Danny and the Human Zoo

 

 

Cheerful, charming and deliciously humorous - this one off BBC biopic of the now newly knighted Lenny Henry is one I've been meaning to review for a while. Slightly warped (depicted as life in a "parallel universe" according to Lenny Henry himself, who starred and wrote the film) with names changed and I suspect events a bit stylized, this nevertheless is quite a captivating piece of insight into the early life and career of the now legendary Lenny Henry.

I would however, add one proviso. To truly enjoy this one, I feel you cannot really read too much into the level of performances and impact of the way things are presented. I know I often easily, and sometimes flippantly like to dissect the performances of key cast etc, and I feel it would often be all too simple to this time (and actually - I still will) but I don't want this to detract too much from the big picture as it were. I truly believe that Danny and the Human Zoo is a great watch, and whilst I do feel that sadly integral pieces are lacking - the overall effect is still a great one in my view.

Thus I start with the main point and lead role. Young unknown Kascion Franklin takes on the role of the young Lenny Henry, or Danny; as I say the characters are slightly changed (its odd but I think it still works). We follow him as he goes through the trauma of being a new, young black teenager in a predominantly white, and sadly racist community, alongside the experience of his whole family and community in such times, to developing a taste for impressions and comedy, to the beginnings of national recognition and stardom. The journey, as any fan of Lenny Henry will know, was not an easy one, and so too it is shown here. A lot of harrowing, and happy events are fired at the character of Danny, and as a result quite the emotional roller-coaster is needed in response. Sadly as I say - this is a key element that is lacking.

Granted the young actor is a master of the voices and impressions that catapulted Lenny Henry to stardom in his early days - the results of which are hilarious. Apart from that, I was dissapointed in the lack of commitment, power and character that the comedic giant needed to do him justice. Struggling throughout with the all-important Dudley accent, Kascion Franklin seems to just wander with a blind daze from scene to scene, displaying any turn of emotion with such a shocking lack of believability that he is almost wooden. It is a shame for me - the key role of such a key figure being distinctly lackluster.

However as I say, all is not lost. Kascion Franklin is not the only disappointing performance for me - as the role of his mother, played by Cecilia Noble, whilst having the potential to be a brilliant comedic jewel was lost in a sea of over-embellished accents and poor stereotypical reactions, but they are small flies in a largely great ointment.

A truly storming soundtrack, stunning set design and detail, great cinematography all instantly give that much needed period feel.  What's more there are plenty of quality performances to make up for the lack of oomph in a few lead roles. Arthur Darvill gave an unexpected but deftly quirky turn as seedy lovable rogue DJ turned manager Jonesy, plus we get  remarkable extended cameos from veteran great Richard Wilson and the wonderful Mark Benton. Evanna Lynch sizzles as Bridget (and in my opinion deserved more screen time) but by far the star of the show was Lenny Henry himself, playing his own father Samson. Wise, towering, tough, and full of charm and gravitas - his relatively minor role steals the show with ease, and perhaps rightly so.

So yes, a few of the integral ingredients don't come off, but whereas I would normally use that as ample excuse to dismiss something, here I implore you not to be so dismissive. As a one-off, simple celebratory piece I feel Danny and the Human Zoo is very well executed. Whilst it might not ever be a classic, it is I feel a very suitable and enjoyable way of paying tribute to a truly classic comedian.

RIP Maureen O'Hara

1920-2015

Paddington

Charming, simple, poignant, hilarious, lovely...that's Paddington. Michael Bond's classic children's character has and probably always will retain that certain quintessential appeal, and thankfully this was the case when the bear from darkest Peru was transferred to the big screen.

I am quite the fan of Colin Firth's work, but I think him dropping out might well have been a boon for the film. Ben Whishaw's voice suits  and embodies the little bear instantly - utterly ready for anything, perfectly toned and instantly recognizably and definitively Paddington Bear.
As the film shows the little bear's journey from Peru to London, finding a new home, a family and identity on the way, Ben Whishaw is perfect during every single second we hear Paddington speak. And even when we don't, the combination of Whishaw's talented vocals plus the superb CGI and animations of Paddington render him superbly detailed, characteristically solid and utterly captivating throughout - a perfect leading character.

The human cast list isn't bad at all either. The very cartoonish but still brilliant villain of the piece is portrayed by the deliciously dazzling Nicole Kidman. The Browns (Paddington's adopted family) include the likes of Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins; two giant acting talents of the age. Plus we get supporting roles and cameos from the likes of Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Imelda Staunton and Sir Michael Gambon.
The cast list is stunning - and mostly all the performances are stunning in that they only add to the quality and charming feel of the film. However, I will say, as I have sometimes previously said with ensemble films - the great cast sometimes feels underused and just there for the sake of it. All the performances are good as I say, great even; but they are often seemingly quite shallow and one-dimensional. I know this film is all about Paddington and I know it is quite simple and light-hearted and to work it doesn't need to be much else - I just wish the great acting talent surrounding the bear had just a tad more to do.

Other than that - Paddington is glorious. The bear and the film. I was a touch nervous when I heard they were going to bring this one to the big screen, but in the event I am mightily glad they did.