I admit that I bought this on DVD off Amazon UK well before a US release date was announced, and even before I knew the entire plot. However, I don't regret it one bit. The only reason I bought it was for Nick Frost, whose other works (mostly with Mr. Simon Pegg) I already own. However, the other actors, actresses, and those who have yet to make up their minds, impressed.
Granted, it has a slow start and jarring opening of a certain character's cross-gender opening, but a slow start is what I've come to expect from British films, so it doesn't hurt. And it's not every film where you have a cross-dresser punching a straight man in a back alley. Another caveat is that this movie is based on actual events.
Joel Edgerton as the confused yet ambitious Charlie Price does an excellent job. You definitely feel bad when he's suddenly thrust into a situation he had tried to avoid all his life.
Mr. Ejiofor, though, is my favorite as the flamboyant, beautiful, and delightfully catty Lola. He can definitely carry a tune and bust a move, even in those surely awkward and painful boots. He probably knows how Mister Tim Curry felt now.
Finally, Nick Frost delivers as a hard-working Northampton man with a lot to learn. From his first come-on to Lola to arm wrestling to finally doing a little growing up, I've seen what Nick can truly do when not in fatigues, an obscene t-shirt, or survival gear and goggles. If this film doesn't give Nick a better light to American directors, then something's wrong with Hollywood's good ol' boys.
Overall, it's a fun, funny, yet inspiring tale of finding your niche. I think the PG-13 the US slapped on it is fitting. No sex, but there is innuendo, a bit of language, and a dash of violence. It's Rocky Horror meets Full Monty meets (insert inspirational movie here). But of course, it's an English film, so not all American viewers will "get" it.
Granted, it has a slow start and jarring opening of a certain character's cross-gender opening, but a slow start is what I've come to expect from British films, so it doesn't hurt. And it's not every film where you have a cross-dresser punching a straight man in a back alley. Another caveat is that this movie is based on actual events.
Joel Edgerton as the confused yet ambitious Charlie Price does an excellent job. You definitely feel bad when he's suddenly thrust into a situation he had tried to avoid all his life.
Mr. Ejiofor, though, is my favorite as the flamboyant, beautiful, and delightfully catty Lola. He can definitely carry a tune and bust a move, even in those surely awkward and painful boots. He probably knows how Mister Tim Curry felt now.
Finally, Nick Frost delivers as a hard-working Northampton man with a lot to learn. From his first come-on to Lola to arm wrestling to finally doing a little growing up, I've seen what Nick can truly do when not in fatigues, an obscene t-shirt, or survival gear and goggles. If this film doesn't give Nick a better light to American directors, then something's wrong with Hollywood's good ol' boys.
Overall, it's a fun, funny, yet inspiring tale of finding your niche. I think the PG-13 the US slapped on it is fitting. No sex, but there is innuendo, a bit of language, and a dash of violence. It's Rocky Horror meets Full Monty meets (insert inspirational movie here). But of course, it's an English film, so not all American viewers will "get" it.