Up There (2012)
- General info
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- Synopsis:
Martin (Burn Gorman) - (deceased) is stuck in a dead-end job, welcoming the newly departed into the afterlife. All he dreams of is going 'Up There'. But his plans are thrown into disarray when he has to team up with the relentlessly chirpy Rash (Aymen Hamdouchi) and together they lose a new arrival. The mismatched pair give chase and end up in a remote seaside town populated by cocky teenagers, sinister old women and the enigmatic Liz (Kate O'Flynn), who has 'suicide written all over her'. Can they stop bickering long enough to find the lost soul? Will Rash be reunited with his brother Chunky? And can Martin get back in time to finally get 'Up There'? 'Up There' is a killer comedy about life, death and irritating friends. - Actors:
- Burn Gorman, Iain De Caestecker, Warren Brown, Jo Hartley, Alexander Morton, Kate O'Flynn, Chris Waitt, Kirsty Strain, Kulvinder Ghir, Brad Moore, Aymen Hamdouchi, James Young, Leon Vickers, Paul McCole, David Cheung
- Directors:
- Zam Salim
- Producers:
- Annalise Davis
- Writers:
- Zam Salim
- Genres:
- Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
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Reviews (1) of Up There
Genuinely Funny Dark Humour Britflick - Up There review by PV
This is one of the British films which is entirely state-funded bia BBC, BFI, lottery - which these days means a full-on preachy woke agenda and loads of tickbox colourblind casting and metoo themes. Happily this was made in 2011, before that rot set in.
It is a neat idea, and funny concept - not original,, rather a new-ish twist on an old theme. The humour is droll and arch, and that 'know the face not the name' actor Burn Gorman is perfectly cast, with his world-weary eye-rolling stoicism. The manic Rash character is also bang-on authentic. I believed these people - they are real. The previous Asian 'carer' character Mo I think is completely extraneous though. Maybe the actor was a mate of the writyer/director?
Having said that, the film is short, 1 hour and 10 minutes or so, which is all it needed. It COULD have been a 1 hour TV drama. Many movies could and most should be editing, with flab sliced off to make movies 90 minutes on average again, not the massive average these days of 2 hours 20 minutes.
A modest, unflashy, genuinely funny film. Some baffling bits and padding, but generally worth watching and I enjoyed it. Loved the music too.
4 stars.