After a particularly harsh winter, Brian goes into a deep depression; completely isolated and with no one to talk to, Brian builds a robot. This is Jim Archer’s debut feature, Brian And Charles.
Your enjoyment of Brian and Charles will very much depend on how you feel about the film’s lead actor David Earl as Brian. A comedian and a familiar face to British audiences, Earl has been a regular collaborator with Ricky Gervais, including playing memorable supporting roles in ‘Derek’ and ‘Afterlife’. His characters are very much the same – each of his roles sees him playing a gruff, bearded, man-child, much like Zach Galifanakis’ Alan in the Hangover. Played very much for comedy value in the TV shows, Earl has given audiences some huge laughs over the years. Brian is another riff on Earl’s well-worn persona, watching the film I can say it worked for me, but over 90 minutes I can see it potentially grating to others. What the longer running time of a feature film does give Earl as an actor is the space to be far more nuanced with his performance. This means Brian becomes much more than just another oddball or token weirdo to laugh at – he becomes fully fleshed out and anchors the film as its tragic hero.
Much like Gervais’s earlier style, Brian and Charles use a documentary film crew to follow Brian around his hometown. This gives Earl plenty of opportunities to break the fourth wall and address the audience. He calls himself an inventor, but in reality, he is a skip diver who has spent most of his adult life alone, creating things from rubbish that have ended up being completely useless – a Pine Cone Bag is a cloth bag for life with pine cones stuck to it, an egg belt is a belt for eggs fully affixed with compartments, while a flying Cuckoo Clock tends to burn far more easily than it flies. After an exciting day of scavenging at the local tip, Brian builds himself a robot using the junk he has found. Named Charles, he is initially a motionless monolith, but during a lightning storm, much like Johnny Five from Short Circuit, the robot comes to life. A stiff, square, jerky piece of equipment with the body of a washing machine and a mannequin head, he also reads books retaining information like Johnny Five. Charles is a particularly memorable creation and as he begins a friendship and forms a bond with the lonely Brian it develops so sweetly that we are even reminded of E.T.
Within the script, written by Earl and Chris Hayward that wanders along at a mild pace, there are no huge laughs but there are plenty of constant giggles and smiles of recognition to be had whether that be with Brian’s reaction shots, Charles’s love of cabbages and dancing, or the deadpan delivery of Charles’ lines. The robotic voice is supplied with aplomb by co-writer Chris Hayward. Murren Tullett’s cinematography captures the wild Welsh landscapes with a sweeping pallet of autumnal colours, while also using Steadicam shots suggesting the documentary team is constantly on the move capturing everything they can. Jim Archer’s direction is also key to capturing the gentle whimsy of the fantasy while his control keeps the film lodged firmly in reality. No shot or performance is overplayed and every scene is perfectly paced.
Britain has had a litany of great comedic double acts over the years, Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies, and Cannon and Ball to name but a few. We can add to that list thanks to this gentle, genial, and reflective British comedy film. Brian And Charles a beautiful and uplifting piece of work.
BRIAN AND CHARLES is directed by JIM ARCHER (The Young Offenders) from a screenplay by DAVID EARL (The Rovers) and CHRIS HAYWARD (Trollied). The film is produced by RUPERT MAJENDIE (Pls Like). The film’s executive producers are DAMIAN JONES (The Lady in the Van), LAUREN DARK (Passing), MARY BURKE (Submarine), and JIM REEVE (The Wedding Date). The release will include the following special features: GAG REEL, THIS & THAT FEATURETTE, TWITTER Q&A FEATURETTE.
BRIAN AND CHARLES WILL BE RELEASED ON DVD AND BLU-RAY ON 24 OCTOBER 2022
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