Reviews

This is entertaining stuff. Ant and Dec are surprisingly effective, the production values are excellent - no feel of "low budget" in any scenes, and solid, notable actors support the two leads throughout.

Personally, I would have expected more laughs but the story telling doesn't really cater for wall to wall gags. Most of the laughs are derived from Ant and Dec, who display great timing, and I must give them credit for not hogging this film – their screen time serves the story rather than the other way round. The story itself is compelling, interesting and surprising, even for those who, like me, have a basic understanding of the "alien autopsy" scenario.

I'd recommend this film to anyone seeking some enjoyable light entertainment. Its not demanding, controversial, edgy or challenging, and its unlikely to offend. Despite the subject matter, it is a mainstream oriented film and its conclusion is both satisfying and non-committal, in terms of whether the whole thing – and I mean the "original film" was a hoax or not. That's pretty shrewd, as it serves no commercial purpose to alienate the UFO believers who would like to believe this whole controversy is based upon a genuine film.

Saw this low budget indie film at End Of The Pier festival last month, and spent ten minutes chatting outside the screening with the producer and director.

Rough Around The Edges was shot on a very low budget, reflected in the basic production values on show. No recognisable faces appear, and a few of the actors came across as inexperienced. The leading roles were obviously cast with professionals, but in my opinion a few minor roles were not.

That said, it is a funny film, which was enthusiastically received by the audience. There is A LOT going on in this film, and the script is excellent. I'd say the main reason why the film, in terms of its audience reaction, is more than the sum of its parts is because there is so much packed in there. If one scene is flat or confusing, the next one gets a laugh. Same for the characters, if there is one that doesn't appeal, the next one probably will. You would probably have to watch the film twice to follow every storyline, perhaps it could have been condensed down to few elements.

As an experience, I enjoyed it.

As previous reviewers have rightly commented, the male stripper character stands out. The actor does a superb job and he was responsible for the biggest laughs.

Chatting to the director afterwards gave me an insight into the mad, mad world of low budget film making. This film has opened doors and now he's working with well known actors and bigger budgets. You can only admire the dedication of these guys.