FILM: Grimsby
Nutshell
This is a very adult comedy action spy movie rather than a spoof which we have seen before. A chav footie hooligan (Cohen) finds his long lost brother who is the UK’s top secret agent/assassin. After wrecking his latest operation they both go on the run across Africa and South America in an attempt to save the world from destruction by shoving things up their asses, sucking each others bollocks and getting covered in a lot of ejaculate. Very funny and very rude and mega sexy Mark Strong stops Armageddon with a dildo up the chuff so what is there not to like.
Time
A tight jam packed 83 mins; Certificate – 15
Tagline
“MI6 Has a Brand New Tool” or “One Secret Agent, One Complete Idiot”
THE GAY UK FACTOR
Mark Strong the thinking man’s Jason Stathan get’s covered in cum not once but twice and this ain’t gay porn is he trying to tell us something.
Cast
Sascha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Sacha’s wife as always in his movies Isla Fisher, Benidorm’s very own Johnny Vegas, Ian McShane (Lovejoy), Ricky Tomlinson from The Royle Family and Cold Feet’s own John Thomson and many other cameos plus two Oscar nominated actresses in Penelope Cruz and Gabourey Sidibe.
ADVERT
Key Player
Like with Borat, Bruno, Ali G, The Dictator etc this is Sacha’s show period. If you like his humour you are quids in if not then give it a miss. He goes a bit over the top here with a 90 minute Liam Gallagher impersonation which does not really hit the mark but not only acts, he is in charge of the screenplay, his misses is the leading actress and other family members take charge of things like music and so on.
Budget
$35 million likely to gross just over 20 million – oh dear so not a Borat size hit then – trouble is for the International market is it is SO English – Jokes about Manchester United fans for example ?
Best Bit
0.48mins; Whilst escaping from a gang of gun toting thugs the brothers have to find a quick place to hide in the middle of the African bush. We won’t tell you what happens but it is one of those scenes that the whole film will get remembered for like Sharon’s snatch in Basic Instinct, the orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally or ‘I am your father’ from Empire Strikes Back, yes it is that legendary a sequence.
Worst Bit
26 mins; Sascha Baron-Cohen sucks poison from Mark Strong’s bollocks for a very very long time in front of Grimsby Town footie fans.
Little Secret
None of the film was shot in the Lincolnshire fishing port of the title as the film crew never went further north than Essex. All the ‘Benefit Street’ type look that was used for the Grimsby scenes were planted around Grays and other Essex estates massively to the chagrin of the folks of Grimsby who feel as though they have been misrepresented. Cohen did visit Grimsby for research but thought the town that has appeared in such movies as Atonement was not right for this one, or maybe he got scared.
Movie Mistake
So many bearing in mind the above filming location switcheroo. The very opening scene involving the purchase of a mattress supposedly in Grimsby town centre is then wheeled on a trolley passed many signs saying Grays which is in Essex 5 counties away which is one very long walk akin to a Sports Relief charity fundraiser. Then there is the Essex train station and so it goes on.
Awards
Not a chance in hell but wasn’t made for that purpose purely to provide a bunch of belly laughs to the Cohen faithful of the last two decades who won’t be disappointed.
Further viewing
The Dictator, Ali G The Movie, Kinsgman of the secret service, Spy, The Life of Bryan and anything by the South Park lads
Any Good
Definitely if you like Sacha’s output you will laugh out loud repeatedly. If you are not in the right mood you may find the whole thing a course James Bond lite farce with knob jokes and Cohen just doing his usual schtick. His character is pretty unloveable and probably his most hard to like to date but Mark Strong is a great straight man and the supporting cast he has put together is top notch. We are not expecting a sequel but if they did make one we would be there for sure.
RATING
68/100 (68th place out of the last 100 films reviewed with 1 being Gay UK filmatic Heaven and 100 being as much fun as a Matt LeBlanc presenting a British car show outside the Centotaph).
