Comfort and Joy (1984)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Bill Forsyth

Writer:

Bill Forsyth (writer)

Release Date:

10 October 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Have you ever had one of those weeks...

Plot:

Radio host Alan Bird witnesses how an icecream van is attacked and destroyed by angry competitors. This...

Plot Keywords:

Radio | Christmas | Ice Cream | Radio DJ | Independent Film

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win

Cast

Bill Paterson	...	Alan
Eleanor David	...	Maddy
Clare Grogan	...	Charlotte (as C. P. Grogan)
Alex Norton	...	Trevor
Patrick Malahide	...	Colin
Rikki Fulton	...	Hilary
Roberto Bernardi	...	Mr. McCool
George Rossi	...	Bruno
Peter Rossi	...	Paulo
Billy McElhaney	...	Renato
Gilly Gilchrist	...	Rufus
Caroline Guthrie	...	Gloria
Ona McCracken	...	Nancy
Elizabeth Sinclair	...	Fiona
Katy Black	...	Sarah

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:7 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Kings Road Entertainment

Trivia:

Mark Knopfler, lead singer of Dire Straits, wrote the soundtrack for this film. Lyrics from a previous Dire Straits album "Love Over Gold" are used as dialogue in the film: "I hear the terrible twins came to call on you" is similar to: "I hear the seven deadly sins came to call on you", and "The bigger they are, baby, the harder they fall on you" are both lyrics from the song "It Never Rains". Alan Bird says the words "dire straits" in one of the radio studio scenes shortly after Maddy has left him.

Tidings of comfort and joy!

When early morning radio host Alan "dicky" Bird's kleptomaniac but spontaneously refreshing girlfriend Maddy dumps him a week before Christmas, not only does she take with her virtually every possession in his flat, but also the intangibles that he had become accustomed to over time: comfort and joy. Alan finds himself rudderless, bored and lonely during that time of year where it's impossible not to be reminded of "tidings of comfort and joy." Left only with his cherished red BMW sports car he drives aimlessly through the streets until one day he makes eye contact with an attractive girl in the back of ice cream van (keep in mind it's December in Scotland) and follows her on a whim. Seeking to change his fate, he approaches the van but when confronted face to face with the girl, can do no better than purchase an ice cream. But fate engages the situation more forcefully, and as Alan is walking back to his BMW, the ice cream van is savagely attacked by masked men with clubs and when one of the terrorists recognizes Alan as "Dicky" the radio host, he is unwittingly enlisted as an interlocker between the two warring ice cream competitors. The music of Dire Straits (Love Over Gold) is cleverly woven throughout the film, at times actually being incorporated into the dialog. An original offbeat comedy – subtle but effectively funny.