Holmes
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It is the silly season. And, we did something very silly this morning. We attended a screening of ‘Holmes and Watson’, the ‘comedy’ starring Will Ferrell as Sherlock Holmes and John C Reilly as Dr Watson.
Seeing the film was a calculated risk, as critics have been known to be wrong. This time, however, they were spot on. According to Rotten Apples only 4% of reviews have been positive, and the average score awarded was 2.4/10. That roughly corresponds with the number of people in the cinema who laughed aloud during the screening.
Even a brief appearance by Hugh Laurie, and the memorable performances of female actors in minor roles such as those played by Kelly Macdonald, Pam Ferris and Rebecca Hall, could not save this film. Pam Harris’ portrayal of Queen Victoria, is also worth noting as, unlike the typically glamourised Queen Victorias of TV series, the Queen portrayed in this film is the spitting image of the sketches and photographs of Queen Victoria in her latter years.
This film relies on slapstick for laughs. It has to, because the dialogue is almost entirely unfunny. Sadly, even the slapstick is only likely to be funny to those who hadn’t previously watched much Will Ferrell style comedy. Anything approaching enticing comedy is packed into the film’s (misleading) trailer.
Ultimately, I highly recommend this film to anyone who wishes to slow down time and discover that 1hr 30 mins can feel like an eternity.
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