A One Mann’s Movies Film Review of “The Trouble With Jessica” (2024).
One of the movies on my recent Air Egypt flight was “The Trouble With Jessica”. The only problem was that Air Egypt muted any bad language and there is a lot of it in this farcical black comedy! It made for an unintentionally comical watch!
Thankfully, the UK version, currently on release in UK cinemas, has no such redaction.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Sarah (Shirley Henderson) and Tom (Alan Tudyk) as in deep financial difficulties and have to sell their London home. They’ve found a buyer but their sale runs into potential difficulty when their friends Richard (Rufus Sewell) and Beth (Olivia Williams) bring round the seductive and mysterious Jessica (Indira Varma) with them. And Jessica IS trouble!
Certification:
UK: 15; US: NR. (From the BBFC web site: Very strong language, strong sex, references to sexual violence and suicide.)
Talent:
Starring: Shirley Henderson, Alan Tudyk, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams, Indira Varma, Sylvester Groth, Anne Reid.
Directed by: Matt Winn.
Written by: James Handel and Matt Winn.
Twitter Handle: #TheTroubleWithJessica.
Running Time: 1h 29m.
“The Trouble With Jessica” Film Review:
Positives:
- It’s a good old fashioned British comedy farce – as black as night – that would actually work just as well on the stage as on the screen. “Whoops, there goes my trousers Vicar!” brought up to date with a few nice twists and juicy expletives.
- The ensemble of actors do a great job, with it being difficult to single anyone specific out. Aside from the four main leads, the rest of the cast are a who’s who of “where did I see them from”: notably the nosy neighbour played by Anne Reid, a familiar face most famous for “Hot Fuzz”; and the strikingly attractive Indira Varma, most recently seen as one of the CIA people in “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1“.
- The film specialises, as most good farces do, with some good running jokes. The French dish Clafouti displays a particularly prominent role and I enjoyed the rich German buyer (Sylvester Groth) wandering around the house just saying “OK” blankly to everything.
Negatives:
- Like any farce, the plot stretches credibility somewhat. There’s no way anyone is getting away with this whichever way it went!
Triggers?
The film contains a theme of suicide which might be disturbing to some viewers.
Summary Thoughts on “The Trouble With Jessica”
It’s a fun, terribly British, comedy of manners and embarrassments. Imagine the dinner party scene from “Notting Hill” and then add some very (VERY) dark themes. But I enjoyed this one: it’s smart, cutting and devilishly made.
If you want to catch this one at the cinema though, you will have to be a dogged detective and pretty quick about it. It is on a shamefully limited release and likely to be out of most multiplex doors by the end of this week.
Trailer for “The Trouble with Jessica”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQAmdAQ2sIg .
By the way, the trailer makes it very, very clear what the trouble with Jessica is…. something I have specifically avoided saying in this review. So if you prefer your Clafouti served cold, the trailer is best avoided!
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For a film that is more in line with a stage play ‘Jessica’ manages to keep the action reasonably fast. Having said that, as its rather claustrophobic setting and premise gets deeper into its darker territory it can be felt to drag somewhat – think ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf’. While Virginia had the good sense to keep its heavy dialogue in a measured place ‘Jessica’ goes all out to be trendy and only wants to appeal to the modern cocktail generation, those who feel it’s ‘smart’ to change the meaning of words in an effort to appear hip. Those… Read more »
Thanks Ken for your analysis. Although it only bears a slight similarlity to Hitchcock’s “The Trouble with Harry” (ie there is a body found!) I understand and agree with your comment about Hitchcock themes. As I said, I only saw a severely redacted version, so need to rewatch it to judge the “sweariness” quotient. Thanks for commenting… appreciated.