Rent Brian and Charles (2022)

If You Can't Find a Friend, Build One it's as Simple as That! - Brian and Charles review by Strovey

Despite the quirky daftness of the film the overriding driver is friendship and loyalty. Wrapped up in oddity and utter silliness, after all David Earl, a staple of many Ricky Gervais productions, where he often plays disgusting, near-perverts, is the titular Brian but this time his oddness is a lot nicer. From this point all things in the tale grow. The underlying strength of the story is demonstrated by Charles, basically a pair of legs poking out of a huge square washing machine shape topped off by a virtually immobile mannequin head, who becomes a character that you invest in and care about. A fine skill by the actor and co-writer Chris Hayward.

It is clear director Jim Archer and the writers' Earl and Hayward, who play the main roles, invested seriously in the film so that you are effectively charmed and not alienated by it being utterly daft which to an extent it is. Then to top it off just to add some more charm, maybe even ladle some on, adding into the mix Hazel, sweet and socially awkward like Brian, played with some skill by Louise Brearly.

The drama in what would definitely be a slight and odd tale comes from the antagonists Eddie, his wife and twin daughters, embodying meanness, dishonesty and an external ever-present threat. Refreshingly it is this pressure that puts a strain on the ups and downs of Brian and Charles’ relationship and not the usual contrivance of a romantic partner doing this.

The film is neither taxing on your emotions or going to cause you to cry with laughter but making you gently smile for the majority of its runtime at the silly shenanigans framed amongst some stunning and inventive shots of remote Welsh countryside means, to be frank, it is a hard heart that sets against Brian and Charles.

Perhaps the faux documentary style is the weakest point and if you pay attention you have to ask – is this a faux documentary or a straightforward tale and what are the documentary makers filming and why? Throughout the film I was constantly ruminating that this was a construct so that David Earl could use his trademark fourth wall-breaking asides that are a trademark of his work with Ricky Gervais.

I concede this is a churlish point to make about a film such as this, when all we should take from this is no matter our disagreements, no matter our lifestyles, all are valid and none can override or overshadow true friendship. Being someone’s real friend is as close to choosing your family as you can get.

If that is not a good message to pass on to the masses I do not know what is.

Brian and Charles is slight, enjoyably silly and has the best robot since Twiki first looked at Gil Gerard and said 'biddie-biddie-biddie'.

A live action Wallace & Gromit - Brian and Charles review by PT

If you are looking for a film to banish the winter blues then this joyous slice of British silliness is the one. Its infectious warmth simply bulldozes any carping about the slightness of the plot and the on/off mockumentary format into irrelevance.

Delightful British Comedy - Brian and Charles review by GI

A very British comedy in that it champions an underdog in this case the very lonely and socially inept Brian (David Earl) who lives on the edge of a remote Welsh village where he is routinely bullied by the village alpha male. Brian spends his days making useless and bizarre contraptions in his shed most of which are pointless and don't work until one day after finding a mannequin head and with an old washing machine he builds a robot. With the help of a timely thunderstorm Brian is surprised when it works and he calls it Charles. They become companions and Brian finds a new zest in life teaching Charles about the world. Charles (voiced by Charles Hayward) himself is like an eccentric English gent and is ever inquisitive of his surroundings. Brian is wise enough to keep Charles hidden but as he develops this becomes more and more difficult. This is a surprisingly heartwarming and amusing comedy that has it's roots in the Frankenstein story with elements of Dick Van Dyke's character Caractacus Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). Earl has proved himself adept at playing oddball loners on TV often under the pen of Ricky Gervais and those familiar with the series After Life will recognise the roots of the Brian character. Overall there's something really quite charming, gentle and relevant about this nice little film, a tale of difference, friendship and finding your place in the world.