Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

Fractious family gatherings, especially those marking a holiday or life event, are a staple of Anglophone popular culture. What Ben Wheatley seems to have done in this comedy-drama is to take this situation, although with a larger than average cast, and assume the script for a comedy-drama would just write itself. But a New Year's Eve drinks party just isn't a sufficiently high-concept idea to sustain a satisfactory full-length movie without character arcs, dramatic tension, or a plot, which are sadly deficient here.

It is filmed in an exaggerated docu-soap style, with shaky camerawork, zip pans and sudden focus changes, which many viewers will no doubt find jarring or pretentious. It wasn't this, however, that I had a problem with, so much as the structure. With such a bewildering number of characters, little attempt to provide any back-story for them before the party, and no real central protagonist, it is difficult to care much about any of the people in this movie, and the dramatic potential of the set-up is largely squandered. For me, the only truly dramatic or intense moment was Colin's rant at his serial-adulterer, family-abandoning brother David, who has arrived with his German girlfriend, about a third of the way in.

I did not feel that the dialogue was particularly witty or incisive either - the only line that stuck in my mind was when Colin was setting up the sound system and says "we have to have a disco, because if they don't dance, they fight."

The themes of indebtedness and financial embarrassment are touched on and there's even a very perfunctory conversation between two characters about Brexit and party politics, but it doesn't go anywhere with these ideas, and in the subsequent Q&A I found the director's claim that he was making, as he put it, "a film about the 'now'", to be somewhat hollow.

The country house is a nice location visually, it has a consistent visual style and a strong cast, but I don't think I can give it more than 5/10.

I had high hopes for this film as I loved 'Kill List' and 'Sightseers' but unfortunately it just came across as an artier version of Eastenders filmed on wobblycam. The premise was interesting but it didn't go anywhere and soon descended into pointless bickering characters which is the mainstay of lowbrow soaps. Sure, that's what happens when families get together, but it would have been good if we were amused or surprised at some point. Perhaps Julia Davis should have written the script for it. As it is, it stands as a failed improv experiment. I hope Ben Wheatley's next effort will be better.

I'm a bit marmite on Ben Wheatley at the minute. I loved Kill List and Sightseers, thought a Field in England was utterly dull, as was High Rise. His last film Free Fire I hated - I know it was a parody on shoot em ups but didn't work for me. But there's no doubt the guy's talent. I enjoyed this latest made for TV drama was well made and observed with great acting - but I was hoping to find something I really cared about. It seems to be a British take on the brilliant Danish dogma film Festen - but not in the same league. Still, it was an enjoyable if unremarkable New Year's Eve watch with an excellent ensemble cast. 6 out of ten

I thought it was a terrific film, with very natural feeling acting. The chemistry clicked perfectly between this ensemblée. I caught it on the BBC at Christmas and loved every minute. Well worth a watch.

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead shows that family gatherings can be extremely awkward and in the cynical hands of Ben Wheatley that is taken to its bleakest point. Everyone is depressed, sad and has a grudge to bear and watching it all come to the surface in furious fashion is the kind of cringe heavy experience that's impossible to look away from.

This is a cast of surprising star power considering the low budget feel and whilst everyone is on point, its the two brothers who really stand out. Neil Maskell's instant deflated energy and his multiple dramatic outbursts make Colin desensitised in a very human way and Sam Riley makes even the most seemingly heartwarming moment feel cold and calculated.

Ben Wheatley plays squarely to his low budget strengths, choosing the best way to shoot everything with deliberately disorientating cinematography from Laurie Rose that makes every argument even more chaotic. Clint Mansell takes a really bold swing with his score, going for the exact opposite of what this genre usually sounds like by making something that's unexpectedly mediaeval.