COMEDY. “Pixie.” / “Frances Ferguson.” / “Blades of Glory.” / “Pirate Radio.”

“Pixie” (2020, Paramount+) British comedy thriller. Pixie Hardy sets out to avenge her mother's death and attempts a heist that will give her the means to leave her small-town life behind. When the plan goes horribly wrong, she's forced to team up with a pair of misfits who are clearly in over their heads. 



       This movie is funny but not very funny, so as to elicit laughter from me. Cute, could be the apt word. The oddball tandem of Ben Hardy and Daryl McCormack, as Frank and Harland, tickles a bit, sure. But it is Olivia Cooke's title character that gets the ball rolling. 

       And oh Alec Baldwin's Father Hector, with the awful Brit accent, isn't funny at all. 🎥💻📽


“Frances Ferguson” (2019, Tubi) comedy film. Frances Ferguson is a dissatisfied, unhappily married substitute teacher at a high school in North Platte, Nebraska. 



       The subject matter is obviously heavy stuff. But the treatment here is sarcastic or stoic or seemingly a veiled excuse for the sexual offense (or crime)? This movie, written and directed by Bob Byington, doesn't look serious. But obviously, that's a criteria for critics to thumb-up it; this indie also wins a few awards.

       I must admit though, Mr Byington's intriguing style is sort of entertaining. And Kaley Wheless as Frances Ferguson is an undiscovered talent. 🎥💻📽


“Pirate Radio” (2009, HBO Max) comedy-drama about pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. Stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh. 



       Also known as “The Boat That Rocked,” this scatterbrained movie is not a strictly true story, but a fictionalized comedy inspired by the real-life 1960s British offshore radio scene, particularly Radio Caroline. While the film portrays a 24/7 rock revolution, it compresses the history of multiple stations—including Radio London and Radio Sutch—into one vessel to illustrate the era's fight against the BBC's music monopoly. 

       Sure, I won't contest it, this movie is “rock and roll” and the music is kickass! But irrelevant that this is based on facts and the attractive cast (led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, and Kenneth Branagh), it is largely disappointingly contrived and the smart-assy liberties confectioned into it is perversely self-pleasuring. 🎥💻📽


“Blades of Glory” (2007, Pluto TV) sports comedy. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as a mismatched pair of banned figure skaters who become teammates upon discovering a loophole that will allow them to compete in the sport again.



       For a budget of $61 million, this movie earned $145.7 million in the box office. Not so hard to believe that. Revoltingly silly as he is, Will Ferrell's sinister comedy works in so many ways. 

       Well, I continue laughing at his shenanigans from “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” to “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” and so on and so forth. His insane ice-skating parody in this movie is frat-house exhilaration. With or without that dude Jon Hader. 🎥💻📽


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