Three and Out

to say that this film is great is an understatement it is brilliant. never have i seen such a mix of comedy/ drama/ romance that goes together so fantastically.

the cast are excellent with Colm Meaney giving an award winning performance , newcomer Gemma Arterton is fresh & very capable. if there was a vehicle for Mackenzie Crook then this should be it. the audience is able to feel Paul's anxiety and his need for pastures new.

it is extremely difficult to think of a film that has ever done such a good job at tackling what is a controversial subject. it's main plus is that the train driving is only ever a small part of the film and the majority of the running time is showing the journey Paul & Tommy go on and in the process we learn why Tommy is who he has become.

What a great British movie, I'm so surprised and disappointed that 2 people's low score have given this an average of a poultry 5.3!! This film is a 7 average (or more) if ever I saw one. I don't often comment on IMDb but this left me feeling like I had too. The film is enjoyable, insightful, full off feeling and comedy and would be enjoyed by anyone from the UK. I'm pleased to see Mackenzie Crook choosing to star in such well produced independent movies and would recommend this to anyone. Please give this a chance and comment back to raise this poor average score to something more in line with what the film deserves. An excellent film with a great cast and original storyline, well done!

After so many years of waiting for a worthy British comedy since Bridget Jones' Diary, this fine piece of work came as a breath of fresh air. After watching it half way i thought they could have done better but at the end of the movie everything made sense. Well its a British movie and it is very British, it outlines dilemmas that are faced by day to day men as we all try to work smart and not hard(with less in return). It seems there has been a lot of controversy as most(tube trade union) believe that the movie is insensitive towards tube workers. One wonders, but when did the British lose their sense of humour? this a comedy! I just believe it was an opportunity for some to get onto our screens. Everyone who has been to London knows that the tube is never reliable, but thats another subject. When titanic hit the screens no one went to protest but I am sure far more people have perished in the seas. The first good movie in a decade comes out and all these sharks are coming at it in full swing, please lets give this movie some credit it deserves.

'Three and Out', a film largely based around a character wanting to kill himself, is in all its irony, genuinely heartfelt, compelling and utterly hilarious as both a dark comedy and a solid character drama. There is no denying that this is not going to be for everyone, as the entire experience could be just as depressing to some as it could be amusing to others, but that's what makes it so interesting and refreshing. Furthermore, despite the film's grim premise I was pleasantly surprised that much of it is done in a tactful and tasteful manner, taking time to develop plot and character substantially enough to transform the otherwise quirky gimmick into a solid piece of character drama that never lets down. Sure enough this is by no means a perfect picture yet it certainly deserves a lot more praise than it has so far garnered; especially considering the ballsy themes and jet black tone which it adopts straight from the opening scenes.

What makes the film as effective as it is lies heavily on its script which takes time to develop fully realised, empathetic and highly likable characters, complete with three dimensions and who are consistently engaging. There are nevertheless moments when the writing does resort to certain stereotypes, but such instances are only ever used with good intentions and subtle shades, never truly distracting from the experience. The writers use their characters to successfully justify and back up the drama spliced throughout the piece, which when attempted with less well rounded characters would feel tacked on and cheap. 'Three and Out' more often than not gets it spot on however, with only a couple moments here and there which take things a little too far into overdone melodrama.

The best thing about having such characters though is that they too can pull off comedy when called upon, delivering many instances of tastefully done dark wit, derived mostly from the characters themselves. It's a hard thing to do no doubt, and although the balance of comedy and drama can shift rather drastically, for the most part they are blended together with great care, resulting in mostly flowing transitions between the two. As mentioned, the comedy itself is extremely dark, specifically when involving the subject of suicide. Yet thanks to the very careful, precise direction from newcomer Jonathan Gershfield, such usages are both emotively effective in the ways which you would expect from the themes, but they also manage to retain a sense of light-heartedness which can be rather disorientating from an everyday perspective, yet this is largely where dark humour draws its absurdities from, and it works brilliantly here.

The story is a bit of a double edged sword in that while certain elements are extremely interesting and move along with easily sustainable momentum, there are drops every now and again which don't work quite as well and drag the pace of the film to a much more disengaging level. Although things never quite get too slow, for too long, these small imperfections become rather irritating in context of the otherwise high-quality writing. Nevertheless the majority of the plot is wonderfully low-key, occupying just a weekend but taking you on a journey full of hilarious situations, compelling characters and homely locations (at least if you reside in the UK). It's a journey that becomes far more than its simple plot however and seems endless thanks to the people who occupy it. Perhaps most enjoyable of all though is that it always feels familiar and genuine, with very little fabrication or contrivance to be found.

Performances from the cast are terrific and are certainly one of, if not the greatest highlight of the feature with both Crook and Meaney conveying the tone of the film created through their characters perfectly, never coming off as over or underdone. I was a big fan of Crook's work in The Office, and was pleasantly surprised to find him playing a role similar but also distinctly different. He's incredibly emotive when he needs to be and brings a real down-to-earth- flavour to his character that really helps solidify the mature, intelligent focus of the feature, filling the lead role competently. Meaney who I have grown far more used to seeing in a Starfleet uniform and being neglected to repeating such lines as 'Yes, of course captain' is much better used here, given plenty of room to show his superb acting capabilities. He nails the big-hearted but flawed Tommy Cassidy brilliantly, bringing charm and charisma to the duo. Both share brilliant interactions and the chemistry is high enough to meet the demands for both the comedy and drama. The supporting cast hold their own but never have much screen time enough to really show much worth mentioning, although Staunton does share some rather touching scenes with Meaney that really brings out the best of her abilities, along with Meaney's softer side.

In the end I found 'Three and Out' to be a highly moving, compelling and original piece of comedic drama. There are low points here and there but thankfully they never distract or take too much away from the entire experience which is for the most part, well developed and realistically entertaining. With terrific performances, down to earth characterisation that constantly feels familiar, and an entertaining, refreshingly dark plot, the film is certainly not without its highlights. If ever there was a misunderstood film of this year, this would probably share the top spot with 'The Good Night'. Regardless, 'Three and Out' is well worth your attention if you like your comedy black and your drama relevant; a solid piece of British film-making.

Although the producers have classed it as a comedy, I don't really find it can fit under just one genre. It wasn't a comedy of the sort like "American pie", "School of Rock" or "The Simpsons film" (just to name some really famous ones) in which you get regular jokes, set characters to make you laugh e.g. homer or jack black in that case, where you expect to say or do stupid/funny things, it was more of a literal 'film', perhaps like "Bridget Jone's diary", only whereas the same comedy style mentioned above, featuring some elements of comedy and its few moments, but not an actual pure comedy like the 3 examples I gave earlier.

I would actually call it more one of those films like "there will be blood" or "thirteen" that really just make you think or reflect, films that would be good to watch if you are interested in sociology. I must admit I find it hugely ironic that out of the many many films I've seen in my time that this, a classed "comedy" that is the only film other than "ghost" (I was very very young) that has ever managed to actually make me cry. The ending left me feeling very upset, as were literally almost the rest of the audience as they walked out the screen, you grow an attachment to the characters.

I was sceptical about seeing the film at first as the issue of the proposed comedy was suicide, but I think the directors didn't handle it controversially or distastefully overall. I also enjoyed how the film made me think about how everyone literally has such a past and a story to tell.

Overall I think the film was worth seeing, and would recommend it if you want something abit stronger or harder then the average film. Prehaps the producers were also unsure of how to really class this film into a genre.