Funny Cow (2018)

People are voting emotionally.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

A comedian uses her troubled past as material for her stand-up routine, trying to rise up through the comedy circuit by playing Northern England's working men's clubs. Funny Cow should be renamed to 'Unfunny Cow' cause this movie was literally a gigantic and colossal mess to say the least plus it just wasn't that good to say the least since i found it to be quite the horrible mess that i was expecting it to be and the nudity wasn't that much needed to be perfectly honest as well since it was kinda gross to say the least. Overall a perfect skip from me. (0/10)

Hugely entertaining while I watched it but I think it helps if you experienced the back-to-back streets and working men's clubs in the '70s, as I did when I was living in Leeds. I was however able to pick plenty of holes in it after the credits rolled. We weren't told what the abusive father and husband did for a living (perhaps they signed on at the job centre?), the larking about in the pub with her husband seemed a bit unlikely, her confessional sequences in the spotlight were a clumsy device, there was no follow-up to the old comic committing suicide in the toilets, we had to assume that she did so well in the clubs that she was able to buy a flashy car and a country house, the mother episodes were a bit superfluous and it did start to drag towards the end. But the performances were excellent: Maxine Peake deserves a BAFTA and the little girl who played her as a child was also terrific. Also every detail from hairstyles to dress to wallpaper was spot on. The talent show auditions were hilarious and worth the price of admission alone. Don't be too hard on it, it's a thoroughly British film with an Original Screenplay and I think it's an utter disgrace that only three cinemas in London are showing it.

Complex, funny, deeply upsetting. Unflinching depictions of misogyny, domestic violence, suicide as well as racist humour. I don't understand the comments elsewhere about two dimensional characters and the grim oop north stereotype. The mother/daughter relationship was complicated and beautiful. The protagonist compelling. The period detail was really evocative and oppressive. I also loved the various cameos and Hawley's music. I never thought I'd say I understand why the racism is there but I did. I certainly wasn't fine with the use of some really offensive words and lazy stereotypes by such a likeable protagonist (my friends and I squirmed throughout!) but having her not use those words and notions would be whitewashing over how these spaces were and how pervasive right wing attitudes were (and still are) and that I thought was really brave. Well worth watching. Peake's performance was brilliant.

Having just returned from a screening I have to say this was a bit disappointing. The movie is being billed as a comedy however there is very little comedy to be found. The blurb gives the impression this is a comedy about an up and coming female comedian, however its more than halfway through the movie before she arrives on stage. There is only one scene when she is on stage and it only lasts a few mins. This is not a movie which has much to say about the world of stand up comedy. Its more of a biography which jumps back and forward over time which can be confusing. This is more one of those kitchen sink type dramas where almost every male in the film is a useless woman beater. Its a bit like Blonde Fist without the boxing. There are a number of recurring people throughout the film however there is no depth to them, her father is physically abusive, her mother an eventual alcoholic but there is no detail as to how these people seem to have ended up this way. They just "are" and that is all there is to it. She also has a brother who is played by the same actor as her father which was odd, there seems to be an issue with the relationship with her brother but again this isn't explored. Its just a confusing movie to watch as alot of the scenes seem to bet set up as comedic but the punchlines failed to land. Very people laughed during the movie with a full house. As far the main protagonist goes she isn't a likeable person either, she like the rest of the cast seem fairly one dimensional, which is a shame as the cast is excellent for a small budget film. Its a difficult movie to watch and an even more difficult one to enjoy. Its emotionally draining and has no pay off. Enough said.