Review: The Look of Love

The Look of Love is a tragicomic biopic starring Steve Coogan as Paul Raymond: Soho-based club owner, publisher, property magnate and, perhaps most notably, pornographer. It charts most of his successful career and less successful family life, although really focuses on the relationship with his daughter and his lifestyle's effects on those who surround him.

This is a very atmospheric, stylish film: the characters swan around Soho in collars almost as big as their flares, drinking whisky in dark bars with horrific '70s wallpaper, all to the funktastic musical accompaniments of T-Rex and Donovan. This mix helps to swoop the viewer into the rambunctious yet precarious world of Paul Raymond. It is also often funny. A Partridgeon delivery from Coogan has the audience laughing frequently. There were plenty of gags from the other actors- a positive element of British comedic films is that they often feature a lot of home-grown acting talent. David Walliams plays a priest, Simon Bird (nerd from The Inbetweeners) wears a ridiculous moustache, and Chris Addison jumps around as a beardy coke fiend, like a high daddy long legs. While on the subject of acting, it should be said that Imogen Poots makes a good job of playing Raymond's daughter. Principally, though, this is a Coogan vehicle

There is a slight Alan Partridge veneer to the portrayal, with pernickety corrections emanating from a half-curled mouth ('it's my property so I know that the leasing contract specifically forbade sub-letting'). But I think that that is really Coogan himself coming through, because the hapless Alan is part-Coogan. And, like Partridge, he is drawing on himself. This creates real human feeling, vulnerability and error. For me, Coogan wasn’t getting cheap laughs out of a shallow adaptation of a life, he was imbuing the story with psychological depth in his own imitable way. This is what is so good about him being directed by Michael Winterbottom, the pairing obviously working well in this fashion. My description sounds similar to a review of The Trip, or elements of 24 Hour Party People, another biopic, or Cock and Bull Story. For more about the Winterbottom-Coogan partnership, check The Telegraph’s recent article on the subject.

The main criticism that seems to be thrown at The Look of Love is that it's shallow, a flippant forgiving of a controversial and far from perfect man. Some may find this to be the case, but in my opinion the profundity of the film creeps up. We thinks that we're watching a light comedy, but all of a sudden the audience find themselves whirring in a tundra of emotion and tragedy. All seems funny and relatively good-natured, but the very lifestyle that is so fun to watch takes hold and spirals out of control. A good reflection, I would imagine, of the reality. As an illustration of my point, take cocaine. I don't mean that as an instruction, I mean let's look at its place in the film. There's plenty of it, enough to fill the dreams of Pablo Escobar. Initially, it's all harmless fun and games- child's play, I hear you think. But at some point, it dawns on us that it is getting a bit much. People are getting 'strung out' (a phrase which actors playing coke-snorters in cinema are contractually obliged to use). And it does go too far. Alan Partridge meets Scarface.

Some think that the controversial topic of Raymond’s industry (‘gentlemen’s’ magazines and ‘gentlemen’s’ clubs) should have been more directly challenged. But by making it non-judgemental, we see the reality without cliché. We see the events and people as they were, and the doubtless terrible effects of Raymond's adult exuberance.

Overall The Look of Love is a powerful character study, an interesting watch, and an entertaining hour and a half

'JURASSIC PARK!': A long way to have come from the Linton Travel Tavern

Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines is a sprawling crime epic that follows prodigal circus motorcycle stuntman Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling), who turns to bank robbery with his friend Robin (Ben Mendelsohn) to support the child which he accidentally conceived with local resident Romina (Eva Mendes). This nefarious entrepreneurial plan draws rookie cop Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) into the narrative, who thereafter assumes center stage. Corrupt senior policeman Deluca (Ray Liotta) causes him some trouble, as does Cross' son and Glanton's son in the '15-years-later' segment.

The Place Beyond the Pines is essentially an exploration of the various impacts that criminality causes. The effects on children, families, and even communities are examined through Glanton's robberies. So, not only are the immediate repercussions detailed, but the characters are followed over almost two decades. The result is a pretty interesting psychological and social examination, and some thoughtful questions are posed. Rarely could I predict how events would pan out, a strong positive for a film of this nature. The set-up is not new: Latin cinema has often used a single cataclysmic event to weave several biographies into one film recently. But is the crime in this picture drawing the characters together or away from each other? Does the robbery permanently link the people or do they simply collide momentarily?

The time span is interesting. It’s almost an epic, like the Godfather films, spanning generations- Biblical, the theologians among the audience might think. But I found it too long for cinema. Not that the actual length was taxing, but to be thorough, some elements should have been cut, which would have had scant effect on the plot. Perhaps a book would be a better medium of artistic expression for this tale. Indeed, I assumed that it had been adapted from a novel.

The acting is superb. Ryan Gosling, unsurprisingly, delivers a devastating performance. His presence impacts the film more than anyone else, his memory lingering after his departure from the story. It stands as testament to one of today's finest actors that he can 'star' in a film whilst only physically appearing in the initial act. Some level accusations that he plays the same character in most of his films, that he plays Ryan Gosling (YouTube profile 'Zappafaux': I'm looking at your miserable comment as I type). But giving a series of superb performances, all slightly different and with a genuine emotional contract with the audience, whilst retaining the star appeal of the individual is surely the sign of a consummate Hollywood leading man. This is essentially a continuation of an acting style in the vein of Bogart, Caine, Nicholson or De Niro: the patrons pay to watch them, but Oscar-deserving portrayals prevail. 

Bradley Cooper is very good, proving (along with his recent part in Silver Linings Playbook) that he's more than just a Hangover/ Wedding Crashers actor. Eva Mendes uses her obvious performance acumen to render scenes that are in theory cheesy and unconvincing actually moving and realistic. Ray Liotta is absolutely terrifying: if he had been picked for Joe Pesci’s role in Goodfellas instead of his own it surely would have looked like this. I'd be surprised if he wasn't a genuine nutter in real life. And I think that the film would have been improved by a greater Liotta-to-time ratio.

The Place Beyond the Pines has been deceptively advertised: a Drive style fast-paced crime blockbuster this ain't. The action scenes are pulsating, white-knuckle adventures, but the audience watch an observant and intelligent socio-psychological examination, with an impeccable array of performances, albeit one that leaves them perhaps perplexed.

With all that money, Ryan might finally be able to remove some of those biro-drawn skin besmirchments