October 11, 2009
It’s difficult to do a rock mockumentary without This is Spinal Tap becoming the ultimate elephant in the room, but somehow Shane Meadows has managed it. Le Donk, filmed in just 5 days and on a paltry budget, is gonzo film making at its most earthy, and shows Britain’s coolest young director isn’t about to go all Hollywood just yet.
Le Donk is a roadie with delusions of grandeur. Although his ex partner is pregnant, becoming a father is not very rock and roll, and our hero still wants to live the dream. The film follows him and his new protégé, real life Nottingham rapper Scor-zay-zee, on their trip to work on the Arctic Monkeys’ Old Trafford gig. Donk wants to get Scorz a support slot.
Played by Paddy Considine (who used to be in a band with Meadows in the 80’s), Le Donk is an interesting comic creation. He’s moody, selfish and crass, but there are flashes of innocence which almost make him endearing. It’s an uneasy tension, but both Le Donk and Scorz – who is bound to become a cult performer on the back of this – are characters rather than caricatures. There are some brilliantly funny lines, but it’s not a farce, and it felt at times similar to watching The Office – you don’t always laugh out loud because it just seems too real. Neither of them are clowns. So, when Scorz recites a passage of the Qur’an to another roadie at the gig, it’s impossibly awkward but also quite sweet. And when Donk recounts a night out to a Berni Inn with his ex-partner Olivia, played by Peep Show’s Olivia Colman, it serves to somehow redeem him as almost likeable.
The attention to detail is interrupted somewhat by perhaps the biggest new born baby known to man, and sometimes the script could have been tighter. But it would be wrong to be too critical. I’m not sure many people could achieve as much in their working week, and Shane Meadows continues to create uniquely British films that steer clear of stereotypes and clichés. He’s now added comedy to the mix, and pretty successfully too.
Le Donk is a roadie with delusions of grandeur. Although his ex partner is pregnant, becoming a father is not very rock and roll, and our hero still wants to live the dream. The film follows him and his new protégé, real life Nottingham rapper Scor-zay-zee, on their trip to work on the Arctic Monkeys’ Old Trafford gig. Donk wants to get Scorz a support slot.
Played by Paddy Considine (who used to be in a band with Meadows in the 80’s), Le Donk is an interesting comic creation. He’s moody, selfish and crass, but there are flashes of innocence which almost make him endearing. It’s an uneasy tension, but both Le Donk and Scorz – who is bound to become a cult performer on the back of this – are characters rather than caricatures. There are some brilliantly funny lines, but it’s not a farce, and it felt at times similar to watching The Office – you don’t always laugh out loud because it just seems too real. Neither of them are clowns. So, when Scorz recites a passage of the Qur’an to another roadie at the gig, it’s impossibly awkward but also quite sweet. And when Donk recounts a night out to a Berni Inn with his ex-partner Olivia, played by Peep Show’s Olivia Colman, it serves to somehow redeem him as almost likeable.
The attention to detail is interrupted somewhat by perhaps the biggest new born baby known to man, and sometimes the script could have been tighter. But it would be wrong to be too critical. I’m not sure many people could achieve as much in their working week, and Shane Meadows continues to create uniquely British films that steer clear of stereotypes and clichés. He’s now added comedy to the mix, and pretty successfully too.