The film is comfortably uplifting while not requiring too much effort on its audiences part.
Director: Anthony Wilcox
Cast: Charlie Cox, Jodie Whittaker, Paul Schneider, Henry Lloyd Hughes
Rating: 15
Running Time: 81 mins
Release: Cinema – Dec 5th, DVD – December 8th
At first glance, this sweet little comedy caper may appear typically cliché of those love-journey rom/com’s in which a young man finds himself on a desperate search for his ex, in the hopes of rekindling their romance. All the typical conventions of such a film are set and present but thanks to some charming performances from young British talent and an eccentric addition from an actor across the pond, what one finds instead is a likable London adventure.
British gent Charlie Cox finds himself in the title role of Carter, a down on his luck Londoner who finds himself homeless, jobless and still pining after his American ex-girlfriend, Kelly, even eleven months after their breakup. Life is pretty bleak for young Carter as he’s finally booted out of his brother’s (Christian Cook) flat and finds himself setting up camp in his batty Aunt Miriam’s (Judy Parfitt) home. After a disastrous job recruitment meeting, he meets the scatty Jenny (Jodie Whittaker), who soon becomes his new partner in crime.
When Carter bumps into the eccentric and slightly unhinged washed-up celebrity brother of his ex, Aaron (Paul Schneider), he see’s it as the perfect opportunity to get hold of Kelly. The slightly broken Aaron soon agrees to exchange Kelly’s number in the return of one favour, Carter must deliver a mystery letter of an equally mysterious woman, Tara – no questions asked. This is Carter’s first of many mistakes as chaos ensues when he soon finds himself holding Tara’s baby on the cold streets of London. With Aaron and Jenny by his side, Carter finds himself dodging arrest while grasping for the infamous Kelly’s number.
The narrative to follow finds itself skirting the lines of overly far-fetched as Carter makes every possible bad decision that one can imagine. From taking a baby into a club to running circles around the police, Carter and his gang of mistake-makers make it their number one mission to make everything that little bit worse. At worst, this can feel slightly tedious but first time director Anthony Wilcox does his best to keep audiences on Carter’s side by ensuring he’s at all times charming and witty, with a script that makes the most of that awkward British humour that’s so popular in contemporary Brit film and television.
While Wilcox’s technical abilities aren’t going to blow anybody away, for a directorial debut, Hello Carter makes the most of it’s theme for young and trendy talent by keeping the shooting and editing fresh and exciting. Lots of quick edits and sweeping shots, enough establishing shots of the big smoke to make one feel completely at home in the city, while ensuring audiences feel small enough to burrow into the narrative. The dialogue feels a little cringy at times, breaking that comfortable position of easy watching by distraction but brings itself back in true moments of need.
Known for his work on films like STARDUST, Charlie Cox plays a brilliant Carter. With that familiar sense of unease one finds with the lost youth of London’s young men, Cox breathes life into an otherwise irritating character. Were it not for his easy charm, quick wit and general likability, Carter would be an insufferable grump. Cox’s sweet nature just about stops one from screaming at Carter to “GET OVER IT”– thank’s for that, Cox.
Unfortunately, due to a small running time of just eighty minutes, other characters get a little lost in Carter’s story. Whittaker’s Jenny and Schneider’s Aaron feel neglected and could have made for really interesting characters in a slightly longer, more in-depth narrative. However, this does not distract from their stellar performances as Schneider’s sparking nature is enjoyable and Whittaker’s natural performance works well also. The very small parts played by Christian Cook and Antonia Thomas are completely lost in the narrative as their bit-parts seem wasted and ill-prepared. They, unfortunately, don’t bring anything to the narrative, even as driving forces for Carter’s story, which is a shame.
Anthony Wilcox’s Hello Carter isn’t going to be changing the state of modern cinema any time soon but is most certainly an easy to watch, easy to enjoy story of young love in London. With it’s impressive cinematography and brilliant soundtrack, Hello Carter is comfortably uplifting while not requiring too much effort on its audiences part.
Sit back and enjoy the many mistakes of young Carter as his search for unrequited love leads him down a charming and entertainment path.
Verdict
HELLO CARTER is in cinemas 5 December and out on DVD 8 December.
[KGVID width=”640″ height=”360″]https://www.filmandtvnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Hello-Carter_trailer.mp4[/KGVID]
