The Parole Officer (2001)

You won't be disappointed!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

This a very enjoyable film and is a great family film as well only if the kids are older than 12. I first watched it on video finding it at a car boot sale. I was defiantly glad i got it because i couldn't stop laughing through out the whole of the film. Since i have had it i have watched it about 8 times and still laugh each time. It has a great cast in it as well, such as Ben Miller, Om Purin, Lena Headey and many more. They all put in great performances that keep the audience laughing thanks to Steve Coogan who wrote the film himself. This a brilliant British comedy and will keep you laughing through out the whole of the film.

This is a John Duigan movie, one of my favourite directors. I love the way he wraps an entertaining movie around an art film. Every time I re-watch one of his films I find more of the symbolism of the art film inside. I've only seen this one once so far -on Showcase in Canada-, so I'm holding any vote till later, if I can get it on DVD. Apparently it hasn't been released in North America yet.What strikes me most so far are parallels with The Pink Panther. I love those films too, but hated Clouseau/Sellers. I have a feeling it will be the same here. Some people have pointed out that Sharif's cameo was pointless. But Sharif/Victor=Niven/Phantom complete with complicit wife and had to be in there somewhere. Duigan used the tale "Baba Yaga and the little girl" in Lawn Dogs, but Victor represented a different Baba Yaga reference similar to Bartok the Magnificent.It takes a while to get into Duigan movies, but it is well worth the effort. I'm even willing to put the effort into Paranoid. I'll edit and expand on this next time I watch it which I plan to do many times.

Best surprise I've had in a long time: funny, sweet, and just well, good. It's not crude, or rude ('cept for a couple of obligatory phallic jokes and a couple of swear words) : it could be Rowan Atkinson in the title role. Here Steve Coogan, for my money, leaves behind the skewering satire and parody that made him a household name and a cult figure on UK television, and by half way through the film develops a character that you root for 100%Nice storyline, a fun caper, and mixed bag of personalities make this a much better mix than expectations might lead you to believe. I love Ealing Comedies, and good British comedies like Brassed Off, and thought the recent US remake of the Ladykillers was just about everything you don't want a crime comedy movie to be... ... the thing about the Parole Officer is that it is simply enjoyable; it has great pace, some tension and thrills, good laughs, with enough silliness, and ideas to keep it afloat; but it also has a sweet heart and a decency at its center. We thoroughly enjoyed it: especially the last hour: once Coogan stops trying to prove he can develop figures only to poke fun about - he becomes a really likable character - and that's no bad thing. It's fun - pure and simple - which is a quality sadly lacking in films these days. Definitely worth viewing.

***SPOILERS ALERT*****A gang of likable crooks led by a socially inept amateur plan a bank robbery with the aid of a series of low tech gadgets, ending with a feel good musical interlude. Expat director John Duigan pays homage to that excellent little Aussie movie "MALCOLM" here and if you enjoyed "THE PAROLE OFFICER" I'd suggest you make the effort to track down this 1986 heist comedy. Most people's opinions of "THE PAROLE OFFICER" seem to stem from the expectations they bring into it. I watched it with low expectations after reading a few bad reviews but ended up being pleasantly surprised, but if you're a fan of Steve Coogan's edgier work in "Knowing me, knowing you' and "24 hour party people" you'll probably be disappointed in this effort to make a conventional, feel good comedy. It's not a classic. The mix of comedic styles don't really sit together all that well, and even for the low standard that you apply to the plot of a gag movie the holes in the story tend to grate on you. (Why didn't they just kill him, why not erase the tape, why does gorgeous Lena Headey have a crush on the gormless Coogan.)But the things that work about this film outweigh the flaws. The gang of crooks is very likable, especially Om Puri as the philosophical serial bigamist and Emma Williams as a spunky joy rider who just wants to belong. The locations are unusual and nicely shot. Steve Coogan basically plays his Alan Partridge role again, the earnest but out of his depth social ingenue with a stream of consciousness patter. If you've been fantasising over Jenny Agutter ever since "Walkabout" and "Logan's Run" you'll see that she's aged rather nicely, and there's a surreal walk on part from Omar Sharif that completely comes out of left field. So if you've got a friend who's been banging on about how funny this is beware, you may be disappointed. But if you've read the reviews and are thinking about giving it a miss, try it. It's not a waste of time.