Comfort and Joy

source: Comfort and Joy

Comfort and Joy

Not a patch on Gregory's Girl or Local Hero, but a pleasant enough whimsical tale. No real big laughs and frustrating that the central character, played by Bill Paterson, can't break free from his DJ persona and be taken more seriously as an investigative journalist. A young Alex Norton is in support along with Claire Grogan (Gregory's Girl). I can't help but feel the film would have benefitted by having John Gordon-Sinclair in it.

I watched this after I saw Local Hero. I love both films for the sly humor and understated plot with the ice cream trucks. I still chirp, "Hello, folks!" When I hear any ice cream truck. It sticks with you.

A nice, amusing and creative premise. I enjoyed 'Comfort and Joy'. Bill Paterson heads events confidently as Alan, he's fun to watch in the lead. Patrick Malahide ('Game of Thrones', 'Luther') is in there too, while Alex Norton and Roberto Bernardi play their respective roles well. The pacing, to me at least, is a little off at around the midway point, but otherwise it's a pleasant film from 1984. Watch it if you get the opportunity.

Getting involved in a turf war with rival ice cream companies seems to be a good way to get over your kleptomaniac girlfriend dumping you. A decent Forsyth flick that feels comfortable and charming but undoubtedly less engaging than previous works. That Mr Bunny ice cream jingle will haunt my dreams forever.

I was curious to finally see something by the small cult legend Bill Forsyth (won a BBC / Kermode award for his entire oeuvre, no less), but this was a small disappointment. Though the film tries to tell a sympathetic, small and humorous story, it does not fully accomplish to do so. Yes, it is small up to a point, but with the two rivaling gangs included, there is an obvious attempt at a bigger story, even if it tries to downplay this with some easy, silly twists. The humour was much hit and miss, wherein the more subtle things worked a lot better than the bigger 'ice cream war' developments. Bill Paterson and the rest of the cast mostly do a decent job, but on the whole they can not save the so-so script from falling further apart toward the end. 5 out of 10.

A movie so rich in wit, originality and expertise – at least for its first half – that it's hard to know where to start with this review. This movie's keen observation and startling sense of realism, its rich characterizations and, above all, its quirky sense of humor with ingenious twists of comedy and clever running gags – all of which are so adroitly acted, and directed with such a fine balance as to make even the most ignorant patron acutely aware that he/she is in the presence of top-rated craftsmanship. This is a movie where the narrative flow and selected incidents are so finely judged and juxtaposed that the movie could never succeed on TV where that flow was constantly interrupted by commercial breaks. True, the last half of the movie tends to be less ingenious and original. But there is no mistaking our sympathy and continued interest in the central character, so well played by Bill Paterson.

This film's main plot ingredient is ice cream...but until it gets there (10 - 20 minutes in), it's surprisingly bland for a Bill Forsyth movie. Nevertheless, if you can make it through that beginning, you're in for a treat...maybe not on the order of a pint of Ben and Jerry's, but at least a fudgsicle from the corner mini-mart. It's also an unsung Christmas movie, good to check out if you're tired of seeing It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story over and over. Cheerio, folks!

I was looking through movie titles with David O'Hara and found this title, then found the video in a second hand store.I was so glad to get my hands on this movie. I loved that the plot line was NOT one of those "guy lost girl, guy does everything to get girl back" type of thing. What a breath of fresh air! It was a movie about a "real" person, the whole aspect of his life; his flaws, his character, his relationships with those around him and even his strengths. This movie is a feel good movie no matter what the year it was made in, It's a good laugh as well. Hollywood should definitely take a look backward sometime and follow the example of this story line! If you want a good movie that even the kids could watch with you, this is the one!