Directors: Darwood Grace, Femi Oyeniran,
Starring: Femi Oyeniran, Red Madrell, Roxy Sternberg, Jazzie Zonzolo, Charley Palmer Merkell, Miles McDonald, Jack Doolan, Rozanne Pallett,
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Extras: Making Of, Deleted Scenes,
A film that proudly exclaims “Featuring The Stars Of ANUVAHOOD, ADULTHOOD, & KIDULTHOOD” didn’t fill me with confidence. Those films have a very specific audience which I am certainly not a part of, but IT’S A LOT is a much lighter and broader comedy than those efforts, and can actually be laugh out loud hysterical at points. At the same time though, it lacks a certain amount of polish that could have made the film more consistent.
Centring on Shawn (Oyeniran), a young man who has dropped out of a prestigious secondary school to attend a “normal” college. He finds himself trying to integrate himself with the likes of his streetwise cousin, Kai (Zonzolo).After attempting to impress a popular girl by borrowing his dad’s car, Shawn smashes it up and must raise £19,000 to get it fixed. To do this he and his mates start a fake charity to get the money, while also juggling an impromptu house party, run ins with drug dealers, and the usual teenage worries of sex and partying.
On the surface the film takes a lot of previous topics covered in teen films, and attempts to add a London edge. Although this is sometimes successful, the comedy itself is very inconsistent. Some of it relies on absurd characters, other times it goes for a more surreal approach, and also gives the odd nod towards observational humour challenging youth culture. There are even elements of parody at times, such as the hot, bitchy girl being introduced, only to then show her doin a number two. However, it’s all very hit and miss, with the hits being uproarious and the misses being embarrassing. One moment the use of generic musical tunes such as a typical western theme and a riff on PSYCHO’s famous core are painstakingly obvious and juvenile, the next we get one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in years as a pair of police officers named Anthony and Declan decide to humiliate a bunch of partygoers.
The unevenness extends to the tone of the film as well, with a sudden and very serious leukaemia subplot thrown in for the third act. This, along with broadly drawn characters with little complexity, means it’s a very bumpy ride, but one that is thankfully never dull.
I liked it a lot more than I expected to, and it has certainly made me readjust my views on a lot of the talent involved. Whenever my preconceptions are proven wrong, I’m immediately impressed. The key here, is that Grace and Oyeniran may wish to focus on the comedy that works and the issues they wish to discuss, rather than trying to do everything, both story and production wise, in a single film. Themes of social class, family, and honesty are all summed up in short lines of dialogue and characters turn themselves around far too quickly. With so much going on, there are bound to be moments for all audiences to enjoy, but with little breathing space, the likable actors find themselves suffocated by the nonstop onslaught of ever rising conflicts.
[usr=2]IT’S A LOT is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 17th February.
