Truly Dreadful Film

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

This film is a highly entertaining view of a dysfunctional family from the viewpoint of the teenaged son. It is said to be an autobiographical memory of the writer and director, Richard E. Grant. I didn't recognize the name, but once I started to read a bit about the film, I found that Grant is a fairly well-known character actor. The part most readily recognized by myself was that of the tall, thin, disapproving butler in Gosford Park. You might be interested in his biographical page on this site.The story takes place late 1960's Swaziland and climaxes with the British withdrawal from that colony. Ralph is the only child of Lauren and Harry Compton, and theirs is not a happy marriage. As a matter of fact, the film begins with a scene in which an eleven year old Ralph is supposedly asleep in the backseat of a car in which his mother and a neighbor are having sex in the front seat. She soon leaves her family and runs off with the neighbor. Ralph's father consoles himself with alcohol - it seems that practically every English adult in the colony has a drinking problem. Ralph constantly battles with his father and is soon shipped off to boarding school. The story shifts two years and teenaged Ralph who has just experienced his growth spurt returns home on vacation to find that his father has married an American air hostess. Ralph, at first, rejects Ruby but then begins to admire the out-spoken Yank. The title of the film comes from Ruby as she describes the supercilious talk of the British as, "Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah." Grant has accumulated a superior group of veteran actors to portray the major characters in the piece. Gabriel Byrne plays an alcoholic father to perfection being both a hurtful drunk and a loving father. Byrne has the talent to realistically inhabit these two opposite personalities. Miranda Richardson is the perfect distant mother. Julie Walters plays the wife of the man with whom Ralph's mother has the affair. Walters adds a welcome spot of humor as a woman cheated upon but able to muddle through with generous helpings of whisky. Ruby is played by Emily Watson whose pixyish look and behavior fits the Yank like a glove.Ralph is played by two talented young actors. Zachary Fox is Ralph at age eleven - an intelligent boy beginning to discover that his parents - especially his father - have feet of clay. Ralph at age thirteen is played by Nicholas Hoult. He has an extraordinarily unusual look about him and is in that awkward stage of physical development enabling him to make the role his own. The trivia on IMDb is that he was originally set to play Ralph at both ages, but his growth spurt caused him to be too large for the younger part. That growth spurt gives his a great look for this movie.Even though we get an insightful look at the British colonists and their attitude toward themselves and the native Africans, this is not a social or political drama. It is and excellent family drama. The times and setting are simply icing on the cake.

I've passed this one on the shelf a dozen times and happened to pick it up as my wife doesn't like dark comedy, shoot'em-ups or slap-stick. I knew it was a winner just seeing Gabriel Byrne, Miranda Richardson and Emily Watson. But, the story was excellent, young Nicholas Hoult was outstanding with the support of such talent like Julia Waters, Celia Imrie. Writer/Director Richard E. Grant has captured the petty intrigues and back-biting found in the British ex-pat colonial service of the 60s, along with the trysts, scandals and class distinction. The setting and depiction of the African scenes are breathtaking, albeit the focus is on the Brits in the process of returning this country to the Swazi. All in all, a great story, rife with human interest, fraught with human frailties and painted on a touching but not maudlin canvas and well worth watching.

Grant's movie had me laughing and crying. It is not a comedy but it has moments of comedy that are priceless - Lady Muck finding out that her expert dancing partner was in fact a black man.....And as ever, looking for continuity faults in films. (concrete railroad ties had not been invented yet) But to be confronted with Grant's childhood by the man himself who had lived it - a remarkable feat indeed. Heard him talk about the producer from a hot place and wondered just how he managed it. The casting was impeccable and that snooty British attitude and its appropriate rejection was about as good as it gets.I can't wait for his next production and hope its as hubbly jubbly as this was! Bill

This is an autobiographical film about a child's turbulent childhood in a small African country.The good thing about this film is that the characters are amazing. Acting by the various lead characters are superb. There are drunk fathers, charming seductress, unhappy children and pretentious upper class figures. They all do an excellent job at portraying their respective character. The scene that struck me the most deeply is that the young child prays for his mother to come back. It is the most touching! However, the main weakness of the movie is that it is at some point rather confusing, and can be boring to watch due to the very nature of the film.I can imagine the process of making this movie must be very painful to the director. Thank you for bringing your story to the screen!