The appeal of Sacha Baron Cohen has largely passed me by. I tend to find his films more annoying than funny, and usually a one joke affair. So, my expectations for Grimsby were pretty low and I can’t say that I was disappointed.
He plays Nobby Butcher, a waster from Grimsby. Orphaned as a young child, he was separated from his younger brother and has not seen him since. His brother, Sebastian (Mark Strong) has grown up to be an elite spy. They have a chance encounter and Sebastian has to go on the run after being accused of murder. It seems he needs to turn to Nobby for help…
This is a curious film. Peppered with gross out humour but also strangely old-fashioned. A spy spoof like this seems very tired after last year’s terrific Spy. It is more reminiscent of the Johnny English sequel than that very funny film. The depiction of Nobby and his pals as football hooligans seems very 1980s, aided by a Britpop soundtrack. Obviously they had issues securing rights from FIFA as the backdrop to the film is a world football tournament clearly meant to be the World Cup but not named as such. With Nobby supporting a team called ‘Grimsby United’ who we see playing ‘Barnsley Athletic’ there is a lack of authenticity all round.
Cohen is adequate, though his accent is more Yorkshire than Lincolnshire and Mark Strong plays the whole thing completely straight. There are some notable performers in the supporting cast – including Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Ricky Tomlinson, Johnny Vegas – but they are either wasted or barely appear. Isla Fisher as the co-worker who believes in Sebastian’s innocence comes out as unscathed as anyone.
A couple of sniggers only in this messy comedy.
Rating: 3 out of 10