Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

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source: Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

After the science fiction adaptation High Rise and the action comedy Free Fire, Ben Wheatley returned to his more low-key roots with 2018's Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, a film made for the BBC and first broadcast on BBC Two. Written and directed by Wheatley, it's a comedy drama loosely based on Shakespeare's Coriolanus, which focuses on a family get-together organised by the eponymous Colin, and it's a brilliantly crafted deadpan comic gem. Happy New Year, Colin Burstead stars Neil Maskell as Colin, who rents a stately home to celebrate New Year with his extended family. The family dynamics prove predictably dysfunctional, but are thrown into further disarray by the arrival of David, Colin's estranged brother who has been in exile for the last few years. The reason for this estrangement turns out to be realistically banal - he cheated on his wife and left her and his kids to go off to Canada with his lover - but then that is this film all over: everyone's problems and arguments are ordinary, everyday, commonplace and brilliantly observed. There are lots of characters here and every single one is well-written. As in Wheatley's debut Down Terrace, he proves very capable of writing natural-sounding, bone-dry witty dialogue complete with convincing small talk. The results are frequently hilarious: there are some very funny scenes, for example when stately home host Lord Richard is trying to work out how exactly Sandy tripped over his doorstep, and when Sham admits to his parents that he smokes. During the last third, there's a growing sense of unease, as the family threatens to implode and drink amplifies everybody's neuroses: anyone familiar with Coriolanus might expect Colin's brutal murder, but this is more knowingly down-to-Earth: having challenged his adulterous brother, he somehow ends up looking like the bad guy and leaves in a foul mood, almost having a panic attack, whilst the rest of the family reconciles. The ensemble cast is perfectly chosen, with Maskell holding his own alongside the likes of Doon Mackichan, Bill Paterson and Charles Dance. Sam Riley is well-cast as charming rogue David, whilst Asim Chaudhry quietly steals all the best lines as Sham. Richard Glover's Lord Richard is arguably one of the least important characters to the plot, but Glover brings him to life with an erstwhile, down-trodden performance that is amusing and endearing in equal measure, especially when he's confronted about an illegal rave that he once hosted by Peter Ferdinando's straight-talking Jimmy. If Wheatley the writer is on top form, then so is Wheatley the director, juggling is large cast expertly and making excellent use of the Pennsylvania Castle location filming, which once again demonstrates that this director is perfectly at home working in confined settings. Wheatley's regular collaborator Laurie Rose provides the cinematography, which again has a hand-held documentary feel that enhances the realism (as indeed it did back in Down Terrace). There are lots of nice touches, culminating in the crew members appearing in the dance sequence at the end as the credits roll. Clint Mansell, another Wheatley regular, provides the understated but effective score. High Rise proved that Wheatley can handle a larger budget and an A-list cast well: Happy New Year, Colin Burstead proves - not for the first time - that he doesn't need either of those things to make really, really good films.

No bells no whistles, just a tv play style offering that's reminiscent of the applauded series of the 1970's and 1980's. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Wow bit triggered by these siblings family dysfunction.. the whole family need therapy and family systems therapy

I thought it was a terrific film, with very natural feeling acting. The chemistry clicked perfectly between this ensemblée. I caught it on the BBC at Christmas and loved every minute. Well worth a watch.

Great acting does not a compelling story make. What a cast to use irresponsibly on such a random splatter. All I can think is that Wheatley dug out an old project where he thought he could write a pilot for an "Eastenders meets Dallas" soap and it would be called The B... Bursteads. One impressive point was you did get to know 12 characters in 90 minutes - but then several of the cast you didn't get to know at all, and you were left thinking "So why are they there?". The Charles Dance character, or at at least her motivation was desperately pointless - as was the former girlfriend of several of the guys, who, by coincidence, was working at the remote house.. well soapy. The song that the vilified son played and sang for his mother was cringeworthy in the extreme - and the follow on, of his German girlfriend's Liede was bizarre - and then it was midnight - thank god. Great acting but don't bother. Failed pilot, not taken up.

I'm a big Wheatley fan, even though I think his films can be hit and miss. I had no anticipation for this film and watched it out of boredom really. The film has a constant underlined tension which you think will explode into a crescendo of violence that never happens. I look forward to rebecca.

It's pure Mike Leigh. If you are a fan of his, have a go on this. The absolute hell that lies at the heart of any family get together. Start to finish, not an ounce of slack in this.

I'm a bit marmite on Ben Wheatley at the minute. I loved Kill List and Sightseers, thought a Field in England was utterly dull, as was High Rise. His last film Free Fire I hated - I know it was a parody on shoot em ups but didn't work for me. But there's no doubt the guy's talent. I enjoyed this latest made for TV drama was well made and observed with great acting - but I was hoping to find something I really cared about. It seems to be a British take on the brilliant Danish dogma film Festen - but not in the same league. Still, it was an enjoyable if unremarkable New Year's Eve watch with an excellent ensemble cast. 6 out of ten