I like The Search for John Gissing, but I suspect that's mainly because I like Alan Rickman - I doubt I'd have found it very interesting otherwise.
Firstly, it's very old-fashioned in many ways - Mike Binder (who wrote, directed and played Matthew Barnes) can throw around corporate buzzwords all he likes, but they don't stop the film being a strange hybrid of the eighties Wall Street yuppie drama and a Carry On film. It's gimmicky too - you quickly get bored of "I'm from Chicago, so...", and the nun thing with Giles Hannigan (played by Owen Teale) is excruciating. The plot is all very far-fetched; if you can't suspend disbelief and ignore this, you really shouldn't watch this film.
It's also very disjointed; for example, it's not clear until the summing-up at the very end that Mary the stripper/nun (played by Sonya Walger) IS actually Gissing's girlfriend. It's not central to the plot, but not knowing sort of niggles at you. Similarly, Dexter the taxi driver seems to go from cynically exploiting the Barneses to being their best friend in between scenes and in the space of ten minutes, and you kind of have to just mentally shrug and go "oh... OK then" to get around it.
Some of the writer's constructs are far too visible for comfort; for example, it's very clear that Gwyneth Moore (played - bizarrely - by Juliet Stevenson, who I can only assume became involved through Rickman) is going through a divorce simply so that Francois Feulliere can mention it and show the audience he's a baddie... it has not the smallest bearing on the story. There's also a Mancunian cousin of Gissing's shipped in for no clear reason other than to let Barnes break into Gissing's house, attack the wrong person and look a little silly. Why this person had to be a cousin, a Northerner, a bit dim and a boxer is unclear - it's a lot of detail to write in for one punch, which is all the character really contributes. This seems to be a common theme though; Johanna Frielduct, the insane German lady, serves no purpose either - which you'd mind less if she was funny. Binder's speech about business being the new war is just plain painful - I advise you to fast- forward it, you're only missing a fairly pithy and oh-so-American bit of slush tacked on to give "depth" to a character who would have been more likable without it.
The ending is pretty unsatisfying too; the audience is being dragged along in a fully-fledged, high-speed "caper" and then is suddenly slammed face-first into a fluffy, tacked-on wall of Gissing getting married, Linda Barnes (Janeane Garofalo) opening a dance school and Dexter getting off with Gwyneth. All in all the film bears distinct signs that Binder had it stewing away in his head for many years before it was made; I got the impression it was all so familiar and obvious in his head he struggled to see the gaps he was leaving for the viewer.
That's the bad stuff, and in fairness there's a lot of it... but here's the good stuff. Janeane Garofalo (Linda Barnes) is very funny, and when you stop and consider how flat her character actually is it's astonishing how entertaining she manages to be. Allan Corduner (Francoise Feulliere) is good too; an excellent depiction of little-man syndrome at work in the corporate world. Juliet Stevenson (Gwyneth Moore) is very good in the straight role - although she hasn't tried to upstage anyone, you have to watch her quite closely to spot how finely tuned her reactions are to the "wacky" happenings going on around her. Sonya Walger is well cast and manages to do a lot with a very two- dimensional part... you just have to ignore the fact that Mary apparently goes from being a stripper when that suits the story to a stage actor and tap-dancer when THAT suits the story.
There IS some good comedy dialogue in amongst the fluff; the conversation about the use of the word "buggered" when Gissing and Barnes first meet in person is memorable, as is Linda Barnes' screaming rant about the definitions of "fine" and "f*cked". Although it was a very clear vehicle to showcase Binder's comic abilities I actually enjoyed the conversation about Gissing peeing on Feulliere's chair; yes, it was predictable and a very common comic device, but that's OK when it's done well as in this example.
Undoubtedly the best aspect of the film, though, is Rickman. Binder pales into insignificance whenever they share the screen, and even Corduner occasionally gives the impression of struggling for your notice in their shared scenes. In fact, the only person who is able to resist being totally outshone is Garofalo... indeed, the two bounce so well off each other it's a shame they didn't have more scenes together.
Surprisingly I found one of the most endearing scenes to be the one in the dance hall during the end credits, in which the entire cast - in costume - is dancing together to "World of a King" by David Mead. It's so intimate, and really gives you the idea that this has been a small pet project worked on for many years by a small group of friends who knew it wasn't world-changing but cared about it deeply. Seen in this light, The Search for John Gissing is instantly more enjoyable and its flaws more forgivable - it's a shame you only see it at the end.
In summary; if you're a fan of Alan Rickman there IS enough here to make The Search for John Gissing enjoyable. If you're not, there's probably not a lot to hold your interest.
Firstly, it's very old-fashioned in many ways - Mike Binder (who wrote, directed and played Matthew Barnes) can throw around corporate buzzwords all he likes, but they don't stop the film being a strange hybrid of the eighties Wall Street yuppie drama and a Carry On film. It's gimmicky too - you quickly get bored of "I'm from Chicago, so...", and the nun thing with Giles Hannigan (played by Owen Teale) is excruciating. The plot is all very far-fetched; if you can't suspend disbelief and ignore this, you really shouldn't watch this film.
It's also very disjointed; for example, it's not clear until the summing-up at the very end that Mary the stripper/nun (played by Sonya Walger) IS actually Gissing's girlfriend. It's not central to the plot, but not knowing sort of niggles at you. Similarly, Dexter the taxi driver seems to go from cynically exploiting the Barneses to being their best friend in between scenes and in the space of ten minutes, and you kind of have to just mentally shrug and go "oh... OK then" to get around it.
Some of the writer's constructs are far too visible for comfort; for example, it's very clear that Gwyneth Moore (played - bizarrely - by Juliet Stevenson, who I can only assume became involved through Rickman) is going through a divorce simply so that Francois Feulliere can mention it and show the audience he's a baddie... it has not the smallest bearing on the story. There's also a Mancunian cousin of Gissing's shipped in for no clear reason other than to let Barnes break into Gissing's house, attack the wrong person and look a little silly. Why this person had to be a cousin, a Northerner, a bit dim and a boxer is unclear - it's a lot of detail to write in for one punch, which is all the character really contributes. This seems to be a common theme though; Johanna Frielduct, the insane German lady, serves no purpose either - which you'd mind less if she was funny. Binder's speech about business being the new war is just plain painful - I advise you to fast- forward it, you're only missing a fairly pithy and oh-so-American bit of slush tacked on to give "depth" to a character who would have been more likable without it.
The ending is pretty unsatisfying too; the audience is being dragged along in a fully-fledged, high-speed "caper" and then is suddenly slammed face-first into a fluffy, tacked-on wall of Gissing getting married, Linda Barnes (Janeane Garofalo) opening a dance school and Dexter getting off with Gwyneth. All in all the film bears distinct signs that Binder had it stewing away in his head for many years before it was made; I got the impression it was all so familiar and obvious in his head he struggled to see the gaps he was leaving for the viewer.
That's the bad stuff, and in fairness there's a lot of it... but here's the good stuff. Janeane Garofalo (Linda Barnes) is very funny, and when you stop and consider how flat her character actually is it's astonishing how entertaining she manages to be. Allan Corduner (Francoise Feulliere) is good too; an excellent depiction of little-man syndrome at work in the corporate world. Juliet Stevenson (Gwyneth Moore) is very good in the straight role - although she hasn't tried to upstage anyone, you have to watch her quite closely to spot how finely tuned her reactions are to the "wacky" happenings going on around her. Sonya Walger is well cast and manages to do a lot with a very two- dimensional part... you just have to ignore the fact that Mary apparently goes from being a stripper when that suits the story to a stage actor and tap-dancer when THAT suits the story.
There IS some good comedy dialogue in amongst the fluff; the conversation about the use of the word "buggered" when Gissing and Barnes first meet in person is memorable, as is Linda Barnes' screaming rant about the definitions of "fine" and "f*cked". Although it was a very clear vehicle to showcase Binder's comic abilities I actually enjoyed the conversation about Gissing peeing on Feulliere's chair; yes, it was predictable and a very common comic device, but that's OK when it's done well as in this example.
Undoubtedly the best aspect of the film, though, is Rickman. Binder pales into insignificance whenever they share the screen, and even Corduner occasionally gives the impression of struggling for your notice in their shared scenes. In fact, the only person who is able to resist being totally outshone is Garofalo... indeed, the two bounce so well off each other it's a shame they didn't have more scenes together.
Surprisingly I found one of the most endearing scenes to be the one in the dance hall during the end credits, in which the entire cast - in costume - is dancing together to "World of a King" by David Mead. It's so intimate, and really gives you the idea that this has been a small pet project worked on for many years by a small group of friends who knew it wasn't world-changing but cared about it deeply. Seen in this light, The Search for John Gissing is instantly more enjoyable and its flaws more forgivable - it's a shame you only see it at the end.
In summary; if you're a fan of Alan Rickman there IS enough here to make The Search for John Gissing enjoyable. If you're not, there's probably not a lot to hold your interest.