Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-18 23:10:11

It's going to take a few watches.

This is a John Duigan movie, one of my favourite directors. I love theway he wraps an entertaining movie around an art film. Every time Ire-watch one of his films I find more of the symbolism of the art filminside. I've only seen this one once so far -on Showcase in Canada-, soI'm holding any vote till later, if I can get it on DVD. Apparently ithasn't been released in North America yet.What strikes me most so far are parallels with The Pink Panther. I lovethose films too, but hated Clouseau/Sellers. I have a feeling it willbe the same here. Some people have pointed out that Sharif's cameo waspointless. But Sharif/Victor=Niven/Phantom complete with complicit wifeand had to be in there somewhere. Duigan used the tale "Baba Yaga andthe little girl" in Lawn Dogs, but Victor represented a different BabaYaga reference similar to Bartok the Magnificent.It takes a while to get into Duigan movies, but it is well worth theeffort. I'm even willing to put the effort into Paranoid. I'll edit andexpand on this next time I watch it which I plan to do many times.

2012-05-18 10:00:46

Predictable Plot a few good laughs

The plot is basically an excuse to chain together the not so many funny bits.Steve Coogan is a very talented comedian but in todays world he's not stretched. The competition is very poor. Twenty years ago there was a variety of talented and one-off comics in this country. Now, what was once mediocre has been elevated to the level of brilliant. Take the last line in the film. A typical brutal, sledgehammer attempt. The rule of thumb seems to be. A crude reference to body parts will always be funny. It just isn't. Its boring.In the first ten minutes most people if asked could have written a page summing up the remainder of the plot. Loopholes in the storyline were so many that suspending your disbelief to enjoy the film is more than impossible. Omar Sharif was probably in the film for less than 5 minutes but his performance steals the show.SummaryI'm told old for childlike scripts!

John Taylor 2012-05-16 05:27:01

The worst thing Coogan has ever done.

Steve Coogan is one of Britain's top comedians and has done many funnythings on TV such as Alan Patridge and Paul Calf but i have no idea what hewas thinking when he decided to star in this rubbish.The Parole Officer has one major flaw for a comedy...it's notfunny.The story is dull , the characters are unbelievable and worst of all , forthe first time' Steve Coogan is complete pants. Considering the film is over 90 minutes long there is only one funny momentin the film and that is the roller Coaster scene apart from that this filmwill have set back Coogan's career 10 years especially if it was hoped thispap was going to make money on the American market.We have seen too many rubbish british comedies recently and if we carry onwe are in danger of overtaking the yanks in making pathetic unfunnymovies.Even if your a Coogan fan give this a wide birth.4 out of 10.

Ben Nunn 2012-05-15 20:26:15

Wonderfully underrated romp

After mediocre initial reviews, this film could become a cultclassic.It's a 'perfect crime' comedy with hints of 'A Fish called Wanda', anddifferent people will take different things from it. There's high-levelslapstick, satire/parody and a lot of Steveish in-humour for die-hard Cooganfans.The entire plot is unbelievable to a farcical extreme, and every characterother than Simon Garden suffers from a lack of depth, but then this wasalways going to be a Coogan vehicle (Rover 75 V6 with Walnut dash, perhaps)and he makes the transition to big screen star successfully, ifreluctantly.I suspect that as Coogan matures as an actor and relaxes into mainstreamlife, the Parole Officer's reputation will retroactively improve and in tenyears time, this will be seen as a classic British comedy.

bob the moo 2012-05-09 12:32:21

Not great but silly and rather amusing at times

Simon Garden is a parole officer but not a particularly successful one.When one of his assigned ex-cons, Kirsty, steals a car and some drugsSimon believes that the arresting officer, DI Burton, has pocketed thedrugs. He follows Burton to find out more and ends up witnessing himmurdering a known underworld accountant. Intimidated and moved out ofhis job, Simon realises that the whole thing was caught on cctv and hecan use it to prove Burton's guilt but there's only one problem – thesecurity tape has been placed in the vault of the local bank. Againstall his values and beliefs, Simon calls together a collection of theex-cons that he had put straight and puts together a plan to rob thebank, steal the tape and use it to prove the murderer. Many films are not really worth the bother of going to the cinema andpaying your money to see and, for me, The Parole Officer was one suchfilm. So three years later I decided to watch this for free when itarrived on channel 4 and, while it was a silly little thing, it stillmade me laugh a few times and that was enough for me. The plot is sillyand simple but it has a nice little comic touch to it that creates ageneral air of humour as well as several specifically funny moments. Ofcourse it is nonsense and not hilarious but it did the job for me andwas funny in a rather basic and silly way – although if you areexpecting to be laughing out loud all the way through it then I imagineyou will be disappointed.The cast is pretty good and features a lot of well-known faces (well,certainly well known to fans of UK comedy). Coogan is hardly at hisbest here and this is not a great showcase for him (it just doesn'tcompare to his better work) but he is still funny even if his Simon isjust a very poor man's Alan Partridge. Support is good for him from thelikes of Om Puri, Emma Williams, Steve Waddington and the great BenMiller. None of them really shine but they are as good as the filmdeserves and help support Coogan well enough. Omar Sharif makes a verystrange cameo (but an effective one) and the wonderful Simon Peggshowed just how able he is by getting laughs by simply exchanging aglance with Julia Davis.Overall this is a silly British comedy without a great deal of style orimaginative wit but one that still managed to make me laugh severaltimes throughout the film. The humour will appeal more to a Britishaudience than anyone else; certainly the casting is designed to appealto an UK audience and the sense of humour will too. Not a great film byany means and far from being the best example of the abilities of thoseinvolved but it raised a few laughs and had a humorous tone all the waythrough that I quite enjoyed.

mike wright 2012-05-08 20:44:08

Better than I expected from the trailer

I never wanted to see this in the cinema, after seeing the trailers forit.However, watching it on TV last night was a rare pleasure. There were acouple of scenes that seemed strange in the rest of the film, the vomitgag(sic) on the roller coaster seemed ill at ease surrounded by theobservational stuff of middle England, and the ensemble caper stuff, butoverall it made me smile. Some nice touches with references to other films(magnificent 7, the Italian job) and a good cast means I would recommenditto my chums. I felt it was trying a bit hard for the feel-good factor ofthefull monty in places, but with some wonderful lines and interaction withOmar Sharif ("I thought you were dead", "No, only resting") I think it isafine addition to Steve Coogan's CV.

Carol Kelly 2012-05-04 11:40:28

British Comedy always impresses! The Parole Officer

Looking for a surprise package containing wacky antics, superslapstick, impeccable comedic timing? This is THE film! What a greatsurprise to have stumbled upon this flick! HIGHLY recommend it. Theindividual characters were well written and superbly acted! The humorwas so refreshingly unHollywood.You Brits: PLEASE keep cranking out more of this stuff!!! Those of uswho have written off what tries to be contemporary comedy churned outof Hollywood do so because it's the same old gag from the same oldmacho or cheap shot mentality, akin to the easily-titillated tastes ofa 12 year old. The Parole Officer is great adult comedy!!!

Steve West 2012-05-03 23:48:10

Good Laughs

I took a chance renting this, I knew nothing about the film or Steve Coogan.I didn't rent a bomb, it had some funny premises and there were numeroussituations that cracked me up (trying to hide a certain piece of evidenceplanted in the fridge being my favourite). Coogan does well enough in the leading role, and the rest of the casting'sacceptable. I only wish the last couple of minutes were different, thesuper-happy ending undermines the credibility of the rest of the film. It'snot as brilliant as the DVD packaging would lead you to believe but it'sworth watching.

cosmorados 2012-04-30 13:18:46

I saw a man strangle a human being - well, an accountant anyway.

Simon Garden is an annoying Parole Officer who tries to see the best ineveryone, fills them with inspirational anecdotes and hope that they'llsee the error of her ways, however, as it is hardened criminals hedeals with it is about as successful as a Bush Presidency. Forced outby his colleagues at Blackpool he is offered a position in Manchester,but things here go from bad to worse as he witnesses a corrupt cop killan accountant and is forced out from there as well. As he recalls thatthe security system in the building will have acted as a second witnessto the crime he galvanises the skills of the three men who have gonestraight in order to rob the bank that houses the security tape.This is a pretty standard British comedy that is marked out by a numberof good gags (the roller coaster scene in particular) and the actualraid itself. The performances in the film are all as good as they canbe with Steve Coogan in fine form as the meek Parole Officer trying tobe a role model for people who don't want one. The support of BenMiller, Lena Hedley, Steven Waddinton, Om Puri (He's always good) andEmma Williams are all fine and the cameo at the end of the film is onethat is worth waiting for.The script is a simple tale that is made as good as it can be and iskind of a throwback to the great Ealing comedies of the forties andfifties with a more contemporary edge and for the most part it issuccessful. The only downside for me is that, knowing Manchester theway I do, I know that certain buildings aren't where they appear inthis film and that is a bit of an issue, but that said this is stillessentially an enjoyable Sunday afternoon film for people who want tosee Steve Coogan as something other than support in successful Americanfilms.Worth a watch.

Tom May 2012-04-30 03:19:50

Hardly original but certainly entertaining

Some of the criticism this film has received seems a little unfair.While its concept, plot and characters are not very inventive, the toneof the film works. The humour is often very amusing indeed, and muchdoes amuse in the film. Even the predictable attempts at "Gross-Out"humour work in themselves, if perhaps not in the context of the film.Questions could be raised about the film's odd mix of styles - theattempts at naturalism and post-modernism, old-fashioned lightweightadventure and Ealing whimsicality - all seem at odds with each other,yet an entertaining film emerges from this. The playing of animpressive cast is sound, with the supporting players, like Om Puri andBen Miller making the most of limited parts. Stephen Dillane does asteady job as a smug, self-satisfied policeman baddie. I much enjoyedthe absurd bit where he laughs maniacally for a while while on TV andthe camera zooms into the TV screen Coogan is watching him on. NewcomerEmma Williams is an effective addition to the cast, although shedoesn't have all that much to do in plot terms, come to think of it.The finely named Lena Headey is very inoffensive as the "loveinterest", and thankfully the romance such as it is is light-heartedand made part of the convoluted plot. Perhaps a problem is the excessof characters, a few of whom could be done without. Omar Sharif's cameowas briskly enjoyable, but hardly necessary to the plot, for example.Steve Coogan, so successful on TV with the Alan Partridge character,goes for a more likable, less intricate comic character in this film.He is often excellent, in scenes such as when he does an odd,buffoonish dance in a club. There are plenty of effective littlecharacter touches and importantly, one is made to like his characterand want him and his "gang" to win out, so to speak, by the end. A filmreminiscent of past British Ealing comedies, yet with a fair dose ofcrudity. In the context of today, this is an impressively funny film,but it does not quite match up to "The Ladykillers" or "The League ofGentlemen", for example. It is slightly overlong, but largely awinning, refreshing minor comedy.

2012-04-27 21:09:09

All's well with Coogan's Garden

I remember the critics slagging this one when it came out. I find SteveCoogan hit and miss so I thought I'd give it a viewing expecting a miss butwas delighted to find out it's one of his better outings.It's a thoroughly entertaining ride from the first moment to the last withgood one liners and some excellent visual gags. People have expressed itrequires a British sense of humour to appreciate but surely Coogan trying tobreak out of the bank would gain international laughter.Good performance from Stephen Dillane as a little nauseatingly unlikeablecop. All in all an excellent movie and a lesson not to believe what thecritics perceive is good/bad.

intelearts 2012-04-27 12:52:41

My 10th Review: Hugely Enjoyable Caper

Best surprise I've had in a long time: funny, sweet, and just well,good. It's not crude, or rude ('cept for a couple of obligatory phallicjokes and a couple of swear words) : it could be Rowan Atkinson in thetitle role. Here Steve Coogan, for my money, leaves behind theskewering satire and parody that made him a household name and a cultfigure on UK television, and by half way through the film develops acharacter that you root for 100%Nice storyline, a fun caper, and mixed bag of personalities make this amuch better mix than expectations might lead you to believe. I love Ealing Comedies, and good British comedies like Brassed Off, andthought the recent US remake of the Ladykillers was just abouteverything you don't want a crime comedy movie to be... ... the thing about the Parole Officer is that it is simply enjoyable;it has great pace, some tension and thrills, good laughs, with enoughsilliness, and ideas to keep it afloat; but it also has a sweet heartand a decency at its center. We thoroughly enjoyed it: especially thelast hour: once Coogan stops trying to prove he can develop figuresonly to poke fun about - he becomes a really likable character - andthat's no bad thing. It's fun - pure and simple - which is a quality sadly lacking in filmsthese days. Definitely worth viewing.

spselecter 2012-04-24 12:25:51

A great English film, hilarious!

A great English film, Hilarious! Steve Coogan is not the favourite actoramoungst Uk films but in this case he pulled off a stunning performance, Ialso enjoyed the series "The Office". But the film was better! This is anextreme example of a hilarious English film. Thick characters, a stupidcowardly hero type of main character, and the big evil guy drinking beerinthe background! I love it! Coogan is recognised by me for his silly way tosay "Ryyyyyaight".If you havent already and even if you already have run to the videostorenow! His passionate way to flirt is pathetic, I loved the way he actedaround Women I always laughed my head off. Although on the front cover itsays the best British film since The full Monty I know it dont mean thisbut; The full monty was at least 5x's as good as this so that means ThatParole officer was brilliant still but full monty better!Ive seen Steve Coogan as a sort proper actor now where as the parts heusedto play werent acting it was just telling jokes which still caught thepublic eye but hes a favourite of mine now.John Duigan did a great job, I dont know what expectations he had in mindbut for me it worked brilliantly, a real spectacular film,EXCELLENT!!!

davideo-2 2012-04-24 00:55:18

Very disappointing

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For AMealInstead*Avoid At All CostsIt was interesting to see sucessful TV comedian Steve Coogan's transistionto the big screen,with TV programmes Alan Partridge and Paul Calf beinglaugh-a-minute.Sadly,his film debut is quite theopposite.Tired,unsurprisinghumour and unlikeable characters.At just an hour and a half,it'sunbelievable this one fails so badly.**

a.earnshaw 2012-04-23 12:30:36

Coogan's bluffing when it comes to film comedy

A movie from cult Brit TV comic Steve Coogan is bound to be a bag oflaughs,isn't it?This, after all, is the man who created the unforgettable Alan Partridge -an English TV character as memorable in his own way as Basil Fawlty andCaptain Mainwaring.I'm sorry to say that The Parole Officer isn't wall-to-wall laughter.Cooganappears to be suffering from the problem of padding out a series ofseparatesketches to string out a feature-length movie with a new character - onethat audiences will be utterly unfamiliar with and so may not accept asreadily.Additionally, Coogan does not cut it as a film actor. His previous forayshave seen him delivering supporting turns in a range of other people'smovies. Here he is carrying the whole shebang.The Parole Officer tells of Simon Garden, the non-too-successful civilservant of the title whose success rates are three out of a thousandex-conswho have not returned to a life of crime.But when Simon inadvertently witnesses a murder, with the killer being asenior Manchester detective, he runs for his life. What makes things worseis that the cop concerned (Stephen Dillane in reptilian form) threatens toframe Garden and send him to prison to be raped in theshowers.Garden knows his only chance to clear his name is to get to a CCTV tapeshowing the murder, and hand it to the police. The main obstacle is thatthetape is in a bank vault. Cue Garden's plan: he will enlist his ex-con palsand raid the bank...With an ensemble cast that includes the great Indian star Om Puri, Englishcomedian Ben Miller, Jenny Agutter, Steve Waddington and rising starletLena Headey, The Parole Officer boasts a scattergun joke approach thatoccasionally works but also occasionally falls flat.A lightweight caper film, it is uneven and inconsistent, with the mainflawbeing Coogan's central character. Simon Garden is light years from PaulCalfand Alan Partridge, the unpleasant TV characters that made Coogan's nameinthe UK, but he retains some of their traits in terms of his capacity toirritate all and sundry.He is also inconsistent in his playing, particularly opposite veteranssuchas Puri, Agutter and, in a cameo, Omar Sharif as a legendary Raffles-stylegentleman thief who whisks in and out of the plot for no good reason. Itdoesn't help that most of the other parts are underwritten.There are some very funny moments in The Parole Officer, notably asequenceon a rollercoaster where the nauseous Simon spatters a bunch ofschoolgirlswith very realistic-looking vomit, and a scene in an art gallery where apriceless statue's phallus snaps off in Garden's hand.Even Agutter enjoys a marvellously deadpan moment where she relates thetaleof her husband, who died in a meat mincer. "All we had to bury were threemeat pies and a couple of pasties," she says without blinking aneye.The Parole Officer is a brave attempt by Coogan to escape the straitjacketof Paul Calf and Alan Partridge, but it remains a missed opportunity. Evendirector John Duigan, the man behind Sirens, Lawn Dogs and Wide SargassoSea, can't lift it above being just adequate.

dmk2 2012-04-23 03:38:16

The Good, The Bad and the Silly

Falls into the 'B' movie category.The plot is outlined in other members comments so I won't repeat themhere.The film is a little predicable.It has the Good (and lovely) cop, the Bad cop and the silly paroleofficer.The jokes are OK, though it has all the hall marks of a made for TV movierather than a big cinema film.For all that it was nice to watch. But don't expect to see it at theOscars.

Jizdenky 2012-04-21 13:36:41

An Officer Attempts A Robbery

Coogan stars in and co-writes a hilarious comedy. 'The Parole Officer'already has a diverse cast that includes Lena Heady, Om Puri, StevenWaddington, Emma Williams, Ben Miller and Stephen Dillane. In addition,there are some interesting and amusing cameos by Simon Pegg, OmarSharif and Jenny Agutter. It was fun to watch all these fine actorsmatch wits with each other and produce loads of laugh out loud moments.The plot has its share of flaws but then again, this is the kind ofmovie that is best enjoyed with little nitpicking. The gags work verywell. There are hilarious dialogues and plenty of slapstick to drawlaugh out loud moments. The attempts of our five heroes in attemptingto plan the robbery, in addition to the funny gadgets, were veryamusing to watch. Coogan has proved again what a great comedy actor heis and the guy can write. The innovative humour and fine cast make thisone a rocky little British comedy.

l_cobern1989 2012-04-21 07:34:29

A brilliant comedy

This a very enjoyable film and is a great family film as well only ifthe kids are older than 12. I first watched it on video finding it at acar boot sale. I was defiantly glad i got it because i couldn't stoplaughing through out the whole of the film. Since i have had it i havewatched it about 8 times and still laugh each time. It has a great castin it as well, such as Ben Miller, Om Purin, Lena Headey and many more.They all put in great performances that keep the audience laughingthanks to Steve Coogan who wrote the film himself. This a brilliantBritish comedy and will keep you laughing through out the whole of thefilm.

Paul Barrett 2012-04-16 04:48:55

Brilliant stuff

Steve Coogans first feature film is brilliant! The basic plot is he getsframed for a murder by a crooked copper and so he needs to break into abanks vault to steal the evidence to prove his innosence. The film is veryfunny, not just by Coogan but others as well, although Coogan steals theshow. The best British film for a long time!

2012-04-15 22:24:02

Arresting Experience!!

Steve Coogan, a British star known for his fake chat show host character Alan Partridge, makes the leap to the big-screen with his debut feature "The Parole Officer".Coogan witnesses a murder in a nightclub, hidden from view from the murderers. They, however, have been caught on camera, and Coogan must get the tape back to prove his innocence and bring justice to the real culprits.The laughs come thick and fast, and the film did brisk business in the UK. It's laugh-out-loud funny due to its situations, and although the characters may seem like stock-comedy-creations, Amercian audiences might like this if you're into the Monty Python films, or enjoyed "High Heels and Low Lifes" recently.All in all, "The Parole Officer" raises many smiles, a couple of genuine gross-out gaffaws, and even the odd surprise - check it out!