Film, Comedy, Rob Carnevale

Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger!

A shambolic, festive family offering that grates from start to finish, starring David Tennant

Festive cheer will be in short supply for anyone who endures Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger!, a shambolic family offering that grates from start to finish. Written and directed, like the original, by Debbie Isitt, the film sees David Tennant…

21 and Over

A lazy and conformist comedy that attempts (and fails) to ape The Hangover's success

Having hit the jackpot with their script for The Hangover, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore attempt to repeat their success with 21 and Over. Sadly, the duo’s directorial debut proves to be a gamble that doesn’t pay off. The night before his big medical…

Playing For Keeps

A rigidly formulaic and shamelessly sentimental romcom starring Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler has fared pretty badly when it comes to tackling romantic comedies (if you dare recall The Ugly Truth and PS I Love You) and his latest film doesn’t improve on his record. A predictable tale of redemption, Playing for Keeps is a…

Warm Bodies

Hollywood's stab at the zom-rom-com starts off well, but slides into Twilight-style storytelling

Having already deprived vampires of any real bite and declawed werewolves into the bargain, Hollywood now turns its attention to zombies and attempts to tap into their sensitive side with zom-rom-com Warm Bodies. The result, while not quite dead on…

Celeste and Jesse Forever

Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg star in an intriguing take on the well-worn romcom genre

A couple of years ago Hollywood posed the question of whether a man and a woman could be friends without the question of sex rearing its head (No Strings Attached, Friends With Benefits). In Celeste and Jesse Forever, writers Rashida Jones and Will…

Robot & Frank

Gentle comedy about a retired burglar and his robotic friend

Jake Schreier's feature debut Robot & Frank successfully engages the head and the heart to emerge as one of the most charming independent films of the year. It's an enjoyable crime caper, an affecting meditation on old age as well as an amusing buddy…

The Three Stooges

The Farrelly Brothers' homage to the original threesome is dim-witted and lame

Reviving The Three Stooges for modern audiences has long been a labour of love for the Farrelly brothers but, sadly, the film that results is the type of dim-witted comedy that makes their own Dumb & Dumber look sophisticated. Chris Diamantopoulos…

Ted

Seth MacFarlane's filthy feature debut is one of the comedies of the year

Anyone familiar with TV comedy Family Guy will know that Seth MacFarlane, the show’s creator, specialises in both hilarity and vulgarity. His first big screen outing Ted offers more of the same and is one of the comedies of the year. Mark Wahlberg…

21 Jump Street

Deceptively smart big screen revival of the once popular TV show, with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill

(15)109min Taken at face value, 21 Jump Street is another mis-matched buddy cop outing that mixes elements from the original television series, Superbad coming-of-age values and the gung-ho rhetoric of Michael Bay's action movies. But there's a…

This Means War

Unsuccessful mash-up of the rom-com and spy action genres

(12A) 97min McG attempts to satisfy both sexes in This Means War – a testosterone-driven action meets girl-pleasing rom-com, that ends up not being good in either genre, despite featuring two of the hottest young actors around (Tom Hardy and Chris…

Zookeeper

Kevin James stars in woefully bad family rom-com

(PG) 101min Part rom-com, part Doctor Dolittle style family comedy, Zookeeper, starring lardarse comic actor Kevin James (The Dilemma, Grown Ups), is a wholly unsatisfactory experience for all but the most juvenile minds. The latest offering from…

Wild Target

(12A) 90min Hitman farce Wild Target consistently shoots wide of the mark in spite of some promising ingredients. A remake of 1994 French film, it’s directed by Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards) and boasts a strong cast…

The Hangover

COMEDY It’s worth toasting The Hangover as one of the Hollywood comedies of the year. Todd Phillips’ film is a buddy movie that really delivers with its riotous cocktail of memorable characters, outrageous situations and explicit humour. Two days…