Variety
Flavorsome performances by a seasoned cast, held in check by Grant's traditional but well-crafted, always cinematic direction...
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Wah-Wah
Directed by actor Richard E. Grant (the genius that is Withnail in 'Withnail & I'), a comedy/drama, semi-autobiographical story set in the last days of British-ruled Swaziland.
"Young Ralph Compton (Hoult) witnesses at close quarters his mother’s adultery, hastening the breakdown of his parents’ marriage and his father’s subsequent slide into alcoholism.
By the time Ralph returns from boarding school at 15, they are divorced though their rows continue, even after his father has married Ruby, a brassy American. Through Ruby’s eyes, Ralphie begins to see the British colonials for what they are: a bunch of burned-out snobs and social climbers whose Jeeves And Wooster-ish verbal mannerisms Ruby derides as so much 'wah-wah'." [Empire]
"Young Ralph Compton (Hoult) witnesses at close quarters his mother’s adultery, hastening the breakdown of his parents’ marriage and his father’s subsequent slide into alcoholism.
By the time Ralph returns from boarding school at 15, they are divorced though their rows continue, even after his father has married Ruby, a brassy American. Through Ruby’s eyes, Ralphie begins to see the British colonials for what they are: a bunch of burned-out snobs and social climbers whose Jeeves And Wooster-ish verbal mannerisms Ruby derides as so much 'wah-wah'." [Empire]
97 minsUK, France, South Africa
ComedyDrama
- Director:
- Richard E. Grant (directorial debut)
- Writer:
- Richard E. Grant
- Cast:
- Gabriel ByrneMiranda RichardsonEmily WatsonJulie WaltersNicholas HoultCelia Imrie
Wah-Wah / Reviews
San Francisco Chronicle
Even if his film is only partially autobiographical, it is amazing that Grant is making movies and not lace doilies in a long-term psychiatric care facility. To label the parents in "Wah-Wah" dysfunctional doesn't adequately describe their wildly inappropriate behavior... Such high drama should be far more compelling to watch than the lackluster "Wah-Wah." The characters may be based on real people, but they fail to spring to life onscreen. As a result, their histrionics often are laughable, like the over-the-top shenanigans in a Douglas Sirk melodrama...
Full reviewNew Zealand Herald
Grant proves an excellent, unshowy director and the characters are so strikingly individual and plausible that it's impossible not to be drawn in...
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New York Post
The story lacks focus. The senses blur as wives and ex-wives come and go, and Harry regularly falls off the wagon, only to reform the next day...
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Los Angeles Times
Both acidly funny and very moving... A wry and involving film, "Wah-Wah" is clearly a labor of love for both Grant and his cast. Grant opens up his life, not with embarrassment or explanation but with humanity and gratitude. Emotional, melodramatic and sentimental, the film unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve, and is the better for it...
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Empire Magazine
An unforced, engaging and surprisingly incisive account of the disintegration of British rule in Africa....
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BBC
On this evidence, Grant has great skill with actors and sharp eye with a camera. Let's hope his next film tackles a more interesting topic...
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