Big screen debutants Tom Riley and Tom Burke star in a low budget British comedy set in the murky world of adult entertainment.
Fed up with their inability to cut a deal with any of the mainstream British studios, aspiring producer / writer team Joe (Riley) and Baggy (Burke) decide to try their hand at hard core pornography in an effort to raise enough cash for their own “Big Chill meets Remains of the Day” masterpiece.
After writing a script - and somehow recruiting the world’s number one porn star, Candy Fiveways (Electra), for the lead role - the boys begin filming in their parent’s semi detached house in Leatherhead, much to the disgust of the neighbours and a money grabbing local gangster (Marsan) with a penchant for bloody violence.
They say:
Empire: “A warm hearted, smutty comedy that, if predictable, has a likeable cast and plenty of zip.”
Total Film: “The only joy comes from players like sleaze peddler Eddie Marsan and Mackenzie Crook’s Catweazle whiskered teacher.”
BBC Films: “No Full Monty, but like the film within a film, it's got enough creativity and enthusiasm to win young audiences over.”
We say:
Populated with unknown TV actors, written by the man behind Thunderbirds and Garfield and directed by Stephen “Wayne’s World 2” Surjik, I Want Candy hardly inspires confidence.
However, this very British adventure boasts a handful of laugh out loud moments, an enjoyable cameo from Jimmy Carr as a porn obsessed video shop owner and plenty of smutty jokes to keep everyone amused during the pleasantly short running time.
Where “Candy” falls short however is in the ironically wooden acting from Electra - who is just as bad here as she was in Epic Movie and Scary Movie 4 - and the casting of Riley and Burke in the lead roles. A more established duo such as - dare we say it? - Ant and Dec, well versed in the art of slapstick and farce, would have injected more energy into the predictable and often cliched script.
It’s also rather frustrating that we never learn what Candy’s five ways are, as we can only think of about three off the top of our innocent heads.
“The British American Pie” it certainly ain’t, but teenagers and Electra fans will no doubt go home happy.
CAST
Carmen Electra
Tom Riley
Tom Burke
Michelle Ryan
Eddie Marsan
Mackenzie Crook
Jimmy Carr
DIRECTOR
Stephen Surjik
TIME
90 mins
POSTED...
Fri 23 Mar 2007 at 7:22am
