Confetti (2006) December 16, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Debbie Isitt
People always talk about ‘the state of British comedy’, although its actual state is a hard thing to nail down. There is always plenty of new product to admire, most of it falling to the small screen or DVD. We’re admittedly very hit and miss when it comes to theatrical releases though, more often on the side of miss I’m sad to say. Having said that, when a British comedy does land, it usually lands big (see the oft mentioned Shaun of the Dead for example).
Maybe that’s what Debbie Isitt and BBC films were thinking when they came together to create Confetti, a mockumentary about weddings, specialist magazine publishers and relationships. The story follows three engaged couples as they fight it out to win Confetti magazine’s ‘most original wedding of the year’ award. With just three months, and the aide of two professional wedding planners, each pair must make their unique wedding a reality. And ‘unique’ is the right word; the themes are: Musicals, Tennis and Naturists.
With the knowledge that The Office went down so well in the states, surely a faux-documentary styled British feature would be one of those much strived for ‘big hitters’, right? Well unfortunately not, while in fact the documentary style helps and hinders this film in equal measure. At times it plays well, adding an element of reality to some otherwise absurd situations; other times it actually has the opposite effect, reminding the audience that it’s a total fake with exaggerated characters who don’t belong in a documentary (Sam’s sister Jen, and Matt’s best man Snoopy are good examples).
As for the talent, well this is definitely the case of a funny cast in a less-funny movie. For a film where the script is completely improvised (around a set story) there’s obvious potential for comic performers like Martin Freeman, Robert Webb, Jessica Stevenson & Stephen Mangan to extract some laughs. And they do, on occasion. I just don’t think that the premise gives them enough scope for real comic genius to occur.
On the plus side, the weddings at the end are actually quite sweet, as well as being much funnier than the very long set-ups would prepare you for. But ultimately, any of the moral stances or character redemption brought on during these scenes is quickly forgotten, one couple in particular falling right back into their old selves just when it looked like they might turn out for the better.
A mockumentary like this really needs a point, or at least a target, but I can’t find either here. Which is a notable problem because even Spinal Tap had something to say about old-school rockers and the music industry. Confetti definitely has potential, it just never fully realises it. Maybe it’s the style, maybe the choice of story, or maybe its got something to do with that ‘state of British comedy’ everyone’s talking about. Either way it’s probably one to stay away from, unless like me, your curiosity gets the better of you.
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