The Trouble with Jessica

The trouble with "The Trouble With Jessica", despite it being a neatly cast dark Brit dramedy, is co-writers Matt Winn (who also directed) & James Handel's inconsistent tone that lapses in style from serious wordy play (albeit one with the characters taking ridiculously implausible actions) to bursts of "A Weekend At Bernies" crass slapstick. Middle-class Londoners Alan Tudyk & Shirley Henderson host friends Rufus Sewell & Olivia Williams for dinner, which free-spirited pal Indira Varma effectively crashes... sparking the evening to wildly spiral. Sewell & Henderson particularly are great, but their film does not know what it is to be... and THAT is the trouble.

For a film that is more in line with a stage play 'Jessica' manages to keep the action reasonably fast. Having said that, as its rather claustrophobic setting and premise gets deeper into its darker territory it can be felt to drag somewhat - think 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf'. While Virginia had the good sense to keep its heavy dialogue in a measured place 'Jessica' goes all out to be trendy and only wants to appeal to the modern cocktail generation, those who feel it's 'smart' to change the meaning of words in an effort to appear hip. Those who have tailored themselves to fit into these circles won't even notice the wall-to-wall swear fest.

Production values are polished enough, and performances are convincing, but the endless efforts to outswear each other may just leave some of the audience wanting to part with their company. Overall it's a revisitation of several Hitchcock themes involving what to do with the body of a guest who 'departs' during a dinner party involving a small group of old friends. Now sit back and watch the uncomfortable truths that leach out of each other's (secret) toxic personas and pasts.

Strictly for those that can take this type of approach.

A dinner party from hell or what? We quickly learn that hosts "Sarah" (Shirley Henderson) and husband "Tom" (Alan Tudyk) are having to sell their luxury home else face repossession. For some reason that seemed like a good reason to invite long-term friends "Richard" (Rufus Sewell) and wife "Beth" (Olivia Williams) round for food. It's the latter who throws a real spanner in the works by inviting the eponymous "Jessica" (Indira Varma). Let's just say that the hostess and this guest get on like a house that's already burnt down, and as the vino flows (tiny measures in huge great glasses) things come to an head that leaves the four with quite an headache. What now ensues might well have worked on stage, indeed the entire film has a theatrical style to it, but I found it all just a bit to hysteria-prone, contrived and over-dramatic. None of the actors are on especially good form, especially the lacklustre Tudyk and the script seems more determined to make sure each character gets their moment in the spotlight rather than designed to offer us something to laugh - or even smile at. On that front, there are the odd lines to make you titter, but just not enough of them to pass this feature-length more miss than hit sit-com. It will pass ninety minutes easily enough at Christmas on the telly, but nothing much more than that, sorry.

Put wealthy, middle aged friends with a past, plus a current financial problem, in a dinner party in Hampstead one evening and bring an unexpected guest who causes havoc. This film is funny, keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what happens next and the performances from seven of the key cast are wonderful - including Shirley Henderson, Rufus Sewell. Olivia Williams, Alan Tudyk (though he looks a bit orange throughout), Indira Varma, Anne Reid and Groth, the house buyer. The two policemen are fun too in almost Dogberry and Verges roles.

However, it feels a little like it should be (or was originally) a play. The action happens almost entirely in one (very large) kitchen and the ground floor of a house filled with fabulous art.

There is quite a lot of swearing but to me it seemed appropriate to our protagonists, given who they are and the situation they find themselves in. No spoilers!

This was a really fun evening's viewing - interesting predicament, some farce, some irony, lots of laughs, some soul searching and great perfomances - and I make a great clafoutis too!

Of course they would never have got away with it - DNA all over everything and wrong ligature - but I don't really care. Suspend disbelief and enjoy.

I am not sure this works as well or funny as I intended this to be or it sounded in my head. That said, I am going to stick with it and tell anyone who wants to hear it: no pun intended. When I started watching this, I did think this was another remake of the perfect dinner (or whatever the movie is called - quite a few countries have remade the premise) ... but it turns out that this is a different beast.

Still a lot of people sitting around the table and talking ... but the inciting incident is quite ... well it won't let you just hang in there, that is for sure (sorry, but I had to) ... this will either get you! The tension, the script and the actors ... all together are able to do a great movie. Yes some character decisions are weak ... but hey a bit of suspension of disbelief never hurt nobody (yes I know what I did - I can has some fun too from time to time - yes?) ... this was way better than I thought, especially because of some of the twists ... and the script/acting, well you know the drill (sort of)