Dead Cool (2005)

There is no doubt about it, the British have a different viewpoint of comedy then we do here over on this side of the pond. Typically the British take their humor to extremes. It is dry, subtle and understated or can go to the opposite end of the humor spectrum and take off as wild and uninhibited. Comedy films here in the States has lately been either puerile with raunchy sexual references or totally slapstick. The latest flick by David Cohen, ‘Dead Cool’ is a representative of standard British comedy. There are some elements of drama included in the movie but they are so understated that they barely register. It has to be difficult to take on family relationships especially when there is a death involved. Making this situation harder is they film is from the viewpoint of a 15 year old boy. On the positive side the flick is a departure from the normal coming of age comedy-drama that usually focuses only on the growing hormonal changes, that is to say sex. Films from England still are able to concentrate on the emotional challenges that a character like this would undergo. Considering this film had its theatrical release way back in 2004 and is only now getting a region one DVD release does say something about the film. It is a workable and gentle independent film that has some problems but overall is a solid piece of entertainment.

David Cohen has been around the independent film and television circuit for over a decade. He has films such as the dramatic ‘The Pleasure Principle’ and ‘Solo Shuttle’ in his resume. On the television side he has worked on series like ‘Alf’ ‘The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss’ and ‘Parker Lewis Can’t Loose’ as well as the more recent made for TV flick ‘Diana: The Inquest’. Not only has he filled the writer and director chairs he has produce many of these projects. He is a Englishman who has worked enough in the States to understand the differences in our appreciation of comedy. In ‘Dead Cool’ he goes with a cast predominately from the United Kingdom with Rosanna Arquette added to allow the Yanks to recognize at least someone. Cohen’s writing is straightforward setting up the story rapidly and allowing it to progress much as expected. As the director Cohen mostly plays it safe. While this film is rated ‘R’ here in the States for some language and sexual references it often comes across as made for television flick. Now this is not necessarily something bad. The film holds together largely because Cohen doesn’t rely on many of the standard Indy tricks in camera work and lighting. He has a reasonable story with a little supernatural twist and an excellent cast. In this case an experienced director like Cohen the best thing to do is not get fancy just let the cast act. Cohen is also editor and co-founder of the magazine Psychology News. The film is produced under the Psychology News banner. This does let the audience know that the humor here will be based more on the mental state of the characters than any wild and improbable situations. This is a change of pace film but also one that is worth giving a chance.

The film starts off with some home movies of some young children at play. It is apparently a birthday party and the kids enjoy the games and cake. The narrator begins telling the audience that the first seven days of his life were normal. Then on the eighth day he was brought to a group of ‘weirdoes’ who came to watch bits of him cut off. It was his bris. The style of narration is a lot like the type used in ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’; personalized to the point of being self centered. We discover that the baby is the protagonist of the film, David, played as a child by Joseph Ashworth and as a teen by Steven Geller. At the ceremony we also meet David’s parents Josh (James Callis) and Henny (Imogen Stubbs). She objects to the procedure since she is not Jewish but Josh wants to make sure it son’s ‘willie’ looks like his. This sets the stage for the rest of the film. It is all about the humor inherent in relationships even if it takes a bizarre twist or two along the way. As David grows up his parents prove to be loving and supportive. Josh works as a human rights lawyer and his mom staying at home with the baby. His dad wanted him to help England win the World Cup in 2026 and enjoyed playing soccer with him in their yard. When David was only four years old a stranger moved in, George (Aaron Johnson) his brother. David decides to call him poodle and goes so far as to feed the infant dog food, much to the chagrin of the parents. At about six years of age David’s father is killed in a bus accident. Most of the remainder of the film centers on David at 15.

At this time David has been living with his mother and brother and things didn’t seem all that bad. His world is disrupted again when Henny becomes involved with a man, Mark (Anthony Calf). He works as a television reporter, is very new age and has two children of his own. Although mom seems to like him the rest of the family has much less regard for the new suitor. Grandma Lizzie (Liz Smith) hates the fact that Mark is a vegetarian. George tries to ignore him as does David. Since his death Josh has been visiting David as a ghost and even he thinks Mark is a ‘putz’. Making the extended family even crazier is the fact that Mark’s ex-wife Deidre (Rosanna Arquette) lives around the corner with their two daughters Sue (Gemma Lawrence) and Em (Olivia Wedderburn). She is an American who had a best selling book aptly titled ‘The Stepfamily's Bible’.

The film juxtaposes the touchy feely new age movement with more established views of family and spirituality. Josh wanted David circumcised not so much for religious reasons as identification with his son. This sort of religious view is contrasted with the new embrace the world and spirit feel of Mark and Deidre. The Ghost of Josh severs as a type of Greek chorus chiming in with remarks about the living without having to actually interact with them. David is a typical self centered teen as demonstrated when his mother wants to move in with Mark. Since he still visits with his father, so to speak, he has not been able to let go. He also fails to recognize that it has been seven years and his mother is trying her best to get on with life.

The acting is great here. Young Steven Geller sells his character extremely well. He helps the audience accept the ghost of his father without getting into any supernatural double talk. Geller plays David as accepting so we accept. Most people now would recognize James Callis as the new Battlestar Galalatica’s ultimate traitor, Dr. Gaius Baltar. He shows the range of his talent here with a soft spoken humor that pulls the story together. As always Rosanna Arquette is able to give a quirky performance that if nothing else is fascinating to watch.

This is a unique take off of the modern blended family that will not make you laugh out loud; I doubt it was intended to do so. It will entertain and amuse you and that is what matters. The DVD is release by MTI Home Video. As usual they find the strange and innovative films that are worth having but most people are unaware they even exist. If you are into the quirky films around you most likely have several MTI releases on your shelves. Add this one there and enjoy.

Posted 03/08/08