Steve Coogan plays a hard nosed conservative radio talk show presenter Lionel McCoombe. Lionel has strong right wing views that he airs on a daily basis via his live radio talk show. His neice turns up unexpectedly and she has an opinion on life too, as most teenagers do, and strong opinions on her uncle's rotten attitude. The film meanders a fair bit, there are some throw away scenes and characters to boot, but the film holds itself together more or less. It's an old man, meets young relative and their ideas & outlook on life are poles apart. The upshot of the film is a moralistic view that the dream might be dead, but family values and the bond between families are strong. I'd say it's a lot like the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the only difference being, it's not Christmas, there are no ghosts, but the parallels are there. Scrooge is enlightened, and similarly, Coogan's character eventually opens up his heart and mind to new ideas.
It's not a great film, but it's reasonably entertaining and kept my attention throughout. Not as bad as some of the low ratings I'd read, but by no means a classic or original.
It's not a great film, but it's reasonably entertaining and kept my attention throughout. Not as bad as some of the low ratings I'd read, but by no means a classic or original.