FINDING LENNY with Barry Hilton, Russel Savadier, Catriona Andrew and Yule Masiteng, directed by Neal Sundstrom. Rating: 5 out of 10.
POPULAR South African comedian Barry Hilton makes his big screen debut in this silly, but relatively amiable local comedy which bears a fairly close resemblance to the Rodney Dangerfield soccer flick, "Ladybugs". The story finds Hilton playing a sports reporter named Lenny Vincent who loses his job on his 50th birthday. Shortly afterward his sluttish wife leaves him for another man and then he gets put in the the boot of a getaway car during a robbery. Obviously this isn't much fun for the poor fellow, but his miserable life takes a turn for the better when he becomes the coach of a rural soccer team. "Finding Lenny", which was digitally shot on a lowish budget, has a predictable storyline, a weak script and sometimes feels like a Leon Schuster film. However, there are some laughs to be had and Hilton proves himself to be a reasonably capable actor and an interesting screen presence. Clearly there isn't much on offer here for discerning or sophisticated cinema-goers, but the movie is likely to prove popular with Barry Hilton's fans in South Africa. However, it seems sad that even after the triumphs of "Tsotsi" and the amazing "Jerusalema", South African filmmakers continue to churn out these mediocre "local" comedies filled with stereotypical characters.
POPULAR South African comedian Barry Hilton makes his big screen debut in this silly, but relatively amiable local comedy which bears a fairly close resemblance to the Rodney Dangerfield soccer flick, "Ladybugs". The story finds Hilton playing a sports reporter named Lenny Vincent who loses his job on his 50th birthday. Shortly afterward his sluttish wife leaves him for another man and then he gets put in the the boot of a getaway car during a robbery. Obviously this isn't much fun for the poor fellow, but his miserable life takes a turn for the better when he becomes the coach of a rural soccer team. "Finding Lenny", which was digitally shot on a lowish budget, has a predictable storyline, a weak script and sometimes feels like a Leon Schuster film. However, there are some laughs to be had and Hilton proves himself to be a reasonably capable actor and an interesting screen presence. Clearly there isn't much on offer here for discerning or sophisticated cinema-goers, but the movie is likely to prove popular with Barry Hilton's fans in South Africa. However, it seems sad that even after the triumphs of "Tsotsi" and the amazing "Jerusalema", South African filmmakers continue to churn out these mediocre "local" comedies filled with stereotypical characters.