I feel it’s time for another British comedy and this one is written by and stars a certain Steve Coogan. No this is not the Alan Partridge film, this is The Parole Officer from 2001. Is it any good? Well yes it is indeed very funny. So without further ado here are my thoughts on the film; The Parole Officer Blu-ray review.
- The Parole Officer (2001)
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By Fabulous Films
- Blu-ray Released: 4th July 2016
Plot
Steve Coogan plays Parole Officer Simon Garden who begins the film being transferred from the Blackpool office to the Manchester one. Young offender Kirsty is his first case at his new office which involves her stealing cars and being caught in the possession of a large quantity of drugs.
She admits to stealing the car but denies knowing anything about the drugs. Simon happens to believe her and proceeds to look into the case against her.
This leads him into seeing a crime taking place that in turn means he himself may well have to break the law in order to clear both of their names.
Written by Steve Coogan & Henry Normal.
Style / Direction
Plenty of fast paced comedy action with a plethora of witty lines mixed together with a splattering of slapstick ensures the laughs keep coming.
The film blends these two comedy mechanics exceptionally well.
Directed by John Duigan, with the cinematography being handled by John Daly.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is provided by Alex Heffes and is a combination of Bond style action music tinged with a comical element, all of which works very well.
Acting / Characters
All the main characters put in very good comedy performances and in doing so it allows the script to shine.
Steve Coogan is excellent and he needs to be as all the other characters rely heavily on his performance. Some may criticise the fact that there are many mannerisms from Coogan’s previous creations that are present in the Parole Officer such as a certain Alan Partridge.
I have no problem with any of that, for me as long as it’s funny it stays in.
There are a couple of nice cameo appearances from Jenny Agutter and Omar Sharif which works rather well. Oh and keep an eye out for Simon Pegg.
The support cast of consists of three of Simon Gardens former clients, Jeff (Steven Waddington, Colin (Ben Miller) and George (Om Puri). Simon will call on each of their unique talents to bring the corrupt to justice.
Their relationship is at the heart of the film and where most of the laughs emanate from.
Add into the group Kirsty the young offender and Emma (Lena Headey) a policewoman Simon fancies and you have Simon’s unconventional family.
The bad guy in the film is police Inspector Burton (Stephen Dillane) a particularly nasty piece of work.
Casting in any film is obviously important but everyone cast really does bring something to the table that ultimately means The Parole Officer is not only an easy watch but extremely funny comedy film.
Conclusion: The Parole Officer (2001) Film Review
Simply put The Parole officer is funny from start to finish. If you are yet to see it and like Steve Coogan’s style of comedy then watching this one is pretty much a must.
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Conclusion: The Parole Officer Blu-ray Review
The film is from 2001 and looks flawless as you would hope. So nothing to worry about picture quality wise but what about on the extras front?
Extras
- Making of Featurette (22 mins)
- Deleted Scenes
- Commentary
- Trailer
- Atomic Kitten ‘Eternal Flame Video’
A nice making of documentary featuring Steve Coogan and most of the cast provides plenty of background into the making of and writing behind the film.
There are couple of deleted scenes whilst funny it’s pretty clear they didn’t fit the story taking the film into unnecessary background on Simon Garden’s character that doesn’t really work.
Popcorn Cinema Rating: The Parole Officer (2001)
MOVIE RATING: WELL WORTH WATCHING
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
EXTRAS: VERY GOOD
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
Amazon UK Links
The Parole Officer (2001) is available now on blu-ray.
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The Parole Officer (2001) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the Blu-ray version
That concludes The Parole Officer blu-ray review, check back soon for more reviews.
Summary: The Parole Officer (2001) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: The Parole Officer (2001)
Duration: 94 mins
Director(s): John Duigan
Actor(s): Steve Coogan, Om Puri, Steven Waddington, Ben Miller, Lena Headey, Emma Williams, Omar Sharif, Jenny Agutter,
Genre: Comedy
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
The Parole officer is funny from start to finish.
