Cemetery Junction

Cemetery Junction is the new film from Ricky Gervais and his often time comedy partner Steve Merchant.

It tells the story of a group of friends who have grown up and found themselves stuck in 1970's Reading.

Freddie (Christian Cooke) wants to better himself, refusing to end up employed in a factory like his Dad. Bruce (Tom Hughes) has dreams of leaving the town he was born and grew up in, mainly due to the strained relationship with his father who he blames for his mother leaving them. Snork (The Green Green Grass' Jack Doolan) is the last of the trio, that's not his real name by the way, but in fact a nickname that brings with it many amusing introductions throughout the film.

While the plot of the film may not be the most original you'll see this year, it has some blistering performances sprinkled throughout that make it a funny and yet at times powerful piece of cinema.

Jack Doolan stands out in every scene that he's in, partially due to his characters unusual appearance compared to the other two lead actors, but mainly because his delivery of his lines and comic timing are spot on. While both Cooke and Hughes give solid and at times touching performances in their respective roles, they never manage to reach the heights that Doolan does as Snork. The down side to the Snork character however is that for all the fantastic lines he's given he remains a very one dimensional character. Due to the complete lack of back story or exploration of the character you are left feeling that he's there only for comic relief.

On the subject of comic relief David Earl is a revelation as cafe owner Brian, a man who decided to lower his standards and hasn't looked back since. He and Snork truly are the comedy heart of this film.

Ralph Fiennes is fantastic as the sexist and completely un-PC Mr Kendrick. He is Freddie's boss and also the father of Julie (Felicity Jones), Freddie's love interest during the film. He also acts as a template for the Fiance of his Daughter Mike Ramsay (Watchmen's superb Matthew Goode) setting an example to his future son in law as to how to treat his fiance.

I could go on, but i think it would be better just to say that Cemetery junction is an excellent movie, which while a tad predictable at times is still a funny, inteligent, touching and heart warming film that has an excellent soundtrack and a brilliant ensemble cast.

Robinho