Dangerous Parking Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Self-indulgent Disappointment

This film is a mish-mash: stylistically mosaic and chronologically time-warping as we leap about from present to past to present like a manic frog. The main character is a loud, selfish, self-pitying, arrogant, alcoholic, minor league film director who is not particularly likeable. Unrealistically he ends up with a good looking and presumably intelligent celloist as his partner in life. He eventually makes her pregnant, revealing subtly that he is not one of the 80-95% of alcoholics who are impotent. During the course of this film he has repeated digs at AA, an organization not to everyone's taste but who nevertheless have stood the test of time, having been around for nearly 60 years. Knocking a help group like that can be construed as perverse snobbery, but usually means fear and ignorance on the part of the critic. There is also a rehab in the film, which is so unrealistic (including its staff) that I can only assume it exists on a different planet. At the end of the day the rather obnoxious lead stays on the wagon with only the ocassional slip, gets cancer and - . No, I won't spoil it for you. Interesting to note that Peter Howitt who takes the lead also wrote, produced and directed the film (but didn't write the book it is based on). When I see that much involvement in a film I usually think 'ego' with a lame end result, and the films I've seen in the past of that nature have been very lame indeed. However, this one is a cut above them, and if you can put up with the main man and not take it all too seriously, it just about passes as entertainment. I would give it two but three is proof of how kind I can be. Looking on the bright side is a prerequisite when working with alcoholics and other addicts - and when watching a film like this.

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[Highly rated reviewer]

Uncompromising but tawdry and un-involving drama

If ever a film was as infuriating , repellent , intriguing , and plain all over the shop as it’s main character it’s Dangerous Parking . We first meet auteur like film director Noah Arkwright(Peter Howitt) as he flees an AA meeting after loudly (Noah tends to do everything loudly it transpires) declaiming everyone else attending as “s**t”. Since this group includes his best mate Ray (Sean Pertwee) and the new acquaintance Kirstin( Rachel Stirling) who is having a positive effect on his life this neatly surmises just how selfish., coarse and tediously self absorbed Noah really is. What it most begs however is how are the audience supposed to invest knocking on 2 hours of their life’s in this prize t**t?

Noah is one of those people who indulges in every vice going - drink , drugs , sex - and in mind boggling quantities but like most of these characters isn’t that interesting and indeed is more an irritating pain in the arse than anything. After he meets the delightfully positive Kirstin Noah starts to turn his life around but then fate snatches her from him .However redemption arrives again in the form of gorgeous cellist Claire (Saffron Burrows) who he marries and has children with . Then he is diagnosed with cancer.

Adapted from the semi-autobiographical novel by Stuart Browne the narrative of the story jumps around like a tick on tiny trampoline. Allied to this director Howitt utilises lots of cinematic jiggery pokery to keep the audience on their toes. A sardonic voice over, animated sequences , technical effects are amalgamated to the energetic performances to bombard the senses .Its like being in Arkwright’s head for the period and this is not a pleasant experience.

Consequently I felt alienated from the main character rather than empathising with him. Some may view his reaction to his illness as brave and sparky but to me it’s like the artifice that was his life removed him slightly from the reality of his situation and the more his rambling aggrandisement went on the less sympathy I felt. In fact the person I most sympathised with was his wife who I could not believe would put up with a monumental pr**k like him.

Dangerous Parking is in some respects a commendable film. The performances are terrific and Peter Howitt is colossal as the unlikable Noah -possibly too much so - as his noxious personality is truly over whelming .Its occasionally funny and its uncompromising and vigorous creativity is to be applauded. However this is paradoxically also it’s greatest failing . After an hour it’s flailing narrative and in your face energy has gone from absorbing to exhausting. And given that the lead character describes himself ( self awareness is his one virtue) as a “w**ker” and “ar**hole” it’s hardly likely the audience will disagree and fall in love with him like the beautiful Claire. That only happens in the movies , even ones as fractured and loud as this.