Cherps

'Cherps' or the black Alfie as it should have been titled.

It's a harmless enough film which really does little to really explore any of the conditions of the characters or society which it inhabits. There are some good sequences and the main performance is solid enough with the affable charm and direct to camera narration allowing for the thoughts and motivations to be conveyed.

The film really struggles on the back of its message though, because it has so little to say, it glorifies a lifestyle it ends up damning. Yet fails to explore the history that has led to the ineffectual lifestyle that the main character lives.

Oh and the central character reminds me of my friend Lennox Leach! If you met him you'd understand.

For all the glitz and glamour of London this depiction of a downtrodden out of luck woman loving guy highlights the tough decisions that have to be made under strenuous living and social conditions. The film uses locations and a language of that often found in the minority areas of the capital and therefore realism plays a large part in getting its message across, however the director has moments of style over substance which also helps to create a sense of feeling on our part for and with the protagonist. Overall the pace of the film is a little slow to be a truly comfortable piece of cinema and is spread out to make it feature length, but is still an independent film that strikes a cord with anyone that has lived and experienced urban London Town.

Felix Dexter plays multiple roles in this film but his best one is Jonah the landlord / hairdresser constantly talking about his 'Blasted wife !', and anything else that's irks or annoys him is also 'Blasted this or Blasted that' the scene where he cuts Martin Offiah's (The former Rugby League Professional) hair is absolutely hilarious. My girlfriend at the time I saw and recorded this film one late night on the BBC was Jamaican and said all the portrails of the characters were spot - on !, the line that made her laugh the most was when Jonah's character says "I'm not black...I am a dignified Nigerian !!"

Cherps is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "verb. (slang) behave playfully in a sexually enticing manner". The word could also be defined with a picture of Reggie, who has a son with baby mother Sandra but yet for the last four years with her he has done nothing but mess around with anything that he can get his hands on. Time is taking its toll though and he is finding that, despite all the sex, he is not actually happy – not even slightly. Sandra looking for more commitment is only one pressure on him as he tries to get to grips with what life is supposed to mean for him.

The style of this film will have many viewers recalling other films and filmmakers; Spike Lee, Annie Hall, High Fidelity and others all came to mind as I watched the manner of delivery and the material. For the most part the film is a convincing comedy of modern relationships led by Reggie, walking us through the good of his life before having a bit of a crisis as a result of the same. At times it is very good and produces realistic situations and characters. Other times it is equally engaging by having an element of fantasy about it. Problem is that the total delivery doesn't build on these strengths and has too many moments or touches that are basic, off-target or just plain lazy.

It is rarely that funny but it is amusing here and there. If anything it wasn't really the comedy of the piece that I had issues with but rather the way that the more serious character stuff is rolled into it. Too often it clunks across the screen and is not as sharp or as convincing as I would have liked. It doesn't help that it takes easy narrative routes at times as well, which also results in its losing its quite natural and engaging approach. Dyer works pretty well when he is given the material to do it with, but he cannot totally get to the heart of his character to cover for it when he doesn't. Bridgeman is a good foil to him and although there is an element of romance in her performance, mostly she is the practical woman that her situation would produce in her. In some circles I'm sure Dexter was a sly bit of casting that meant a "name" was supporting the project, however for me he was a terrible addition to the cast and did nothing. He cannot act and his various performances were poor; his Nigerian impression was terrible, his turn as Reggie's dad is weak and his use as a narrative device is pointless and slightly embarrassing. I hate to pick on one man but he is a major failing within the film.

Overall then an OK comedy that has its roots in better films. At times it is amusing and natural but the telling and development of characters and story are not as strong nor as sharp as it needed to be in order to carry off what it is aiming for.