`CONFETTI' FALLS FLAT WITHOUT WIT AND LIVELY WRITING.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic It's not stupid. The performers give it their all (in at least two cases, their altogether, too). It doesn't get too cutesy cute·sy adj. cute·si·er, cute·si·est Informal Deliberately or affectedly cute; precious: a cutesy boutique for children's fashions. like so many British comedies. And heaven knows, the subject is worthy of satire. All good things. So I'm not really sure why the improvised British mockumentary ``Confetti'' hardly ever made me laugh. This is a case where it really could be me; throughout the screening, my brain was telling me that someone else may quite legitimately bust a gut at this thing. What it is about is a competition to stage the most original wedding in Britain. ``Not everyone wants their wedding ruined by a gimmick ... but some do,'' reckons the publisher of Confetti magazine, a slick publication devoted to all things nuptial nup·tial adj. 1. Of or relating to marriage or the wedding ceremony. 2. Of, relating to, or occurring during the mating season: the nuptial plumage of male birds. n. . He sponsors a contest in which three couples vie for a million-dollar dream house. And as you can probably tell from the quoted line, this movie has parallels to Christopher Guest's films (``Waiting for Guffman Waiting for Guffman is a musical mockumentary starring, co-written and directed by Christopher Guest that was released in 1997. It stars a cast of actors who have come to form an acting troupe that has appeared in a series of Guest-directed mockumentaries. ,'' ``Best in Show'') and whiffs of ``The Office'' (both versions) all over it. But ``Confetti'' comes off more like a reality TV show, in which the participants just don't express their obsessive cluelessness as exquisitely as sharp writers can through trained actors. Make no mistake: ``Confetti's'' ensemble cast An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different is all pro. But director Debbie Isitt left them to their own improvisational devices to a greater extent than even Guest does his well- oiled rep group. There's no story credit on this film, let alone one for even a rudimentary scenario. The actors did an impressive job of filling in and fleshing out. But you can sense the strain in some scenes, while others don't seem developed enough. And that's probably why I didn't chuckle much. But if any of the following ideas tickle your funnybone, by all means go and have a ball. < The three finalists are: Matt (``Love Actually'' and English ``Office's'' Martin Freeman) and Sam (Jessica Stevenson), who want a Broadway musical-themed ceremony but can't sing or dance. Josef (Stephen Mangan Stephen Mangan (born 22 July 1972) is an English actor, best known for his role in the television series Green Wing. Biography After gaining a Bachelor of Arts in Law at Cambridge University, where his friends included Rachel Weisz and Sue Perkins, Mangan took a ) and Isabelle (Meredith MacNeill Meredith MacNeill (born 1975) is an actress originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, but now lives in the United Kingdom. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She is most famous for her roles in the BBC Three sketch show Man Stroke Woman. External links ), super-competitive and, by extension, obnoxious, tennis players. And the naturists Michael and Joanna (Robert Webb and Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman , both of whom hail from television's appropriately titled ``Peep Show''). They want a nude wedding, of course, which is the last thing that Confetti's editor wants. There is also a gay pair of wedding planners, Archibald (Vincent Franklin) and Gregory (Jason Watkins), whose every suggestion is violently rejected by each couple. Potential disaster threatens every step to the three-way happy day. I don't want to spoil any surprises -- especially for a film that thinks naked people are so hilarious, it inevitably shows us one when nothing else is working -- but let's just say that ``Confetti's'' big climax is satisfyingly over the top. Wish I would have had more fun on the way to the altar. Bob Strauss, (818) 713-3670 bob.strauss@dailynews.com CONFETTI - Two and one half stars (R: nudity, language, mild violence) Starring: Martin Freeman, Jessica Stevenson, Stephen Mangan, Meredith MacNeill, Robert Webb, Olivia Colman, Vincent Franklin, Jason Watkins. Director: Debbie Isitt. Running time: 1 hr. 34 min. Playing: Town Center 5, Encino; Playhouse 7, Pasadena; ArcLight, Hollywood; Broadway 4, Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. ; Westside Pavilion The Westside Pavilion is a shopping mall located in West Los Angeles. It is owned and operated by The Macerich Company. It is a three story urban-style shopping mall with 150 shops and is anchored by a Macy's (formerly May Company and later Robinsons-May) and a Nordstrom. , West L.A.; South Coast Village 3, Costa Mesa Costa Mesa (kŏs`tə mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 96,357), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific south of Santa Ana; inc. 1953. It is a transportation, residential, and light industrial center. . In a nutshell: This British mock documentary about a goofy Goofy bumbling, awkward dog; originally named Dippy Dawg. [Comics: “Mickey Mouse” in Horn, 492] See : Awkwardness wedding competition skewers reality TV in a way that some may legitimately find hilarious. But this critic kept wondering why so many of the jokes just weren't very funny. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Three couples vie to stage the most original wedding in Britain in ``Confetti,'' a mockumentary that skewers reality TV. |
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