The Actors Details

Following huge acclaim for his dramatic work in The Quiet American, Michael Caine here takes on the kind of superficial comedic role he could play in his sleep. In this weak thespian farce — based on an idea by Neil Jordan — Caine plays a veteran stage performer tackling the part of Richard III in an amateurish Irish production. Comedian Dylan Moran (from Channel 4 sitcom Black Books) is the protégé Caine persuades to take on a fake identity in order to con a local gangster. Naturally there are hitches and Moran must adopt two further personas to save their bacon. Although Moran's character transformations are pulled off with reasonable credibility (aided by great make-up), writer/director Conor McPherson undermines these deceptions with inane plotting and one-dimensional characters. Caine, in particular, is never as animated nor amusing as he should be — even in drag.

As the lead in a dismal touring production of Richard III, Caine lets us in on a few home truths about actors (they're... read more on Time Out