Stars: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Keeley Hawes, Shirley Henderson, Dylan Moran, David Walliams, Kelly MacDonald, Ian Hart, Jeremy Northam, Kieran O'Brien, Gillian Anderson

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Summary: Barely stopping to breathe between productions, outrageously prolific director Michael Winterbottom follows his graphically intimate 9 SONGS with the raucously entertaining A COCK AND BULL STORY. This time around, Winterbottom is out to film the unfilmable novel: an adaptation of Laurence Sterne's sprawling 18th Century masterpiece of digression, THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY, GENTLEMAN. What begins as a seemingly straightforward attempt to recreate the frenetic novel starring Steve Coogan as the title figure and Rob Brydon as his Uncle Toby quickly derails into a behind-the-scenes document of the film's actual production. Working triple time (for he also plays Tristram's father), Coogan is hilarious as the insecure Steve Coogan, a shallow actor who is more interested in his cute assistant (Naomie Harris) than the mother of his newborn child (the always delightful Kelly Macdonald). Meanwhile, Rob Brydon is trying desperately to convince Steve Coogan that his role is a co-lead, not merely a supporting one. As the production threatens to spin out of control, the filmmakers hire Gillian Anderson (playing herself, of course) to fill a much-needed role. Coming off like a madcap collision of BARRY LYNDON and 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, Winterbottom's film is a hilarious and surprisingly tender ode to fatherhood and moviemaking in general.

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Michael Winterbottom is no stranger to literary adaptation. Both Judeand The Claimwere drawn from works by Thomas Hardy. Nor is the versatile filmmaker a stranger to the post-modern romp, like 24 Hour Party People. In that peon to Manchester's music scene, Steve Coogan was Factory honcho Tony Wilson. In Winterbottom's take on Laurence Sterne's digressive The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, the prolific helmer combines literature with lunacy and brings Coogan back as the titular character--and then some. Coogan doesn't just portray the 18th century squire, but his father Walter and insecure actor "Steve Coogan." It's a film about the making of a film, effortlessly shifting between Tristram's tumultuous birth and his frustrated adulthood--bogged down in the writing of his life story--and between fiction and (what appears to be) fact. There are no end to the worries on and off the set: Coogan worries his heels aren't high enough, Rob Brydon worries his teeth are too yellow, and Coogan's girlfriend (Kelly Macdonald) worries she isn't seeing enough of him. It may sound like Spike Jonze's Adaptation, but in spirit, it more closely resembles Tony Richardson's Tom Jones. Coogan and his co-stars, particularly Naomie Harris as the ultimate film nut, Gillian Anderson as the American brought in to boost the project's profile, and Brydon as Tristram's Uncle Toby are as game for the challenge as their fearless leader. Consequently, Tristram Shandyisn't just one of Winterbottom's best films--it's one of the year'sbest. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2005
Release Date:	July 10, 2006
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	S R D93810
Keywords:	Bull, Story, Comedy, General, Cock
Genre:	Comedy