Festival Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Festival

Rubbish? No. Terrible? No. Godawful? Not strong enough. I am in an odd position, I'm almost at a loss for the words to encompass just how jaw-slackeningly astoundingly dreadful Festival really is. The film follows, at a conservative estimate, 704 characters (comedians, journalists acotrs etc) through one Edinburgh festival. You'd think this would be fun, a film about the run up to a comedy award, written and directed by the creator of acclaimed Channel 4 comedy The Book Group. That, at least, is the trap I fell in. Festival is allegedly a comedy so here's the big problem: Schindlers List had more laughs. The stand up routines we have to endure as judges watch in order to put together an award shortlist are so shoddy and out of date they'd struggle to pass muster at a local pub's new talent night in 1990. To listen to the drivel these horribly unfunny characters spout and then hear them acclaimed as great comics is laughable (and NOT in the way Annie Griffin wants it to be). The other productions we watch are just as terrible, the absolute nadir being a shockingly pretentious and banal show by three American actors who are shockingly pretentious and banal every time they are on screen and, like everyone else in the film, you'll want to kill after five seconds in their company. Really, I understand that Griffin is saying 'look at what rubbish gets celebrated here' but GOD would it have hurt to have ONE watchable act in the whole sodding thing? It's a shame Festival is so unremittimgly horrid in every way because at least one person in it deserves better. Daniella Nardini is a fine actress (though you'd never spot it from this) she was terrific in This Life and really needs to pick better films. Annie Griffin Directs, if possible, with less flair and ability than she writes. It's an ugly film and feels for all the world like it's been put together by some destined-to-fail film students as a dare. So; avoid Festival, by any and all means possible. It really is THAT bad.

Dissapointed

Rubbish Film. Love the Edinburgh Festival and The Book Club so had high hopes....very let down.