Empire's Cemetery Junction Movie Review

Cemetery Junction
Does for Reading what The Office did for Slough...

Plot
Reading, the 1970s. The lifestyle of three friends — Freddie (Cooke), Bruce (Hughes) and Snork (Doolan) — is put to the test when Freddie starts a new job selling door-to-door insurance under the watchful eye of creepy boss Mr. Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes) and mentor Mike Ramsay (Goode). The situation is further complicated when Freddie rediscovers his long-lost childhood sweetheart, Julie (Jones) — who just happens to be Kendrick’s daughter and Ramsay’s fiancée.

Review

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One of the many things that American cinema does so much better than our own is to mythologise its youth. Whether it’s because US teens have more disposable income or a car culture that makes scene entrances and exits more exciting, American filmmakers — especially early in their careers — have embraced and explored youth, and in particular young manhood, in ways in which British filmmakers, for the most part, have chosen to ignore.

We might have never visited the Modesto of George Lucas’ American Graffiti, the Texas of Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show or the fictional Shermer, Illinois that featured in many of John Hughes’ films, but as landscapes for cinematic growing pains, they feel far more familiar than Reading or Stockport. And when British filmmakers do revisit their early adult years, it’s much more about the gritty reality than the shiny myth. From That’ll Be The Day to Quadrophenia to Trainspotting to This Is England, British cinema has always seemed to prefer dwelling on the darker underbelly of youth culture. All the miserable young dudes...

Which makes Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s Cemetery Junction all the more refreshing. Echoing the likes of Saturday Night Fever, Diner and, more recently, Adventureland, Gervais and Merchant’s first feature together (Merchant was not creatively involved in The Invention Of Lying) emerges as a kind of Berkshire Graffiti, taking the fun, swagger and sweetness of the traditional American youth picture and applying it to a smalltown British milieu. It is a setting that may be recognisable to anyone who grew up in a pre-Margaret Thatcher Britain, but rather than setting events in an eternally grim Winter Of Discontent, Gervais and Merchant have opted for an idealised endless summer where the sun always shines in which to race through those important rites of passage: job interviews, first loves, sussing that your parents have foibles and the age-old ritual of realising you’re too old to fart in a friend’s face.

At the heart of the movie is a portrait of three friends — cool, good-looking Freddie, troubled (but good-looking) Bruce and group idiot Snork, so named for his close resemblance to a Banana Splits character — captured at a time when the friendship is evolving. Freddie has started listening to classical fuddy-duddy Vaughan Williams, has a spanking new leather file for his new job at Vigilant Life Assurance and has grown out of fist-fights and defacing signs with genitalia. Boosted by three hugely likeable central performances from Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes and Jack Doolan, Cemetery Junction is particularly good on the joys of teenage time-wasting and mucking about, the ease of friendships formed in childhood and why they are so difficult to leave behind.

In this respect, what follows will feel largely familiar. The impression of being trapped in a small town (although cinematographer Remi Adefarasin, who lensed Match Point and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, shoots Reading in such a pretty way you do wonder why anyone would want to escape), a smart young guy growing apart from his friends, and a girl who stands in for the big, wide world outside are all well-thumbed chapters in the teen movie handbook, and the movie doesn’t really deviate from that — it has little in the way of narrative surprises up its tank top.

But Gervais and Merchant make the well-worn path immensely engaging, throwing in some stinging dramatic beats, and an affection for both the characters and the predicaments of youth.

If Cooke gets the job and the girl, it is Hughes’ Bruce who gets the real dramatic meat, as he hits out at his father for not putting up a fight after his mother left, and a confrontation between Bruce and friendly family copper Sgt. Davies (Steve Speirs) in a prison cell crackles with electricity. In contrast, Jack Doolan’s Snork is squarely in comic sidekick territory, sporting a topless vampire tattoo and circling a tentative relationship with his train station co-worker.

If all this sounds a long way from the closely observed grim minutiae of Wernham Hogg, there are still connecting threads. Throughout The Office there was a virulent strain of ironic ’70s playground humour — Tim to Gareth: “Did you see the film Gaylords Say No last night?” “No” — and, like a spiritual prequel, Cemetery Junction doesn’t shy from the period’s casual racism and sexism. The scenes in Freddie’s home — Gervais is effective as Freddie’s factory worker father — articulate a time when smart working-class kids didn’t really have the option of university or backpacking (“There’s parts of Reading you ain’t seen,” says Freddie’s mum when he expresses a desire to travel), where three generations lived in one house, where phrases like “half-caste” and “jungle tits” were common dinner-table verbiage and images of starving kids in Africa had no Live Aid “Who’s gonna drive you home?” frisson around them. Gervais and Merchant don’t overwork the ’70s backdrop, which is both a blessing and a curse: while they don’t overdo the period trappings — there’s no-one walking round like glam rockers — they don’t really say anything about the decade. It’s well observed, but none of the social points are really pressed.

Yet perhaps a more overt link to The Office can be found embodied in its heroine. Like Dawn Tinsley, Felicity Jones’ Julie is sparky and attractive, a suppressed dreamer imprisoned in a relationship with a boorish bully (Matthew Goode goes from A Single Man to full-on sexist slimeball mode) and yet in Freddie finds a soulmate who provides a potential way out. In sharp contrast to the lively dinner-table banter of Freddie’s family, the scenes of Julie’s home life are an exercise in quiet, chilly desperation. As Julie’s long-suffering mother, Emily Watson may have little screen time but she conveys in tiny strokes a complete marriage. Ralph Fiennes excels here as well — a moment where he completely ignores her as she dutifully pours his tea is absolutely heartbreaking.

At the centre of the movie is a lengthy set-piece as a suited and booted Freddie takes Bruce and Snork to a work dinner-dance in pursuit of free booze and loose birds. As proved numerous times during The Office, Gervais and Merchant are masters at realising the grimness of the work social function, the ’70s milieu adding a further patina of misery. Within one sequence, we get embarrassing small talk (an anecdote about bread), broad comedy (a great Stephen Merchant cameo), a musical interlude (Snork rocks out to Slade) and, best of all, a sublime golden handshake speech from Fiennes’ creepy self-made man about an employee who had worked for Vigilant man and boy. A brilliant, simple piece of emotive writing, it’s a poignant counterpoint to the broad teen antics.

Gervais has likened the film to Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road — the song ends with the euphoric, “It’s a town full of losers/And I’m pulling out of here to win” — and the film shares the song’s attitude, obviousness, flash and heart. But Cemetery Junction trumps Springsteen in one important regard: it can answer the age-old question of just why Noddy wears a hat with a bell on it. The Boss just wouldn’t have a clue...

Verdict

Reviewed by Ian Freer

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Your Reviews

Average user rating for Cemetery Junction

RE: Excellent Film
This was a great film!! Funny and sad in all the right places with some great performances, especially from Watson and Fiennes ... More

Posted by musht at 19:09, 24 April 2011 \| Report This Post



Excellent Film
Funny, sweet, cute, interesting and above all else, very heartfelt and real. One of the best drama films of 2010 so far ... More


Posted by blaud at 17:01, 21 September 2010 \| Report This Post



not bad
Some good laughs and not a bad way to spend 90 mins, but way too many underdeveloped supporting characters. The funniest scenes are Freddie at home with his family who are constantly bickering, though the sub plot with Bruce and his father is actually much more interesting than the main story. Probably would've made a really good TV series but still worth a look. ... More


Posted by Spacegoat at 10:54, 12 September 2010 \| Report This Post



Loved it!
Watching this reminded me how good Merchant & Gervais can be when they keep it English and the later stays off screen. I can see why it got 4 stars but I would have slipped in another cheeky one just because it was so refreshing to watch an English film that didn't leave me with an unquenchable thirst for suicide. I am really excited bout Karl's new show and the new comedy with Warwick Davies they're working on. ... More


Posted by talkietaco.com at 16:59, 01 September 2010 \| Report This Post



Funny In Places.
I wasn't really looking forward to watching Cemetery Junction but after watching it, it wasn't that bad after all. It was funny in places, good pefomances from rising and known stars, good 70s music and beautiful scenery. One to check out. ... More


Posted by joanna likes films at 09:39, 14 August 2010 \| Report This Post



Funny In Places.
I wasn't really looking forward to watching Cemetery Junction but after watching it, it wasn't that bad after all. It was funny in places, good pefomances from rising and known stars, good 70s music and beautiful scenery. One to check out. ... More


Posted by joanna likes films at 09:39, 14 August 2010 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
I <3 Felicity Jones ... More


Posted by swordsandsandals at 00:50, 27 April 2010 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
went to see this on the "off chance" today as I could not find anything else I wanted to see at the cinemas in London came out saying to myself "that was brilliant" a heart warming coming of age story set in a well realised 1973 (my year of birth!) very funny in places, also very touching in places, brilliant characters and a fantastic cast of talented actors, especially the 3 leads and Ralph Fiennes (also great to see Burn Gorman from BBC's Torchwood on the screen again) I ... More


Posted by hampstead bandit at 18:07, 26 April 2010 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
Yeah have yet to see this, but any project by this team is something to get excited about. I would like to put the word out for Jones who was superb in the recent tv version of Northanger Abbey. ... More

Posted by ElephantBoy at 22:42, 21 April 2010 \| Report This Post



RE:
I really enjoyed this - a typically pureile Gervais/Merchant script with heartwarming moments - but that's why we love them. I expect big things from the main four leads. And Ralph Fiennes was once again great as a magnificent bastard. 4/5 ... More

Posted by Timon at 08:45, 21 April 2010 \| Report This Post




brilliant in every single way, it maybe early, but its the best film ive seen this year, ... More


Posted by anakin73 at 23:25, 20 April 2010 \| Report This Post




brilliant in every single way, it maybe early, but its the best film ive seen this year, ... More


Posted by anakin73 at 23:25, 20 April 2010 \| Report This Post



RE: The Cemetery is where this Film belongs......
This was good but one of the most predictable stories I've ever seen. Jam packed with cliches and stereotypes. It's still an enjoyable film but it had every cliche in the book. ... More

Posted by Wilbert at 22:17, 20 April 2010 \| Report This Post



The Cemetery is where this Film belongs......
The soundtrack captures the period MUCH better than the Film could ever do, and that is really the only positive thing I can possibly say about this Film !!!...... ... More


Posted by n13roy at 23:14, 19 April 2010 \| Report This Post



The Cemetery is where this Film belongs......
The soundtrack captures the period MUCH better than the Film could ever do, and that is really the only positive thing I can possibly say about this Film !!!...... ... More


Posted by n13roy at 23:13, 19 April 2010 \| Report This Post



Cemetary Junction
. The real stars are Cooke, Hughes and Doolan, three lads on the , who give their well-written characters heart and likeability; everyone has or had a mate like one of them. Marking the arrival of some talented new faces, fans of the seminal humour of The Office and Extras will undoubtedly be disappointed with the relative lack of laughs, but this will still leave you with a smile. A greta story that was much better than expected ... More


Posted by moviemaniac2 at 21:51, 19 April 2010 \| Report This Post



Cemetary Junction
. The real stars are Cooke, Hughes and Doolan, three lads on the , who give their well-written characters heart and likeability; everyone has or had a mate like one of them. Marking the arrival of some talented new faces, fans of the seminal humour of The Office and Extras will undoubtedly be disappointed with the relative lack of laughs, but this will still leave you with a smile. A greta story that was much better than expected ... More


Posted by moviemaniac2 at 21:51, 19 April 2010 \| Report This Post



RE: A real treat
what are we to make of gervas-marchents love of 70's "them darkies" style humor, such as MIND YOUR LANGUAGE, but are too afraid to utter it themselfs, so write it for silly old mum to say so gervasis character to be astonished by, but soliciting (hopeful) laughter from? double standards? but actually ANY humour in this film falls flat. i can only imagine the script had our luvvies screaming, but it failed with me and the audience i was with. not to say i didnt enjoy it ! costume and set design ... More

Posted by empire No. 1 at 19:54, 19 April 2010 \| Report This Post



A real treat
I can only echo what has been said, This is indeed a delightful and heart-warming film with excellent performances all round and an Incredibly good job from Gervais and Merchant ... More


Posted by bdeji at 10:59, 19 April 2010 \| Report This Post



One of the best films I've seen all year!
I went to the cinema expected a typical Ricky Gervais and Stephen Marchent project, but realising it was something so much more. The film is quick, with not a long duration a lot happens in 95 minutes. Three 20 something boys turn into men and realise what they want and need. To me, this film was written perfectly and had a good story too. With a few humerous moments, I left the screen laughing and touched by such a good story. ... More


Posted by nadine94 at 09:58, 19 April 2010 \| Report This Post




A great British film that has its flaws but has its moments of sheer brilliance. Its a very feel good film and Empire gets it right. However if this film has a star knocked off on its DVD release i won't be happy. Loved it ... More


Posted by Blue Ryan at 19:32, 16 April 2010 \| Report This Post



An unexpected treat
An unexpected delight. Perfect casting supports a warm and nostalgic view of the early 70's. Far funnier then I was expecting and with high standards of both writing and script. ... More


Posted by bretty at 15:23, 16 April 2010 \| Report This Post



An unexpected treat
An unexpected delight. Perfect casting supports a warm and nostalgic view of the early 70's. Far funnier then I was expecting and with high standards of both writing and script. ... More


Posted by bretty at 15:23, 16 April 2010 \| Report This Post



A delightful British tale...
'Cemetery Junction' is Gervais's second attempt at directing a major film, and in my book a far better offering than first with 'Invention of Lying' This is a simple coming of age British tale that takes place in 1970's Reading and centres on three best friends who are desperate to escape the confines of being in the working town forever. What Gervais does well here that he takes time and with great effect to develop each characters story. We have the story of Freddie Taylor (Cooke) for wh... More


Posted by stephenhinton at 23:30, 15 April 2010 \| Report This Post



The Annoying Gervais And His Mate Merchant Have Done Good
Cemetery Junction is warm and witty and well written Gervais isnt in it much which is good because for some reason I only like him a bit but he is a bit funny isnt he. ... More


Posted by Bighousewill at 20:59, 15 April 2010 \| Report This Post



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Cemetery JunctionDoes for Reading what The Office did for Slough...

Cemetery Junction
Does for Reading what The Office did for Slough...