Bionicmanenator

Steve Coogan plays Steve Coogan portraying Tristram Shandy AND Tristram's father in this very funny, mind-warping adaptation of the quite unfilmable book.

The book itself is a series of footnotes, digressions and ramblings of a somewhat unfocussed mind. The director, Michael Winterbottom and Coogan have chosen to do the same thing with the movie, which means the finished product we get is a mostly behind-the-scenes expose on the creation of the filming of the book. This may sound completely off-the-mark in relating page to the stage, but here it works remarkably well to both great comedic effect and some genuine pathos and is still remarkably true to the source material.

Coogan is brilliant as ever, and here gives us a beautifully rounded performance as the three main characters. His performance captured for me the diversions, indiscretions and minutae involved in any production. He seemed to let his guard down in the scenes with his on-screen wife (Kelly Macdonald) and infant child. Coogan proves, once again, his genius both as a comic and serious actor.

As supporting lead in the film Rob Brydon shines as himself playing Capt. Toby Shandy and is the perfrct foil to Coogan. Their arguments are beautifully timed and it is clear they both had a ball on set improvising these.

In fact the whole cast look like they are having a blast making this and not being to worried about letting their personalities out "warts and all" - I suspect Winterbottom may have let cameras roll freely on several scenes long after they were supposedly finished to achieve much of the sponenaity evidenced here.

Winterbottom holds this film together well, and brings himself back up to speed after last year's terrible 9 SONGS. He paces the film at a pitch tht is always one step ahead of the viewer, but never alienating and always with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.

Very funny, intelligent and well shot. I look forward to the myriad of Special Features that the film hinted at, that will open up an even wider world for both the film itself and give the book a whole new readership it so richly deserves.

TRAILER