A One Mann’s Movies review of “Rumours” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival).
The pompsity of the G7 conferences is ripe for popping, and “Rumours” does it in style. This is a carnival of absurdity that is funny but uneven.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Rumours” Plot Summary:
It’s the G7 summit being held in a German country estate. The host is the German premier Hilda Orlmann (Cate Blanchett) and the other delegates are Antonio Lamorle from Italy (Rolando Ravello); Maxime Laplace from Canada (Roy Dupuis); Sylvain Broulez from France (Denis Ménochet); Tatsuro Iwasaki from Japan (Takehiro Hira); Cardosa Dewindt (Nikki Amuka-Bird), the UK Prime Minister and the US President Edison Wolcott (Charles Dance). Within the grounds, an anthropologist is unearthing ancient “bog people” preserved in the area’s peat marshes. (Didn’t he ever watch “Poltergeist“… you should never mess with an ancient burial ground!) As the team engage on their “writing of a provisional statement” in a garden pergola, it is clear that something strange is happening around them.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: R. (At the time of writing, this had not been rated by the BBFC but I would expect it to be a ’15’ based on language, sexual content and a suicide theme.)
Talent:
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rolando Ravello, Charles Dance, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Roy Dupuis, Denis Ménochet, Takehiro Hira, Alexa Kennedy, Ralph Berkin, Alicia Vikander.
Directed by: Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson & Guy Maddin.
Written by: Evan Johnson.
Running Time: 1h 43m.
“Rumours” Summary:
Positives:
- There is a lot of absurd comedy in this that really did make me laugh. It’s a great premise.
- A great cast. Cate Blanchett, Roy Dupois, Charles Dance, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Alicia Vikander (in particular) deliver great comedy performances.
- A great ending.
Negatives:
- As often with comedies, there are elements that don’t work and a middle section in the woods that is not as consistently funny. .
Review of “Rumours”:
Pompous posturing.
There is something inherently comical about 7 leaders from such disparate countries coming together to ‘talk’ and film well lampoons the opportunity. Cate Blanchett is just pitch perfect as the German leader politely guiding her guests to the pergola in the gardens to begin their discussions. And if you are saying “wtf” to Charles Dance playing the US President, then so was I! This is a great gag… later in the film he is asked by the Italian delegate “What’s with the accent?” and he starts explaining “Well…. ” before the duo are interrupted!
The world is in the middle of a “current crisis” (isn’t it always?) and it’s another running joke that the team are constantly trying to construct their “provisional statement”, full of meaningless platitudes (as they often are). Even in the depths of utter madness, someone will still say “have you got your laptop” and start scribbling. Even some of President Wolcott’s random dream-talking gets itself transcribed onto paper.
The best circle-jerk in movie history.
Of course, the disturbed bog people keep making appearances after an hilarious group photo with one of the bodies (see above). Of the animated ones later in the film, they have a tendency to masturbate when they get really exercised. In one memorable scene, a whole set of bog people (about 5, as many as you feel the film’s wardrobe budget could run to) are wanking in a circle around a big fire in the woods. As the music reaches a crescendo, the fire goes out. “See how their ancient seed has extinguished the fire” gasped one of the delegates in awe. LOL.
An excellent cast
As well as Blanchett, who is really a dab hand at deadpan comedy, and Dance who plays… well… Charles Dance… immaculately, the rest of the cast also work well together. In particular, Roy Dupois – the Canadian silver-shark of the leadership bedrooms, and Nikki Amuka-Bird, as one of his more recent lays, make a great pairing with Amuke-Bird full of awkward British embarrassment.
In fact it is Maxime (Roy Dupuis) who gets to be the big hero of the film in wading across a river in the fog to the dramatic tunes of Enya’s “Boadicea”. It makes for an epic and memorable scene.
Appearing later in the film is Alicia Vikander as the EU President in a state of almost madness. It’s an extraordinary eye-rolling, Swedish-babbling tour-de-force.
Some of it really works and is funny.
There are moments of great mirth to be had in this comedy:
- The US President, Wolcott, using a huge Stars and Stripes flag as his napkin (surely a criminal offence in the US?!)
- Wolcott again declaring himself to be the leader of the “oldest democracy in the world”.
- The Italian who’s “greatest regret” was dressing up as Mussolini at costume parties.
- Lamorle: “Canada is too fast for Germamy – what does it all mean?”
- Wolcott: “Germany caught up in dramatics. We’ve seen this before.”
Best of all is a sequence where a young girl is texting Maxime and they think it’s an advanced AI testing him as a paedophile (“Yes, yes… leaders and men of power are more likely to be paedophiles!” someone comments). Maxime has to pretend to be a paedo, with help and advice from the other leaders, to convince the “AI” to send someone to arrest him!
But, some of it just didn’t work.
Often the problem with a comedy film, and particularly one like this that has it’s finger firmly pressed down on the absurd button, is that some of the scenes just didn’t land with me. At one point there is a giant brain in the woods that Alicia Vikander’s character seems to worship (without explanation). The whole middle part of the film is a lot of wandering around in the woods where equally unexplained things happen (Sylvain’s ‘jelly legs’ for example). I thought the film had a strong start and a strong end, but needed more content in the middle section which rather resembled at times the “Harry Potter and the Camping Trip of Destiny” film.
The inconsistent style is probably not helped by having not one, not two, but three different directors involved.
The finale
Thankfully, the film does end in magnificent style with a balcony speech scene that had me guffawing at the ludicrous pomposity of it all. (Thankfully, slips for the sleep tank made it in!) I was on 3-stars as the rating for this one, but thinking again about the ending tipped it another half star!
Summary Thoughts on “Rumours”
“Rumours” passed the 6-laugh test for me but comedy is very personal so you might sit their stony faced (as a proportion of those at our screening did – – I was only one of a handful of people that clapped at the end).
Rumours is due to be released in US cinemas on October 18 in the US and December 6 in the UK.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Rumours”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH8OqKozm5o . Note that this is the red band trailer.
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