Steve Coogan Archives – CULTURE MIX

Review: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux,’ starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga

October 2, 2024

by Carla Hay

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Photo by Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Directed by Todd Phillips

Culture Representation: Taking place in 1983, in the fictional U.S. city Gotham City, the musical film “Joker: Folie à Deux” (a sequel to 2019’s “Joker” and based on DC Comics) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some African Americans, Asians and Latinos) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: Two years after the events depicted in “Joker,” Arthur Fleck goes on trial for murdering five people, and he meets and falls in love with Lee Quinzel, an anarchist who is a resident at the same lockdown psychiatric facility.

Culture Audience: “Joker: Folie à Deux” will appeal primarily to fans of stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga; the 2019 “Joker” film; movies based on comic-book characters; and unconventional musicals.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” is a stylish, uneven, and fairly provocative musical that takes bold risks that don’t always work but the lead performances are top-notch. The movie is a dark fairy tale about obsession, celebrity fame and criminal justice. Fans of the 2019 movie “Joker” will have strong opinions on whether or not this sequel should have been a musical. However, if the movie’s purpose was to take viewers further down the rabbit hole of the title character’s mental illness and emotional fragility, by having large sections of the movie devoted to fantasy-like musical sequences, then “Joker: Folie à Deux” succeeds in that purpose. (“Folie à deux” means “madness for two” in French.)

Directed by Todd Phillips, “Joker: Folie à Deux” was co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver, who had the same creative duties for “Joker.” “Joker: Folie à Deux” had its world premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival. “Joker” was a bit of phenomenon, in terms of movies based on comic-book characters. It received widespread accolades, including 11 Oscar nominations (ultimately winning two Oscars) and the Golden Lion (top prize) at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival. It was also the first movie with an adult-recommended age-restriction rating to gross more than $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. The movie was also controversial, with many critics saying that the movie glorified Arthur/Joker’s murder spree.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” takes place in 1983, two years after the events of “Joker,” in the fictional Gotham City, which is DC Comics’ version of New York City. (“Joker: Folie à Deux” was actually filmed mostly in New Jersey.) In the beginning of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix), the mentally ill loner with the alter ego Joker, is a resident of Arkham State Hospital, a psychiatric facility for people who have been convicted or are facing charges in the criminal justice system.

Before he was arrested in “Joker,” Arthur was an aspiring stand-up comedian who had a day job working as a clown. Arthur is going on trial for murdering five people in a multiple-day rampage, which culminated with Arthur going on a live TV talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (played by Robert De Niro) and shooting Murray to death in front of a studio audience and in front of everyone watching the show on TV. The end of “Joker” showed that immediately following this horrific crime, Arthur became a folk hero of sorts to people who feel exploited, abused or ignored by society.

Phoenix, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for “Joker,” portrays this character not as the evil egomaniac that has been the persona of previous depictions of the Joker. Instead, Phoenix’s Joker is a survivor of child abuse who feels beaten down by life and is often powerless to control his urges because he is mentally ill. Arthur Fleck is also not a criminal mastermind who leads a gang and wants to take over the world, as has been the portrayal of Joker in DC Comics and in other movies and TV shows.

In “Joker,” Arthur was looking for respect. In “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Arthur is looking for true love. He thinks he’s found it when he meets Lee Quinzel (played by Lady Gaga), who lives in another ward at Arkham. (Lee’s alter ego is supposed to be Harley Quinn, but the name Harley Quinn is never said in “Joker: Folie à Deux.”) Arthur and Lee first see each other when Arthur is being escorted by prison guards down a hallway. The prison guard who interacts with Arthur the most is a bully named Jackie Sullivan (played by Brendan Gleeson), who likes to taunt Arthur and has resentment over Arthur’s fame.

When Arthur first see Lee, she is in the B Ward, a minimum security wing on Arkham, where there is a group of Arkham residents in a singing class. They are all singing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Arthur and Lee lock eyes in the way that people in movies do when you know they’re going to fall in love. Because he has good behavior, Arthur is sent to the singing class, where the classmates are told that music and singing are part of their therapy. Arthur and Lee get to know each other. And it doesn’t take long for Lee to tell him her life story and show that she’s been infatuated with Arthur, even since she saw him kill Murray Franklin.

In a private conversation, Lee confesses to Arthur that when she watched him on Murray Franklin’s show, she thought to herself that she wished Arthur would blow Murray Franklin’s brains out. And when Arthur did just that, she didn’t feel alone in the world anymore. Lee also says that she’s in Arkham because she was involuntarily committed after burning down her parents’ apartment building. She also says that her biological father abused her and died in a car accident.

A TV-movie was made about Arthur, which further adds to his notoriety. This fame has attracted many disturbed people who consider Joker to be their idol. Lee admits up front that she is one of those fans. She tells Arthur that she’s willing to devote herself to him and convinces him that when his legal troubles are all over, they can make a life together.

Lee and Arthur then have the closest thing that you could call a romance between two very emotionally damaged people. Arthur’s defense attorney Maryanne Stewart (played by Catherine Keener), who wants Arthur to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, is very suspicious of Lee and tells Arthur that Lee is playing Arthur for a fool. It’s too late because Arthur has fallen deeply in love with Lee, who has convinced Arthur that they are like two sides of the same coin.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” ends up showing what happens during the trial, which doesn’t end entirely like many people would expect. The musical numbers in the movie are presented as fantasies in the mind of Arthur. The filmmakers of “Joker: Folie à Deux” wisely chose classic tunes to be the songs in these musical sequences, including “Get Happy,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” “For Once in My Life,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “”When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You),” “Bewitched,” “To Love Somebody,” “”(They Long To Be) Close To You,” and “Gonna Build a Mountain,” “That’s Life” and “True Love Will Find You in the End.”

The cinematography, costume design, makeup and production design all make “Joker: Folie à Deux” a visual feast. Phoenix and Lady Gaga also bring depth to their performances in their dialogue and musical numbers. “Joker: Folie à Deux” has more empathy to crime victims than “Joker” did and makes Arthur face the damage he did in his murderous rampage. The final scene in “Joker: Folie à Deux” continues what was foreshadowed about how more than one person can take on the Joker persona. (There are no mid-credits or end-credits in “Joker: Folie à Deux.”)

Phoenix and Lady Gaga capably handle the movie’s drama and the musical sequences. Are they convincing as a couple that will stay together? Of course not. Everything about the relationship between Arthur and Lee screams “doomed.” However, in the time they do spend together, Lee and Arthur have a dynamic that is different from other narratives about Joker, where Joker was the master manipulator, and Harley was the more vulnerable one in the couple. Viewers of “Joker: Folie à Deux” will either like or dislike this change.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” has some questionable choices in how it chooses to depict certain issues. Queerness and homophobia while incarcerated are given very short recognition when a socially awkward inmate in his 20s named Ricky Meline (played by Jacob Lofland) approaches Arthur in the prison yard and asks Arthur to kiss him because Ricky has never been kissed, and the prison guards told Ricky that Arthur would be willing to kiss him. In full view of other people, Arthur gives Ricky a platonic peck on the lips. But for the rest of the time that Ricky is on screen, he’s an obvious target because he’s now been branded as possibly queer.

The movie is also inconsistent in the violence it chooses to show and not show. There’s a police brutality scene where someone dies, but that death is never shown on camera. Meanwhile, Arthur’s homicidal tendencies are on full display, such as when he has a fantasy about murdering his trial judge Herman Rothwax (played by Bill Smitrovich) by bludgeoning the judge to death. That murder is shown in sickening detail.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” doesn’t do much with the psychiatrist characters in the film. Dr. Louise Beatty (played by June Carryl) is Arthur’s psychiatrist while he’s incarcerated. She asks him basic and generic questions about his childhood. During the trial, two psychiatrists who evaluated Arthur in the past are among the witnesses who testify. Dr. Victor Liu (played by Ken Leung) gets criticism from the defense for making an evaluation of Arthur based on an 89-minute interview.

Some of the characters from “Joker” return as trial witnesses in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” such as social worker Debra Kane (played by Sharon Washington); Arthur’s former co-worker Gary Puddles (played by Leigh Gill); and Sophie Dumond (played by Zazie Beetz), Arthur’s former neighbor who was the object of his obsessive crush. New to “Joker: Folie à Deux” are the characters of assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (played by Harrry Lawtey); TV reporter Paddy Myers (played by Steve Coogan), who interviews Arthur in his Arkam cell before the trial; and an unnamed young Arkham resident (played by Connor Storrie), who seems to have an interest in Arthur, based on the way this young man stares at Arthur.

Where the “Joker: Folie à Deux” stumbles the most is in the editing and pacing of this 139-minute movie. Some of the musical sequences begin and end abruptly, while others flow smoothly with the rest of the story. A few sections of the movie also drag with monotony. “Joker: Folie à Deux” is unlikely to get the widespread accolades that “Joker” did because it’s generally tough for a sequel to surpass a highly acclaimed original movie. But for anyone who doesn’t mind watching musicals, “Joker: Folie à Deux” is a unique experience that can hold most viewers’ interest in seeing how this compelling story is going to end.

Warner Bros. Pictures will release “Joker: Folie à Deux” in U.S. cinemas on October 4, 2024.

Review: ‘Despicable Me 4,’ starring the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Miranda Cosgrove, Sofía Vergara, Steve Coogan, Joey King, Stephen Colbert and Pierre Coffin

June 26, 2024

by Carla Hay

Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin), Silas (voiced by Steve Coogan), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), Agnes (voiced by Madison Polan), Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove), Gru Jr., Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) in “Despicable Me 4” (Image courtesy of Illumination and Universal Pictures)

“Despicable Me 4”

Directed by Chris Renaud; co-directed by Patrick Delage

Culture Representation: Taking place mostly in the fictional U.S. city of Mayflower, the animated film “Despicable Me 4” features a group of characters portraying a spy’s family that goes into hiding, their enemies and their neighbors.

Culture Clash: After a high school reunion turns sour, Gru (a former supervillain who now works as an agent for the Anti Villain League) and his family go into hiding in Mayflower when they find out that Gru’s enemy Maxime Le Mal wants to kidnap the family’s infant son.

Culture Audience: “Despicable Me 4” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, the “Despicable Me” franchise, and animated films that have short attenion spans with their plots.

Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell) and Valentina (voiced by Sofía Vergara) in “Despicable Me 4” (Image courtesy of Illumination and Universal Pictures)

“Despicable Me 4” falls into a sequel trap of trying to cram too many things in a story. The results are an unfocused and occasionally amusing animated film that has several subplots that go nowhere. Children under the age of 8 and die-hard fans of the “Despicable Me” franchise might enjoy this movie more than viewers who can’t overlook the movie’s obvious flaws.

Directed by Chris Renaud and co-directed by Patrick Delage, “Despicable Me 4” was written by Ken Daurio and Mike White. The central character in the “Despicable Me” movies is a former supervillain named Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), who now works as an agent for the Anti Villain League. The “Despicable Me” movie series began with the 2010 film “Despicable Me” and continued with 2013’s “Despicable Me 2” and 2017’s “Despicable Me 3.” Like many movie franchises, the first movie in the series is still the best. Gru works with miniature yellow creatures (who don’t speak but make noises) called Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin), which are Gru’s assistants that have their own spinoff movie series.

In “Despicable Me 4,” there’s not one but two storylines about separate abductions. There’s a story about a family that goes into hiding by relocating to another city, but the family’s patriarch and matriarch try to “fit in” with snobs in their new neighborhood. There’s a storyline about former school rivals who’ve turned into bitter enemies. There’s a subplot about five of the Minions turning into superheroes called Mega Minions. It’s just all too much going on in this overly busy plot, and not much of it comes together in a cohesive way. The movie’s plot often looks like sketches strung together.

“Despicable Me” begins with Gru attending a Class of 1985 reunion at his alma mater high school Lycee Pas Bon, a learning institution for future villains. At the reunion, Gru is miffed that his former school rival Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell) has received the Golden Alumni award. It leads to Maxime and Gru reigniting their feud after Gru is responsible for getting Maxime arrested. Maxime and his sultry girlfriend Valentina (voiced by Sofía Vergara) then hatch a plot to kidnap Gru’s infant son Gru Jr.

Maxime (who is obsessed with cockroaches) sends a video threat to Gru while Maxime is in jail. The Anti Villain League’s efficient leader Silas Ramsbottom (voiced by Steve Coogan) arranges for Gru and Gru’s family to go into a “witness protection” type of relocation to the city of Mayflower, where they will pose as a typical middle-class family. Gru’s family consists of his cheerful wife Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and their daughters Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), Agnes (voiced by Madison Polan) and Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove), along with baby Gru Jr. The family also has a white goat named Lucky that they can’t take with them to their new home.

The family members are given new names and new identities. Gru’s new name/identity is Chet Carmichael, a solar panel salesman. Lucy’s new name/identity is Blanche Carmichael, a hair stylist at an upscale salon called Mane on Maine. Various antics ensue regarding Gru/Chet and Lucy/Blanche trying to become friends with the snooty family next door: Perry Prescott (voiced by Stephen Colbert), who owns Prescott Motors, the largest auto dealership in the state; his socialite wife Patsy Prescott (voiced by Chloe Fineman); and their stuck-up teenage daughter Poppy Prescott (voiced by Joey King), who later engages in blackmail about a secret that she discovers. The movie also has time-wasting scenes showing mishaps involving Gru’s daughters in a karate class, as well as an inexperienced Lucy having a hair disaster with an obnoxious customer named Melora (voiced by Laraine Newman) at Mane on Main.

The movie’s soundtrack music is steeped in 1970s and 1980s nostalgia. The Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” The Sylvers’ “Boogie Fever,” Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana (At the Copa),” “Guns N’Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon” and Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” are some of the songs that are prominently featured in the movie. Pharrell Williams’ “Double Life,” an original song written for the “Despicable Me 4” soundtrack, is obviously trying to repeat the Oscar nomination success of Williams’ “Happy” from the “Despicable Me 2” soundtrack. “Happy” is by far a better song, while the bland “Double Life” is unlikely to get an Oscar nomination or win any major awards.

“Despicable Me 4” has adequate-to-good performances from the voice cast, but what sinks the movie is the fact that the screenplay and direction have too many distractions. There’s a flurry of action scenes that seem more manic than well-conceived. The ending will get mixed results from viewers, since it just seems like a lazy way to conclude the story. Part of the fun of the “Despicable Me” franchise is in how Gru and his allies handle the villains that are pitted against them. The ending of “Despicable Me 4” is a mushy conclusion that further muddles and diminishes the anti-hero personality of Gru.

Universal Pictures will release “Despicable Me 4” in U.S. cinemas on July 3, 2024.

Review: ‘The Lost King’ (2022), starring Sally Hawkins, Steve Coogan, Harry Lloyd and Mark Addy

August 5, 2023

by Carla Hay

Sally Hawkins in “The Lost King” (Photo courtesy of IFC Films)

“The Lost King” (2022)

Directed by Stephen Frears

Culture Representation: Taking place in 2012, in Scotland and in England, the dramatic film “The Lost King” (based on a true story) features a nearly all-white cast of characters (with a few black people and Asians) representing the working-class and middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: An enthusiastic member of the Richard III Society is convinced that Great Britain’s King Richard III was wrongfully accused of crimes and that his remains are buried underneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, but she faces an uphill battle to fund the excavation.

Culture Audience: “The Lost King” will appeal mostly to people who are fans of stars Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan and have an interest in watching predictable but crowd-pleasing history-based dramas.

Harry Lloyd in “The Lost King” (Photo courtesy of IFC Films)

“The Lost King” is the type of movie about an underestimated and persistent person where you know exactly how it’s going to end. This traditionally made drama has a very watchable journey though, mostly because of Sally Hawkins’ engaging lead performance. “The Lost King” is based on a true story, but it has a few fantastical elements, such as main character Philippa Langley talking to her imagined ghost of Great Britain’s King Richard III, who died in 1485, at the age of 32.

Directed by Stephen Frears, “The Lost King” had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope co-wrote the adapted screenplay for “The Lost King,” based on the 2013 non-fiction book “The King’s Grave: The Search for Richard III,” by Philippa Langley and Michael K. Jones. “The Lost King” hits a lot of familiar beats that movies have about underdogs taking on a massive challenge with odds stacked against them. Don’t expect any major surprises in this movie, especially since the outcome of this story is fairly well-known to history buffs.

At the beginning of “The Lost King” (which takes place in 2012), 45-year-old Philippa Langley (played by Sally Hawkins), who lives in Scotland, is stuck in a dead-end sales job in an office. Six employees have been chosen to be on the company’s Super Team of sales people. Philippa is not one of those six people, much to her frustration and disappointment. Philippa has a tense conversation with her bigoted boss Tony (played by Lewis Macleod) in his office about being passed over for this promotion.

Tony says to her, “You are at the right level for you. We both know you’ve had issues.” Philippa replies, “I suffer from chronic fatigue. It’s a real illness. And yet, have I ever missed a deadline?” Tony says, “I thought it was time to give the younger ones a chance to shine.” An insulted Philippa then retorts: “If you want people to be good at being under 40, I will admit, I’m struggling there, but so are you.” And then, she walks out the door.

Philippa and her ex-husband John Langley (played by Coogan) have joint custody of and co-parent their sons Max (played by Adam Robb) and Raife (played by Benjamin Scanlan). Max is about 12 or 13 years old, while Raife is about 10 or 11 years old. When Philippa gripes to John about her job problems, she gives the impression that she’s ready to quit her job. John warns her: “Don’t do anything impetuous. That’s all I ask. We have two households to run. We need your wages too.”

Philippa will soon find something else that will preoccupy her time and her energy. One evening, she asks John to accompany her to a production of William Shakespeare’s play “Richard III,” although this production has renamed it “The Life and Death of Richard III.” Philippa says she doesn’t want to go to the play without another adult with her. John politely declines because he says he has a date with another woman.

At the play, Philippa becomes transfixed and somewhat annoyed with the story because Richard III (played by Harry Lloyd) is presented as a villain who betrayed his country. Philippa is convinced that this play has a historically inaccurate portrayal of King Richard III, who was exiled and died during a battle in 1485. He was 32 years old. Richard III was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and the last British king to die in battle.

King Richard III’s death marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. Henry Tudor, who led the forces that defeated King Richard III, then ascended to the throne to become King Henry VII. For centuries, historians said that King Richard III’s remains were discarded into the River Soar.

After seeing Shakespeare’s version of King Richard’s III’s life, Philippa becomes obsessed with finding out everything she can about King Richard III. She goes to bookstores and libraries for her research. Soon after she begins this research, she starts to have delusional fantasies that King Richard III is following her and talking to her. In her fantasies (which she keeps a secret), King Richard III appears to her looking exactly like he did in the Shakespeare play that she saw.

Philippa eventually joins the Edinburgh branch of the Richard III Society, a group of King Richard III fans who want history to be written to what they believe is the truth: King Richard III was not a traitor but a noble king who was loyal to his country. The Richard III Society also believes that it’s very likely that King Richard III’s remains weren’t thrown into the River Soar but are actually buried on land somewhere in England.

Philippa’s quest to find this unmarked grave becomes the main focus of the rest of the movie. She eventually quits her job, but she doesn’t tell John about it straight away. What she does tell John are her staunch beliefs about King Richard III: “He was a good man. I’m convinced of it.” There’s a change in Philippa when she goes on this quest: She feels a new purpose in her life, which gives her a rush of uplifting motivation and energy that was missing when she was stuck in a job that didn’t appreciate her.

As you can imagine, Philippa experiences major obstacles during her quest. Most historians think she’s mentally ill or very ignorant. At a King Richard III lecture given by historian RR Lawrence (played by Julian Firth), who believes in the historically taught stories about Richard III, Philippa stands up in the audience and challenges RR on his views. She asserts that Richard, during his reign, created a “fairer and more just society.” RR openly mocks her and dismisses her statements.

After the lecture, Philippa meets someone at the venue who is sympathetic to her cause: independent historian/author John Ashdown-Hill (played by James Fleet), who doesn’t have a high opinion of RR, whom he calls a “pompous old queen.” Tom tells Philippa that he’s about to publish the results of his mitochondrial DNA research of King Richard III’s descendants. Tom encourages Philippa to find out where King Richard was buried.

This search leads Philippa to a parking lot in Leicester, England, where she is convinced it’s the burial site of King Richard III. From the years 1250 to 1538, it was the location of Grey Friars Priory, where Philippa firmly believes that King Richard III was buried. (This isn’t spoiler information, since it’s in the movie’s trailer.) In order to get this parking lot excavated, she has to convince local government officials and raise the money for the excavation.

Philippa finds an ally in Richard Buckley (played by Mark Addy), a Leicester University professor. Richard’s deputy is Mathew Morris (played by Alasdair Hankinson), who also takes an interest in this project. As already shown in “The Lost King” trailer, the excavation takes place. The movie shows that Philippa got excavation money, partially through crowdfunding (she launches a website called Looking for Richard to get donations) and partially from Leicester Promotions leader Martin Peters (played by Ian Dunn), who sees it as an opportunity to get publicity for himself and Leicester Promotions.

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. Philippa comes dangerously close to losing funding at least once. She also experiences constant sexism from people who think she’s a bizarre woman who’s making a fool out of herself with this mission. She gets a lot of scrutiny in the media—some of it positive, some of it negative. One of her biggest skeptics is Leicester University director of corporate affairs Richard Taylor (played by Lee Ingleby), a sneering bureaucrat who doesn’t even try to hide his condescension to Philippa.

Through it all, Hawkins portrays Philippa with a plucky and determined personality. Does Philippa get discouraged? Does she experience self-doubt? Of course she does. However, since there are no real surprises in this story, Philippa’s low points in her mission also have high points.

Philippa’s obsession takes a toll on her personal life, since John begins to wonder about her mental stability and her ability to be an attentive mother to their sons. John also finds out that Philippa quit her job, so he’s worried about Philippa’s finances. On top of being openly ridiculed by certain people in society, Philippa also has to deal with the perception, even from her own children, that this mission has turned her into someone who’s not a very good mother.

After the first few scenes of Philippa talking to her imaginary King Richard III, viewers of “The Lost King” will decide if they will probably want to continue watching the movie or not. These “talking to an imaginary ghost” scenes tend to get repetitive and don’t add much value to movie, except to make Philippa look even more eccentric than she probably is in real life. Some viewers might find these “imaginary ghost” scenes a turnoff, while others will find these scenes tolerable at worst and charming at best.

Hawkins’ performance is the main thing that holds “The Lost King” together, since the rest of the cast members give serviceable performances. Hawkins tends to play socially awkward misfits in her movies, so she’s not really doing anything that’s a breakthrough, in terms of her role in “The Lost King.” However, “The Lost King” is not trying to be anything that it isn’t: It’s mostly pleasant escapism that has positive messages of perseverance in pursuing a dream, in the midst of naysayers and hostility.

IFC Films released “The Lost King” in select U.S. cinemas on March 24, 2023. The movie was released in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2022.

Review: ‘The Trip to Greece,’ starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon

May 23, 2020

by Carla Hay

“The Trip to Greece”

Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Culture Representation: Taking place in Greece and briefly in Turkey, the comedy “The Trip to Greece” has a predominantly white cast (with some Asian representation) representing the middle-class and upper-class.

Culture Clash: Two British actors/comedians take a trip to Greece, where they sometimes argue over history, culture and their status in the entertainment industry.

Culture Audience: “The Trip to Greece” will appeal mostly to people who are fans of “The Trip” movie series and witty, Anglo-centric comedy.

When British actors/comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon made the 2010 TV comedy series “The Trip,” which was later edited into the 2011 feature film “The Trip,” they probably didn’t expect at the time that it would turn into a series of feature films, all directed by Michael Winterbottom. What followed were 2014’s “The Trip to Italy,” 2017’s “The Trip to Spain” and 2020’s “The Trip to Greece.” Each film centers on a series of lively semi-improvised conversations that Coogan and Brydon (who play versions of themselves) have in a different country while going to historical places and eating at different restaurants. (They visited northern England in “The Trip.”)

“The Trip to Greece” will please fans of “The Trip” movie series, but it should also win over new fans, especially if people like jokes filled with back-and-forth banter, deliberately cheesy puns and dueling celebrity impersonations. That’s the signature comedy of Coogan and Brydon when they’re together in “The Trip” movies, which also feature the two entertainers eating sumptuous meals in gorgeous locations.

People don’t have to see the previous “Trip” movies to enjoy “The Trip to Greece,” but it helps if you want a better understanding of the main characters in the series. Coogan and Brydon are not best friends, but they are friendly enough with each other that they call on each other when one of them has an assignment to travel somewhere outside of London and get paid to write about their trip, either for a newspaper article or for a book. Each trip lasts for six days.

As is the case with many comedy duos, the two comedians are opposites in several ways. Coogan and Brydon were both born in the same year (1965), but Coogan is the “alpha male” of the pair. He likes to remind Brydon in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that he’s the more famous and more commercially successful of the two. A running joke in “The Trip” movies is Coogan frequently mentioning the prestigious awards he’s been nominated for or won.

Coogan, a Manchester native, also considers himself to be more sophisticated and more intelligent than Wales native Brydon, who is the more easygoing one of the pair. Although they are both fathers, their personal lives are also very different: Brydon is happily married and didn’t start a family until he was in his 40s (he has a 10-year daughter and a 4-year-old son in the movie), while Coogan is a womanizing divorcé whose kids are all grown up by the time this story takes place. (Brydon’s and Coogan’s families in “The Trip” movie series are also fictionalized.)

In “The Trip to Greece,” Coogan’s plan is to do an accelerated recreation of Odysseus’ journey in “The Odyssey” for a book that he’s been commissioned to write. His book publisher wants to tie in the story of “The Odyssey” into Coogan’s personal odyssey in the entertainment business. The two pals start their trip in Turkey, where their needling banter immediately begins. When Brydon tells Coogan that the book’s concept will just be ripping off “The Odyssey,” Coogan curtly replies, “Originality is overrated.”

While in Turkey, a very meta moment comes when a man named Kareem (played by Kareem Alkabbani), who’s dining outside at a restaurant, recognizes Coogan as Coogan and Brydon are about to drive off in their rental car. In real life, Alkabbani had a small supporting role as a Syrian refugee in the 2020 film “Greed,” which starred Coogan and was directed by Winterbottom. In “Greed,” Coogan played a billionaire throwing a 60th birthday party for himself on the Greek island of Mykonos.

In “The Trip to Greece,” the Kareem character stops Coogan and tells him that it’s nice to see him again since they worked each other in Mykonos. At first Coogan doesn’t recognize Kareem, but then he remembers the role that Kareem played in the movie. Although the title of the movie is not mentioned in “The Trip to Greece,” fans of Coogan will know that they are talking about “Greed.”

Kareem asks Coogan and Brydon for a ride to a Syrian refugee camp. Brydon doesn’t think they have time, but Coogan is happy to oblige the request. After Coogan and Brydon drop off Kareem at the refugee camp and mention how horrible it must be to live there, Brydon asks Coogan if he remembers Kareem’s name. Coogan tries to pretend that he does, but he can’t remember, but Brydon does. This scene demonstrates the contrast between the two men, as Coogan is shown to be very self-absorbed, while Brydon is the more empathetic of the two men.

Throughout the course of the movie, Coogan and Brydon visit Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros, Nestor’s Palace, Niokastro Fortress in Pylos and Ancient Stagira. As for the restaurants, they include Squirrel in Halkidiki; Karagatsi in Damouchari; Varoulko Seaside in Piraeus; Omilos in Hydra; and Pirgus Mavromichali in Limeni.

Singing pop tunes while driving in a car is another characteristic of “The Trip” movies. In “The Trip to Greece,” Coogan (who always drives) gets visibly annoyed when Brydon begins singing Frankie Valli’s “Grease” from the “Grease” movie soundtrack.

Coogan asks Brydon, “Are you singing ‘Grease’ because we’re in Greece?” Brydon replies, “When I’m in Greece, I hear the word ‘grease’ and I think ‘Grease.'” Coogan then says, “Yeah, but it’s not the same thing. It’s a homophone.” Brydon responds, “How dare you! I’m not a homophone! I’m a heterosexual!”

“The Trip to Greece,” just like the previous “Trip” movies, also features a visit from Coogan’s personal assistant Emma (played by Claire Keelan) and London-based Spanish photographer Yolanda (played by Marta Barrio), who’s an on-again/off-again sexual fling for Coogan. Emma and Yolanda are briefly on each trip to do a photo shoot with Coogan and Brydon. In “The Trip to Greece,” the photo shoot includes the two comedians posing with gold-plated sock and buskin masks (the symbols of comedy and tragedy) on handles. And not surprisingly, when it’s mentioned how the masks resemble BAFTA trophies, a pompous Coogan uses it as another opportunity to remind everyone how many BATFAs he’s won.

As for the celebrity impersonations that people have come to expect in “The Trip” films, Coogan and Brydon once again have dueling impressions of Michael Caine and Roger Moore. There are also spoofs of Ian McKellen, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Ray Winstone, Laurence Olivier, Dustin Hoffman, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Werner Herzog.

A discussion about Alexander the Great being a gangster of ancient times leads into “Godfather” imitations of Brando and De Niro. And then Coogan goes off on a hilarious satire of Henry VIII in a Winstone mobster voice. Later in the film, a discussion about Olivier than veers into Coogan and Brydon doing voice parodies of Hoffman’s roles in “The Graduate,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “Tootsie” and “Rain Man.”

But the most stinging takedown is about Jagger. The two comedians poke fun at the Rolling Stones singer for still fathering children in his 70s—in 2016, Jagger’s eighth child was born when he was 73—as well Jagger’s heart surgery in 2019 that caused a Rolling Stones tour to be postponed. There’s a fairly lengthy bit where Coogan and Brydon do a satire of what Jagger would have been like as a hospital patient, and the comedians also marvel at how Jagger was able to recover so well from the surgery.

Brydon quips about Jagger becoming a father again at an age when most people are grandparents or great-grandparents: “Pretty soon, he’ll be the only man in Britain with an earlier bedtime than his child.” Brydon also takes a jab at Rolling Stones guitarist Richards, by imitating the rock star’s throaty laugh, which sounds like a lifetime accumulation of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. Dyron says of Richards’ signature guffaw: “When he laughs, it’s like the last death throes of Muttley.”

Getting older and mortality are noticeable themes throughout “The Trip to Greece,” as Brydon and Coogan have conversations reassuring themselves that they’re in their prime, compared to the senior-citizen-age entertainers whom they love to imitate. But underneath their bravado, Brydon and Coogan also convey insecurity and dread about what getting older means for their careers. (In “The Trip to Greece,” Coogan is distressed over being recently rejected for a film by Oscar-winning “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle.)

There were hints of that self-doubt in previous “The Trip” films, as womanizer Coogan openly lamented to Brydon about how women don’t look at him the same way as they did when he was younger, so he uses his fame to maximum advantage in order to attract women. And all “The Trip” movies in the series have Coogan being insecure about people thinking he might be gay, since he often makes jokes or reminds everyone in his orbit that he’s heterosexual. (In the first “Trip,” Coogan openly expresses fear and discomfort at the possibility of sharing a bed with Brydon, when there’s a possibility that have to sleep in the same hotel room after a booking mix-up.)

In “The Trip to Greece,” the need to reaffirm their virility and masculinity is even more pronounced, as Brydon and Coogan have a swimming race against each other at one of Greece’s scenic cliffside locales. It’s partly to impress three swimsuit-clad young women who are sunning themselves nearby, but it’s also so Brydon and Coogan can prove something to themselves—that they’ve still “got it” and aren’t over-the-hill old coots.

“The Trip to Greece” isn’t all fun and games, since there are some serious elements to all of the “Trip” films that address issues of deep fears and insecurities. Each movie includes dreams (that are sometimes nightmares) that Coogan and Bryon have while they’re on each trip. These dreams usually have to do with how others perceive them, what they wish would happen, or what they want their legacies to be.

“The Trip” series also shows how each man’s personality and personal choices have affected their lives at home. The previous “Trip” movies showed glimpses of the contrasts in Coogan’s and Brydon’s home lives, even down to the cinematography for each. Brydon’s happy home life with his wife Sally (played by Rebecca Johnson) is lit in warm and inviting colors. Coogan, despite having an active love life, can often be standoffish and dismissive, which is why he ultimately ends up alone at his cold and sterile home.

“The Trip to Greece” is the most poignant film of the series because it shows how Coogan has to come to grips with how his life choices have affected his family. While he’s on the trip, he’s frequently in contact by phone with his 20-year-old son Joe (played by Tim Leach), who’s in Manchester with Coogan’s ex-wife Katherine (played by Cordelia Bugeja), as they keep vigil over Coogan’s ailing father. And if you’re familiar with “The Odyssey,” then you’ll know there are obvious parallels to that story and the concept of a father coming home to his son after a long time away.

On the surface, “The Trip” movies seem like two guys making jokes and sometimes bickering while they get to frolic around glamorous locations and dine at fancy restaurants during an all-expenses paid trip. But “The Trip to Greece” is also really a commentary on the fact that even privileged people can’t escape from personal problems while away from home on a swanky getaway. How to cope with those issues is the real challenge once the trip is over.

IFC Films released “The Trip to Greece” on digital and VOD on May 22, 2020.

Review: ‘Greed,’ starring Steve Coogan, David Mitchell and Isla Fisher

February 28, 2020

by Carla Hay

“Greed”

Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Culture Representation: Taking place in England, Sri Lanka and the Greek island of Mykonos, the dark satirical comedy “Greed” has a predominantly white cast of characters (with some Southeast Asians and Syrians) representing the rich, middle-class and poor.

Culture Clash: “Greed” takes a scathing look at a ruthless billionaire retail mogul and the exploitation of poor laborers who helped build his empire.

Culture Audience: This movie will appeal mostly to people who like comedies that address issues about social classes and poke fun at rich people, but the film overstuffs the story with too many flashbacks and distracting subplots.

Steve Coogan in “Greed” (Photo by Amelia Troubridge/Sony Pictures Classics)

On the surface, “Greed” (written and directed by Michael Winterbottom) might give the most screen time to the pompous billionaire who’s the central character, but the movie’s heart really lies with the anonymous laborers who are exploited to make this arrogant mogul (and others just like him) wealthy and mostly able to dodge accountability. The story, which is a dark satire, centers on British billionaire Sir Richard McCreadie (played by Steve Coogan), who has made his fortune with an empire of discount clothing stores whose chief rivals are H&M and Zara. He is so proud of being a ruthless businessman that he’s created a nickname for himself: “Greedy McCreadie.”

About half of the movie shows Richard on the Greek island of Mykonos, where he’s planning a lavish, star-studded 60th birthday party that will have a Roman toga theme. Things aren’t going so well, since the small amphitheater being constructed for the party probably won’t be finished in time. Many of the invited celebrity guests are canceling or declining their invitations. And the party is really a distraction from the Parliamentary inquiry that McCreadie has had to answer to about allegations of his company’s corruption and improper use of funds.

If you think all of this sounds like Sir Philip Green, the British billionaire founder of Arcadia Group (the parent company of Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Outfit and many more clothing stores), you would be right. Green went through a scandalous Parliamentary hearing in 2018 over mishandling of pension funds. That same year, a member of Parliament also named Green as someone with numerous employee accusations of racism and sexual harassment, with the complaints settled out of court. Winterbottom says that although Green inspired many aspects of “Greed,” the movie isn’t about him, and the Richard McCreadie character is a composite of billionaire moguls.

Greedy McCreadie has an orange-tinted fake tan, super-white dental veneers and a cocaine-snorting, supermodel trophy girlfriend named Naomi (played by Shanina Shaik), who’s young enough to be his daughter. He’s narcissistic, he judges people’s worth by how much money they have, and he treats people like disposable pawns in a game of chess. In other words, he’s the epitome of what people despise about the type of super-rich people who think they’re cool but they’re actually superficial jerks.

Richad’s 60th birthday party will be an ostentatious display of wealth. The event planner Melanie (played by Sarah Solemani) tells Richard that the party will be like “The Great Gatsby” meets “Gladiator” meets “The Godfather”—and Richard loves the idea. And just like many billionaires, Richard wants to surround himself with celebrities.

Melanie’s main job is to wrangle in as many famous people as possible to attend the party. She and Richard go down a list of possible performers in a somewhat hilarious takedown of what real-life celebrities charge for personal appearance fees. (Richard is appalled that Shakira charges as much as Elton John, and he’s thrilled that Tom Jones’ fee is a bargain in comparison.) There’s enough name dropping in this movie to fill the half-finished amphitheater for the party, which has a caged lion on display.

Several real-life celebs (mostly British) make cameos in the film, including Stephen Fry and Fatboy Slim, who are actually at the party. Most of the other stars—including Keira Knightley, Colin Firth and Coldplay’s Chris Martin—appear via video messages where they wish Richard a happy birthday. And when Richard thinks that not enough celebrities will be at the party, Richard gives Melanie the go-ahead to hire celebrity impersonators. One of the movie’s funniest scenes is when the fake celebs are gathered in a dressing room at the party and get various levels of approval by Richard.

The movie begins on a somewhat jarring note, with a celebrity cameo whose life came to a tragic end in real life. The opening scene is of Richard at a company event where he’s giving out awards to employees. The host of the award ceremony is British TV presenter Caroline Flack, who in real life tragically died by committing suicide at the age of 40 on February 15, 2020. At the ceremony, Richard announces that he’s giving a huge chunk of his company dividends to his ex-wife Samantha (played by Isla Fisher), making it the largest dividend payout from a privately held company.

Samantha (who is the mother of the youngest child of Richard’s three kids) is among the family members who will be at Richard’s 60th birthday bash. They include his domineering widowed mother Margaret (played by Shirley Henderson); his insecure teenage son named Finn (played by Asa Butterfield); and his spoiled 20-something daughter Lily (played by Sophie Cookson). Richard has another child, a pouty son in his 20s named Adrian (played by Matt Bentley), who shows up later in the story. Samantha has also brought her much-younger lover named François (played by Christophe de Choisy) to the party.

Richard’s entourage includes his vapid girlfriend Naomi and his kind-hearted and hard-working personal assistant Amanda (played by Dinita Gohil), who’s risen to this position after starting off as a factory employee for his company. Amanda is part of a subplot involving extremely underpaid workers (most of them women) in Sri Lanka who make the clothes that Richard’s company sells. Richard doesn’t care if these workers are underpaid and mistreated if it means it will make him wealthier.

Richard’s official biographer Nick (played by David Mitchell), who’s an opportunistic journalist, is also tagging along at the party. Half of the time, Nick wonders what he’s gotten himself into with this assignment, because he’s witnessing some very unflattering things about Richard that would be tricky to put in the biography. Richard is essentially the Boss From Hell, who does a lot of yelling and hurling of insults when things don’t go his way. He’s also the type of toxic head honcho who will demand that things be done a certain way, forget that it was his decision, and then blame it on someone else if things go wrong.

Although “Greed” might sound like a clever concept to expose the corrupt side of the fashion industry, the execution of the idea is unfortunately a little too haphazard and overstuffed. There are so many flashbacks in the movie, that even the flashbacks have flashbacks. They include seeing how a young Richard (played by Jamie Blackley) went from being expelled from school at age 16 to becoming a hotshot and unscrupulous wheeler dealer in the discount fashion business.

Richard is a tough negotiator and he has no qualms about exploiting workers so he can get cheap labor and increase profits. There are also scenes of Richard facing the Parliament investigation into his shady business practices. Richard is almost proud of the fact that he gets people to invest millions in his companies, he keeps the profits, but then when the investors want their share of the profits, he shuts down the business by declaring bankruptcy.

There’s one scene where a female protestor crashes into the hearings and throws a pie in Richard’s face. It’s the movie’s obvious spoof of what happened in real life to billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 2011, during his own Parliamentary hearing. Greedy McCreadie, ever the name dropper, tells Parliament that at least he’s more honest than Richard Branson and Bono when it comes to investors’ money.

And then the movie has subplots about other people during the party preparations in Mykonos. Several refugees from Syria have camped out at the public beach near the party site. Richard wants the refugees to move because he thinks they’ll ruin the party atmosphere. But since it’s a public beach, the refugees refuse to leave. But then, a plan is put in motion that will get them off the beach, by hiring the refugees as kitchen workers for the party.

Lily is a star of a reality show, so the TV cameras have followed her to Mykonos. The show’s annoying producers and director frequently bark orders at Lily, her TV boyfriend and her friends to redo their pre-fabricated scenes when the director needs another take. (This usually happens when someone who’s not part of the show’s cast “ruins” a shot by accidentally walking into a scene while filming.) One of the staged scenes includes Lily handing out food to the refugees to make her look charitable. But when the producers want her to film the scene again, she has to take back the food, which angers the refugees, who don’t know that they’re being used as part of the staged scene.

The movie also shows Richard’s difficult and complicated relationship with his youngest child Finn, who’s constantly seeking his father’s approval and attention and not getting much of either. Finn, who both admires and fears his father, gets a little bit of Oedipal revenge when he makes moves on Richard’s trophy girlfriend Naomi while Finn is high on some of her cocaine. Naomi does a little flirting with Finn, who seems to know deep down that Naomi is only interested in the man in the McCreadie family who has the most money.

Meanwhile, Richard and his ex-wife Samantha clearly have unfinished personal business. When they’re alone together, they flirt and give each other loving kisses. Samantha also tries to be the “cool ex-wife” by being very friendly to Naomi, probably because she knows that Naomi is just a fling, while Samantha still has a hold on Richard because she’s a big part of his business and she’s the mother of one of his children.

And if all these shenanigans weren’t enough, during the party preparations, there are plenty of meltdowns from logistics coordinator Sam (played by Tim Key), who’s frantic about the amphitheater being finished on time. There are also issues with laborers who are unhappy with their wages and unrealistic time constraints. Predictable conflicts about this work then play out in the story.

In the production notes of “Greed,” Winterbottom says that when he was seeking financing for the movie, he told potential investors that the tone of “Greed” would be similar to “The Big Short,” writer/director Adam McKay’s 2015 Oscar-winning satire of Wall Street’s manipulation of the U.S. housing market. The biggest differences between “The Big Short” and “Greed” (besides “The Big Short” being a much-better movie) are that in “Greed,” there’s no breaking down of a fourth wall with characters talking directly to the viewers, and “Greed” tries to do too much with the characters in the story instead of keeping it more focused. This is supposed to be a movie, not a TV series.

Although there are some snappy and witty lines in “Greed,” the movie’s overall tone has the same smugness that it lampoons in Greedy McCreadie. The movie spends so much time inflating and skewering the super-rich and their flunkies that it feels almost like a pandering afterthought when the film tries to counterbalance the satire at the end, with sobering statistics about laborer exploitation in the fashion industry. The materialistic and selfish characters in “Greed” are like people who’ve overstayed their welcome at their own party. And viewers of this movie will find most of these characters so unappealing that they’ll be glad when this party is over.

Sony Pictures Classics released “Greed” in select U.S. cinemas on February 28, 2020.