Like David Brent, Ricky Gervais was over-promoted. Sure, The Office (and to a lesser extent, Extras) was great, but that was it. His subsequent comedy routines, TV shows and the two films have failed to live up to expectations. Is this because he found fame too fast? Most comedians have to endure the hard graft of amateur clubs where they slowly and sometimes painfully hone their skills. Actors get bit parts before their big break. Ricky Gervais ran before he could walk.
I used to live in Cemetery Junction, Reading - as did he - and this is where the story is allegedly set. In real life, it was a sleazy, rundown, multicultural urban area. By contrast, the film landscape was shot in Stroud, Gloucestershire, an attractive Cotswold market town, one-fifth of the size of Reading and without any inner city pretensions. Some of the shots show a picturesque sunny high street where people look like they want to stay not run away. And it's got a cracking dance hall!
The railway station (also very charming) in the film is called Cemetery Junction. But, as any resident of Clapham, Loughborough or Effingham would tell you, that means the town is called Cemetery. Now that would be a interesting name.
The characters are stereotypical, the plot formulaic and the ending predictable. There are odd moments of warmth and humour but, on the whole, Cemetery Junction is a grave disappointment.
I used to live in Cemetery Junction, Reading - as did he - and this is where the story is allegedly set. In real life, it was a sleazy, rundown, multicultural urban area. By contrast, the film landscape was shot in Stroud, Gloucestershire, an attractive Cotswold market town, one-fifth of the size of Reading and without any inner city pretensions. Some of the shots show a picturesque sunny high street where people look like they want to stay not run away. And it's got a cracking dance hall!
The railway station (also very charming) in the film is called Cemetery Junction. But, as any resident of Clapham, Loughborough or Effingham would tell you, that means the town is called Cemetery. Now that would be a interesting name.
The characters are stereotypical, the plot formulaic and the ending predictable. There are odd moments of warmth and humour but, on the whole, Cemetery Junction is a grave disappointment.