Karen Gillan’s first role to be released post-Pond is a pleasant, occasionally laugh-out-loud Scottish rom-com. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, pokes fun at genre clichés while also revelling in them, and employs popcorn logic cheerfully. It isn’t the most funny or romantic film ever made, and occasionally its screwball sensibilities are beyond the reach of its cast’s comic timing, but neither is it a charmless shrew-fest like so many of its kind. The initial setup drags slightly, though once that’s out the way the film starts to find its feet quickly. David Solomons’ script has a few interesting ideas, but these remain largely unexplored in favour of quickfire wit set in a universe where everyone wears vintage fashion. For example: Jane starts hallucinating the lead character from her second book, Darsie (Outcasts, Being Human, and Torchwood‘s Amy Manson, looking like a series of Vettriano paintings) but this is mainly as a source of jokes rather than any deep insights into writing or character. Some films would’ve taken this as a starting point for the entire story, whereas here it’s just another light touch, allowing the film to laugh at itself for indulging in contrived nudity and highlighting its male romantic lead’s traditionally immoral behaviour (rule #1 of being a male romantic lead: do what you want, you’re going to get laid anyway). Content just to be fun, the romance is uncomplicated, even with Jane in a relationship with a self-obsessed hack who is adapting her first novel into a film. To the film’s credit, it does make you think at times that she and Tom genuinely won’t get together, possibly to the point in evoking tears in people less dead on the inside than me. The comedy aspect is patchy, but there are some good laughs to be had. There are also some subtle ones that might go over the heads of a wider audience. Tom’s assistant, Roddie (Iain De Caestecker, ex of The Fades, soon to be of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) gets most of the laughs, including in a seemingly improvised post-credits sequence, but look out for the title of the book he’s reading in the office. There’s also a subtle music gag in a scene where Tom breaks into Jane’s house in a misguided attempt to make her more miserable. Overall, Not Another Happy Ending has enough going for it to overcome its weaknesses, and certainly felt more enjoyable than most of the charmless pish pumped out by the bigger studios, even if it’s not quite at the level of a Bill Forsyth movie. Sit back, relax, ignore the predictable soundtrack (Sandi Thom is still making music for some reason), and enjoy the froth, the freakishly-well funded pub quiz, and Iain De Caestecker quietly winning the film. Please, if you can, buy our charity horror stories ebook, Den Of Eek!, raising money for Geeks Vs Cancer. Details here.
