'Grimsby' is the latest comedy by Sacha Baron Cohen who has seen many of his previous films be successful in the past. He has been known to have been quite controversial in recent films. So would Grimsby be worth seeing or would it just fall flat?
'Grimsby' stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Nobby Butcher who lives in the small town of Grimsby along with his girlfriend Dawn played by Rebel Wilson and his nine children. For the last 28 years, Nobby has been looking for his long lost brother. Little did he know that his younger brother Sebastian had become one of the top secret agents who has just under covered a most devastating plan. Sebastian is villanised and Nobby may be the only hope he has at saving the world and clearing his name.
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| Dawn (Rebel Wilson) and Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen) |
I am not really familiar with Cohen's work before Grimsby. I have seen very little of Ali G and Borat and none of Bruno and The Dictator. So I went into Grimsby not being able to compare this character up against any of his previous identities. I also wouldn't be able to tell you that you would like 'Grimsby' if you liked his previous work so I'm sorry for that.
The start of this film does fill you with a lot of hope. It starts off with some good laughs from Nobby and Dawn and the film gets off to a good start. This is then made even better as the next scene introduced us to Sebastian for the first time in a very well done action scene. From the good comedy and great action, I was enjoying this film a lot more than I expected. I could only hope that the rest of the film would be like this.
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| Sebastian appearing in the early action scene |
However the film does not really keep this up for the rest of the film. As the film progresses it relies on a lot of gross out humour. If you're into that kind of humour then you'll probably love Grimsby being perfectly honest. It's not really my cup of tea and at times for me just felt really stupid. There are some good pieces of comedy in this and I did find some parts pretty enjoyable. But it is clear what kind of humour is the focus in Grimsby and it just wasn't for me.
In saying this though, Grimsby does do well to show some deeper and serious points. The film has a strong value about family that goes all the way through it mainly showing how you should do anything for family. This is conveyed greatly as at many times, Nobby selflessly does questionable things due to the love for his family. Throughout the whole film, you can see a strong family bond and does tell you a lot about the characters. There is also a strong pride about where the pair come from and the strong connection between them and the others who live in Grimsby. It shows a great message to have a bit of pride of where you have came from and have a respect for where you were raised.
Grimsby also tells a story of what honestly could be pretty realistic. The scheme of the villains in the film has a lot to do with eliminating the lower classes of people. It also talks about the situation of greed that the wealthy have whilst the lower classes are really the backbone to thriving societies. Grimsby does very well talking about this problem in the world which I did not expect to see in a comedy such as this.
The soundtrack for Grimsby is pretty great. I'm pretty sure that most Brits will instantly recognise most of the songs with great tunes from Oasis and Madness being played throughout the film. The tracks work perfectly as we go through the working class town of Grimsby and adds that extra feeling of it being British. This for me did make the film more enjoyable as a great soundtrack can do.
Grimsby did in my opinion one of the better depictions of British people in recent times. There isn't any of the poshness that you would see in the likes of a 'Downtown Abbey' in Grimsby but more of a representation of the lower classes of British people. Of course this is exaggerated for comedic effect but it really nails what for most Brits are the most important things: Beer and football. The bit about England getting to the World Cup final is a bit dodgy though.
The film definitely will make you laugh at times, mainly due to the stupid nature of Nobby. When it is not using the gross humour the film does work pretty well. I just wished they would've used this more instead. The scenes involving "Daniel Radcliffe"are pretty funny and the appearance from- an unknowing- Donald Trump will also get some good laughs for the audience. However these points have drawn some controversy to the film.
Final verdict: Grimsby = C
If you like a lot of gross out humour comedies then you will probably really enjoy Grimsby. To me it was fine. Wasn't bad but I wouldn't say it was great. You will get some laughs out of this and the action is pretty good at times.
So have you seen Grimsby? If so what did you think? Also if I were to check out more of Sacha Baron Cohens work, what should I have a look at? Once again thank you for reading, it is much appreciated!
By Angus McGregor
In saying this though, Grimsby does do well to show some deeper and serious points. The film has a strong value about family that goes all the way through it mainly showing how you should do anything for family. This is conveyed greatly as at many times, Nobby selflessly does questionable things due to the love for his family. Throughout the whole film, you can see a strong family bond and does tell you a lot about the characters. There is also a strong pride about where the pair come from and the strong connection between them and the others who live in Grimsby. It shows a great message to have a bit of pride of where you have came from and have a respect for where you were raised.
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| Brotherly Love |
Grimsby also tells a story of what honestly could be pretty realistic. The scheme of the villains in the film has a lot to do with eliminating the lower classes of people. It also talks about the situation of greed that the wealthy have whilst the lower classes are really the backbone to thriving societies. Grimsby does very well talking about this problem in the world which I did not expect to see in a comedy such as this.
The soundtrack for Grimsby is pretty great. I'm pretty sure that most Brits will instantly recognise most of the songs with great tunes from Oasis and Madness being played throughout the film. The tracks work perfectly as we go through the working class town of Grimsby and adds that extra feeling of it being British. This for me did make the film more enjoyable as a great soundtrack can do.
Grimsby did in my opinion one of the better depictions of British people in recent times. There isn't any of the poshness that you would see in the likes of a 'Downtown Abbey' in Grimsby but more of a representation of the lower classes of British people. Of course this is exaggerated for comedic effect but it really nails what for most Brits are the most important things: Beer and football. The bit about England getting to the World Cup final is a bit dodgy though.
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| Nobby and Sebastian getting caught up in the football |
The film definitely will make you laugh at times, mainly due to the stupid nature of Nobby. When it is not using the gross humour the film does work pretty well. I just wished they would've used this more instead. The scenes involving "Daniel Radcliffe"are pretty funny and the appearance from- an unknowing- Donald Trump will also get some good laughs for the audience. However these points have drawn some controversy to the film.
Final verdict: Grimsby = C
If you like a lot of gross out humour comedies then you will probably really enjoy Grimsby. To me it was fine. Wasn't bad but I wouldn't say it was great. You will get some laughs out of this and the action is pretty good at times.
So have you seen Grimsby? If so what did you think? Also if I were to check out more of Sacha Baron Cohens work, what should I have a look at? Once again thank you for reading, it is much appreciated!
By Angus McGregor
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