The Acid House (1998)

Director:

Paul McGuigan

Writers:

Irvine Welsh (screenplay)
Irvine Welsh (stories)

Release Date:

31 December 1998 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

Three twisted tales of abuse, drugs, displaced personalities and insect life by Scottish writer Irving Welsh.

Plot Keywords:

Fly | Baby | Insect | Football | God

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Stephen McCole	...	Boab (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Maurice Roëves	...	God (segment "The Granton Star Cause") / Drunk (segment "A Soft Touch") / Priest (segment "The Acid House")
Garry Sweeney	...	Kev (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Jenny McCrindle	...	Evelyn (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Simon Weir	...	Tambo (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Iain Andrew	...	Grant (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Irvine Welsh	...	Parkie (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Pat Stanton	...	Barman (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Alex Howden	...	Boab Snr (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
Annie Louise Ross	...	Doreen (segment "The Granton Star Cause") (as Ann Louise Ross)
Dennis O'Connor	...	PC Cochrane (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
John Gardner	...	Sgt. Morrison (segment "The Granton Star Cause")
William Blair	...	Workmate ("The Granton Star Case") / Deck ("A Soft Touch")
Gary McCormack	...	Workmate (segment "The Granton Star Cause") / Larry (segment "A Soft Touch")
Malcolm Shields	...	Workmate (segment "The Granton Star Cause")

Also Known As:

The Granton Star Cause (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Spain:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Picture Palace North

Trivia:

The film was deemed deeply offensive by the UK tabloid press for its inclusion of a swearing, foul-mouthed God.

Quotes:

Sgt. Morrison: So, what's been happening tonight, Brian?
PC Cochrane: Well, there's the rapist. The guy that stabbed the boy in the shopping centre. And this comedian down here.
Sgt. Morrison: Well, I've had a wee word with our rapist. Seems a nice enough young fellow. Tells us the whore was askin' for it. It's the way of the world, Brian. As for the guy that stabbed the boy - well, silly wee bugger, but... boys will be boys. What's the story with this tube-stake?
PC Cochrane: Caught him smashing up a telephone box.
Sgt. Morrison: [disgusted] Tsk tsk.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The South Bank Show: Irvine Welsh (#30.4)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Sweetest Embrace

Instant Review: Great, Brilliant, Oh God make it stop.

The Acid House: 8/10: A collection of three films strung together with wildly different results.

The first film (The Granton Star Cause 8/10) is a pleasant surprise and high comedy. It is a take on Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis mixed with God, elderly S and M, and a football team. Outrageous and funny it is great black comedy involving a bloke named Boab who is having a very bad day indeed. And as God lovingly points out it is his own lazy incompetence that is basically responsible for his troubles.

The second film (The Soft Touch 10/10) is a top-notch drama that, for me at least, hit close to home. Kevin McKidd portrays a get along cuckolded husband with perfection while Gary McCormick, as Larry is stunning as the upstairs neighbor. American audiences are not used to seeing their protagonists pushed this far without pushing back but to this ear it rang realistic and very sadly true. The third film

(The Acid House 2/10) is a very overlong train wreck that may have worked on paper but fails miserably in film. It includes such Trainspotting regulars as that horrible mechanical baby (Like a demented Chucky) and brainless Coco who amuses for about five minutes before becoming tiresome. Add horrendous dialog, endless poop jokes and an acid trip left over from a Peter Fonda film and you have one great mess. As a five-minute bit it could have worked but time seems to stand still while it drags its bloated carcass on the screen.

God (who appears in all 3 segments wonderfully played by Maurice Roeves) may seem vengeful in the first film and carelessly sadistic in the second, but this viewer was praying to him during the third segment to make the pain go away.