REVIEWED
"Dudley, I don't think it's possible to belittle a club-footed dwarf whose only talent is to play Chopsticks in the style of Debussy."
- Peter Cook (Rhys Ifans)
Made for television biopic of Peter Cook, chronicling the rise and subsequent fall of one of the true pioneers of British comedy & satire.
I wasn't fully convinced with this film, while Rhys Ifans does a sterling job as Cook, it felt far too wallowing in his bleaker periods and fights with Dud. Instead of his heady days of being the funniest man in the country. Aidan McArdle as Dudley starts off a little testing, but he fits the role better later when hes become a star. Jonathan Aris is perfect as Miller, but Alan Cox felt flat as Bennett. There also seems more than a little television station rivalry going on towards the end, with Channel4 highlighting how little part the BBC played in Cooks later life (which is a shame because I love his performace in the One foot in the Grave special. Its worth seeing though, of course Not Only But Always is at its best when it showcases Cook's talent, which is never boring.
[Personal Reasons For Remembering]
Rhys Ifans really captures Cooks mannerisms and cynical attitude to perfection.
Originally taken from Letterboxd
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