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64 reviews in total

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13 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Not great but silly and rather amusing at times, 21 June 2004
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

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 drugs Simon believes that the arresting officer, DI Burton, has pocketed the drugs. He follows Burton to find out more and ends up witnessing him murdering a known underworld accountant. Intimidated and moved out of his job, Simon realises that the whole thing was caught on cctv and he can use it to prove Burton's guilt but there's only one problem – the security tape has been placed in the vault of the local bank. Against all his values and beliefs, Simon calls together a collection of the ex-cons that he had put straight and puts together a plan to rob the bank, steal the tape and use it to prove the murderer.

Many films are not really worth the bother of going to the cinema and paying your money to see and, for me, The Parole Officer was one such film. So three years later I decided to watch this for free when it arrived on channel 4 and, while it was a silly little thing, it still made me laugh a few times and that was enough for me. The plot is silly and simple but it has a nice little comic touch to it that creates a general air of humour as well as several specifically funny moments. Of course it is nonsense and not hilarious but it did the job for me and was funny in a rather basic and silly way – although if you are expecting to be laughing out loud all the way through it then I imagine you 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 his best here and this is not a great showcase for him (it just doesn't compare to his better work) but he is still funny even if his Simon is just a very poor man's Alan Partridge. Support is good for him from the likes of Om Puri, Emma Williams, Steve Waddington and the great Ben Miller. None of them really shine but they are as good as the film deserves and help support Coogan well enough. Omar Sharif makes a very strange cameo (but an effective one) and the wonderful Simon Pegg showed just how able he is by getting laughs by simply exchanging a glance with Julia Davis.

Overall this is a silly British comedy without a great deal of style or imaginative wit but one that still managed to make me laugh several times throughout the film. The humour will appeal more to a British audience than anyone else; certainly the casting is designed to appeal to an UK audience and the sense of humour will too. Not a great film by any means and far from being the best example of the abilities of those involved but it raised a few laughs and had a humorous tone all the way through that I quite enjoyed.

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14 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
Wonderfully underrated romp, 20 February 2002

Author: Ben Nunn (bennunn@depro.co.uk) from London, England

After mediocre initial reviews, this film could become a cult classic.

It's a 'perfect crime' comedy with hints of 'A Fish called Wanda', and different people will take different things from it. There's high-level slapstick, satire/parody and a lot of Steveish in-humour for die-hard Coogan fans.

The entire plot is unbelievable to a farcical extreme, and every character other than Simon Garden suffers from a lack of depth, but then this was always going to be a Coogan vehicle (Rover 75 V6 with Walnut dash, perhaps) and he makes the transition to big screen star successfully, if reluctantly.

I suspect that as Coogan matures as an actor and relaxes into mainstream life, the Parole Officer's reputation will retroactively improve and in ten years time, this will be seen as a classic British comedy.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Conventional feelgood caper movie, unconventional lead character, 25 August 2002
Author: leapso from Australia City

You've seen similar plots, characters, tension/release "will the good guys prevail against unbelievable odds" elements if you've seen any movies at all. But you probably haven't seen too many lead characters like Steve Coogan's rather ungifted parole officer in this.

Coogan specialises in 'little' English characters (though quite a diverse range over his career) - graceless, irritating, of terrific drive but little achievement, and prone to finding the greatest possible embarrassment and humiliation in any situation. They're somewhat like Michael Palin's favourite type of characters (if you know Eric Olthwaite from the TV series "Ripping Yarns" that's probably one of his) but Palin had more affection for them as a rule.

Somewhat unusually for Coogan he displays a certain affection for his parole officer here - he has his triumphs - but this is a more conventional kind of entertainment than Coogan is normally prone to.

It really is just a feelgood comedy caper movie, with a stand-out lead character, but the feelgood stuff is done pretty slickly, and the protagonist is invariably hilarious - Coogan is funny every time he puts himself at the centre of a scene.

I can understand why other long-term Coogan fans are surprised or disappointed about the conventional nature of this movie, as opposed to his TV work. But I think "The Parole Officer" achieves everything it intended to. Steve Coogan is an exceedingly talented man.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
My 10th Review: Hugely Enjoyable Caper, 15 December 2006

Author: intelearts from the big screen

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 phallic jokes and a couple of swear words) : it could be Rowan Atkinson in the title role. Here Steve Coogan, for my money, leaves behind the skewering satire and parody that made him a household name and a cult figure on UK television, and by half way through the film develops a character that you root for 100%

Nice storyline, a fun caper, and mixed bag of personalities make this a much better mix than expectations might lead you to believe.

I love Ealing Comedies, and good British comedies like Brassed Off, and thought the recent US remake of the Ladykillers was just about everything 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 enough silliness, and ideas to keep it afloat; but it also has a sweet heart and a decency at its center. We thoroughly enjoyed it: especially the last hour: once Coogan stops trying to prove he can develop figures only to poke fun about - he becomes a really likable character - and that's no bad thing.

It's fun - pure and simple - which is a quality sadly lacking in films these days. Definitely worth viewing.

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9 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Hardly original but certainly entertaining, 14 August 2001

Author: Tom May (joycean_chap@hotmail.com) from United Kingdom

Some of the criticism this film has received seems a little unfair. While its concept, plot and characters are not very inventive, the tone of the film works. The humour is often very amusing indeed, and much does 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 - the attempts at naturalism and post-modernism, old-fashioned lightweight adventure and Ealing whimsicality - all seem at odds with each other, yet an entertaining film emerges from this. The playing of an impressive cast is sound, with the supporting players, like Om Puri and Ben Miller making the most of limited parts. Stephen Dillane does a steady job as a smug, self-satisfied policeman baddie. I much enjoyed the absurd bit where he laughs maniacally for a while while on TV and the camera zooms into the TV screen Coogan is watching him on. Newcomer Emma Williams is an effective addition to the cast, although she doesn'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 "love interest", and thankfully the romance such as it is is light-hearted and made part of the convoluted plot. Perhaps a problem is the excess of characters, a few of whom could be done without. Omar Sharif's cameo was 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 little character touches and importantly, one is made to like his character and want him and his "gang" to win out, so to speak, by the end. A film reminiscent of past British Ealing comedies, yet with a fair dose of crudity. In the context of today, this is an impressively funny film, but it does not quite match up to "The Ladykillers" or "The League of Gentlemen", for example. It is slightly overlong, but largely a winning, refreshing minor comedy.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
A brilliant comedy, 16 October 2007

Author: l_cobern1989 from United Kingdom

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

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Great fun,one of the funniest films I've seen this year, 27 August 2001

Author: (ibexhouse@netscapeonline.co.uk) from Middlesbrough, England

The Parole Officer marks Steve Coogan's entrance into the world of cinema and what an entrance it is.In probation officer Simon Garden,Coogan has created a character that we genuinely want to win.We want him to defeat the bad guys but never during its entire running time do we want to BE him.

Simon means well but always manages to get himself in embarrassing situations.And when he gets himself in these situations,he just digs himself deeper and deeper into them.The basic plot is already known so I don't need to type that out.However,there was an amazing car crash near the beginning that I wasn't expecting.

I don't want to go into more detail cos I will probably ruin all the best bits for you.Another thing,one of the major problems I had with comedies of 2000(Road Trip,Meet the Parents etc.) was that the trailers gave all the best bits away.Luckily,The Parole Officer doesn't suffer from this problem and doesn't even mention the scene in a museum that had me in stitches.If you get the chance to see The Parole Officer,go see it.I guarantee you won't regret it.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Funny little British movie, 23 November 2007

Author: Superunknovvn from Austria, Vienna

"The Parole Officer" is a funny little comedy gem from the UK that has its share of flaws. Occasionally the jokes are just a bit too silly and the movie has a few lengths in the middle. Also, the score seems completely out of place more often than not.

On the plus side, though, the film has got a great cast. Most jokes work because the actors deliver them with such great timing. Nothing needs to be said about Steve Coogan anymore. Everybody knows his talent by now and the man is rightfully on his way to a career in Hollywood. Ben Miller can be seen here, too, before he came to bigger fame with "The Worst Week Of My Life". He's great, just like Om Puri, George Steven Waddington and Emma Williams, all of which play a group of ex-criminals who plan to break into a bank to steal evidence that will clear the name of the wrong-fully accused title character (played by Coogan). Lena Headey is another face you might recognize from "300" or the new "Terminator" TV-series. She's just gorgeous, beautiful and very charming. Omar Sharif makes a prominent cameo and there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Simon Pegg - probably the best moment of the entire movie.

So, yeah, "The Parole Officer" is a very enjoyable movie. Not all jokes hit the bullseye, but you'll laugh more than a few times. I really recommend this movie to everyone who likes classic Heist flicks and/or comedies like "Fletch".

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
A great English film, hilarious!, 30 March 2002

Author: spselecter from L, UK

A great English film, Hilarious! Steve Coogan is not the favourite actor amoungst Uk films but in this case he pulled off a stunning performance, I also enjoyed the series "The Office". But the film was better! This is an extreme example of a hilarious English film. Thick characters, a stupid cowardly hero type of main character, and the big evil guy drinking beer in the background! I love it! Coogan is recognised by me for his silly way to say "Ryyyyyaight".

If you havent already and even if you already have run to the video store now! His passionate way to flirt is pathetic, I loved the way he acted around Women I always laughed my head off. Although on the front cover it says the best British film since The full Monty I know it dont mean this but; The full monty was at least 5x's as good as this so that means That Parole officer was brilliant still but full monty better!

Ive seen Steve Coogan as a sort proper actor now where as the parts he used to play werent acting it was just telling jokes which still caught the public eye but hes a favourite of mine now. John Duigan did a great job, I dont know what expectations he had in mind but for me it worked brilliantly, a real spectacular film, EXCELLENT!!!

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
It's going to take a few watches., 1 April 2007
Author: (gbeacock) from Guelph Ontario

This is a John Duigan movie, one of my favourite directors. I love the way he wraps an entertaining movie around an art film. Every time I re-watch one of his films I find more of the symbolism of the art film inside. I've only seen this one once so far -on Showcase in Canada-, so I'm holding any vote till later, if I can get it on DVD. Apparently it hasn't been released in North America yet.

What strikes me most so far are parallels with The Pink Panther. I love those films too, but hated Clouseau/Sellers. I have a feeling it will be the same here. Some people have pointed out that Sharif's cameo was pointless. But Sharif/Victor=Niven/Phantom complete with complicit wife and had to be in there somewhere. Duigan used the tale "Baba Yaga and the little girl" in Lawn Dogs, but Victor represented a different Baba Yaga reference similar to Bartok the Magnificent.

It takes a while to get into Duigan movies, but it is well worth the effort. I'm even willing to put the effort into Paranoid. I'll edit and expand on this next time I watch it which I plan to do many times.

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