the actors’ heads and took away from the experience quite considerably.
Having said the above I think that the film was based on an excellent idea and had an excellent British cast.

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William Clark said...

Posted on Dec 30 2008 22:40 A clever storyline that links Burt Reynolds character's realationship with his daughter to King Lear's relationship with his daughters. Some parts of the plot were implausible - but what the hell - Hollywood used to be called the Dream Factory - movies should ultimately entertain - and I think it that respect this film is successful.
Burt Reynolds is not a young man now but his performance is generally well-judged.

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brucie said...

Posted on Dec 30 2008 21:29 Very enjoyable british set comedy - several nice twists in the story line - well worth going to see - unfortunately not being shown in many cinemas - which is a great shame

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