Grimsby: 'two fingers up at Benefits Street pity porn'
Sacha Baron Cohen's spy film mixes 'gleeful comic set-pieces' with 'action worthy of Jason Bourne'
Sacha Baron Cohen's spy comedy Grimsby opens in the UK this week – will it do for the north of England what Borat did for Kazakhstan?
The action comedy, known as The Brother's Grimsby in the US, is directed by Now You See Me's Louis Leterrier and co-written by Baron Cohen, who stars alongside wife Isla Fisher and a cast featuring Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane.
Grimsby tells the story of British black-ops spy Agent Sebastian Grimsby (Strong), who must team up with his long-lost brother Nobby (Baron Cohen) to foil an evil plot by rich villains to rid the world of the working classes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It has been met with mixed responses from the critics.
This "globe-trotting gross-out caper" satirises the establishment with "ribald and corrosive glee", says Robbie Collin in the Daily Telegraph. The jokes are never at the expense of northerner Nobby and the script "keeps punching in the right direction – that's upwards".
While it's never as devastating as Baron Cohan's films Borat or Bruno, "it's a vital, lavish, venomously profane two fingers up at Benefits Street pity porn". Collins adds: "I laughed, winced, gagged, then laughed even more."
It certainly takes the grim out of Grimsby, says Geoffrey Macnab in The Independent. The film could easily have seemed patronising and caricatured in its use of northern stereotypes but instead, "it combines gleeful comic set-pieces with action sequences worthy of Jason Bourne".
For all of its Viz-like humour and delight in obscenity, he adds, "this is also a family movie: a rousing, feel-good tale of a Grimsby everyman taking on and beating the world".
Indeed, says Dave Calhoun in Time Out, fears that Grimsby might poke fun at the likes of Nobby disappear when you realise he's "just an excuse to catapult a clown, any clown would do, into scenarios as far-flung and unlikely as a South African game reserve, a World Health Organisation conference in London and a football final in Chile".
Grimsby is chaotic and crude and never far from a punchline involving genitals, admits Calhoun. "But its lack of sophistication, like its odd mix of souped-up action and base comedy, ultimately feels like a badge of honour."
But Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian says the film "basically defeated my attempts to like it", with Nobby feeling dated and off-target and his northern accent often missing the mark.
Grimsby has the occasional laugh and "a succession of finely wrought gross-out spectaculars which are reasonably entertaining", he admits, but the weird overall effect is like children's television "produced on a lavish scale with added filth".
Baron Cohen has had a brilliant run with his character comedy but "his unique talent needs to take another direction", concludes Bradshaw.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing U.S. campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
The Week Recommends This hotel is the perfect spot to while away a weekend in Ireland's capital
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
Drama movies 2024: new films out this year
In Depth Latest reviews include The Boys in the Boat, One Life and Tchaikovsky's Wife
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Best new hotels and places to stay in 2024
The Week Recommends Featuring stylish island resorts, historical properties and wilderness retreats
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Albums of the year: best music of 2023
The Week Recommends A look back at the best pop, rap, jazz, dance, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay review: an institution reinvented
The Week Recommends Traditions are maintained and the tweaks are clever and modern
By Neil Davey Published
-
Tulum: a Mexican beach town of 'two halves'
The Week Recommends With the 'pueblo' and 'Zona Hotelera', Tulum is home to great hotels, restaurants and beach clubs
By William Leigh Published
-
La Zebra review: beach chic, perfect tacos and secret cenotes
The Week Recommends Enjoy a stylish stay in Mexico at this family-friendly beach hotel and restaurant
By William Leigh Published
-
Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas review: a mythical beachside resort
The Week Recommends Combine the classically simple pleasures of sun, sea and sand with upmarket fun and food
By Adrienne Wyper Published