*Disclaimer* This review is not for anyone who enjoys the Mrs Brown’s Boys TV show. If you enjoy watching Mrs Brown’s Boys on TV, your mind has already been dulled enough to ensure you will thoroughly enjoy D’Movie, and utter one of the following phrases upon seeing the credits roll – “fair play that was good”, “I have to get that when it comes out!”, or “that was feckin’ funny!” – as do 99% of the people watching, and laughing hysterically, throughout. If you enjoy the TV show, you’ll enjoy the movie, and likely loathe this review, so please, just go and see it. You know you want to. *Disclaimer Ends*
If you’re a fan of the TV show odds are you’re already planning on seeing D’Movie, but if not, if you detest the predictable, formulaic, anything-for-a-cheap-laugh, clap-trap sit-com that is Mrs Brown’s Boys, you’re probably making the wise decision to avoid Mrs Brown’s Boys: D’Movie; a well made, and enviable, decision if ever there was one.
Being mostly unfamiliar with the characters (save for the inescapable mug of Brendan O’Carroll’s Mammy) does nothing to hinder viewing of the film, yet it also does nothing to lessen the discomfort caused by dutifully enduring this dreary, 94 minute, lowest common denominator, bore-fest which barely deserves to be on the small screen, let alone obviously, and poorly, stretched into a drawn out, over-hyped, unrealistic, unfunny, comedy adventure.
As with many a sit-com film, the transition from small to big screen isn’t one easily made (they do make a small joke about that near the beginning, but Mrs Brown’s unfortunately lacks the panache to pull off even a hint of the 22 Jump Street, self-aware, brilliance), and this film is one that should never have passed the brainstorming phase; because having Mammy, suddenly become not only the heart and sole of Dublin, but placing her market stall under threat from the Russian mafia, and forcing her to use her idiotic, cliched, family members to get her out of an equally ridiculous 4million Euro Tax Bill, using blind ninjas, a stolen horse, and a Chinaman (also played by O’Carroll) who’s the most shockingly racist character seen on screen for years (simply for the way in which he’s depicted – played by an Irishman squinting, and putting on an awful accent), just smacks of utter desperation, a lack of quality material, and the need for bucket loads of filler in what amounts to nothing but a shameless cash-in opportunity (clearly evident when there’s so little actually material, that outtakes and actor fuck-ups are actually left in the movie, followed straight away by the real take!).
Brendan O’Carroll must be laughing his ass off all the way to the bank, because not only is Mrs Brown’s the biggest show on TV, and recently hit a huge DVD sales milestone, it’s also rocketed to the number one spot on the UK Box Office, despite having a ludicrous plot, piss-poor acting, awful editing, and frankly, being shit.
There’s no character development, the plot (what there is of one) is nonsensical drivel, and every single ill-conceived, cheap, undeserved laugh has no thought behind it whatsoever; we’ve two pointless musical numbers, dozens of stupid (and out-of-place) slapstick moments (and how can you mess-up slapstick!?), a few 4th-wall-breaking bits of bullshit (which are apparently a staple of the show), and the overuse of ‘comedy’ swearing/nob-gags for an easy-out when needed; there’s no thought, no effort, and nothing here deserving of recognition, save Brendan O’Carroll’s ability to con the British and Irish public into thinking he’s done something original.
If you’ve got half a brain cell, you’re probably not into the show anyway, but just in case you thought you might be missing out on the modern cultural phenomenon that is Mrs Brown Boys (consider yourself one of the lucky ones), just in case you thought a film version might be good, and just in case someone was trying to talk you into seeing it… Don’t.
Mrs Brown’s Boys: D’Movie is a black-hole of time, two hours of your life you’ll never get back (when you add in the time it takes for the trailers to play), and one of the worst movies seen for some time. Making a somewhat average comedy like A Million Ways To Die In The West look like a masterpiece, Mrs Brown’s Boys: D’Movie is a God-awful film; dull, predictable, and not even remotely funny; which means, should you be unfortunate enough to see it, you will want to bleach it from your mind forever.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
Mrs Brown’s Boys: D’Movie was viewed in The Regent Cinema, Newtown.
