Plots With a View

Synopsis: In the Welsh village of Wrottin Powys, Boris Plotz (Alfred Molina) runs a funeral business. Having missed out on the girl of his dreams Betty (Brenda Blethyn) when he was a lad, he now leads an insular life, dreaming of ballroom dancing and his missed opportunities. Meanwhile rival mortician Frank Featherbed (Christopher Walken) moves into town with his brash American style and show-biz funerals.When Betty’s mother dies, she and Boris are thrust together again and sparks rekindle. Her devotion for husband Hugh (Robert Pugh) is dampened when he’s caught inflagrante delicto with secretary Meredith (Naomi Watts), and so Betty dares dream of pursuing happiness with Boris.

Oh dear!  Promotion for this film tout it as “scrumptiously daft” and “deliciously dark”. I just found it more of the same - tedious British pap that does no justice to the fine actors it sports. The promise of the opening scene at the school dance with Artie Shaw’s beguiling rendition of 'Begin the Beguine' soon descends into a predictable plot bristling with nauseating little homilies like “Every weed can be a flower”, and silly sight gags that don’t come off.

Brenda Blethyn is hardly a lifetime’s secret desire material and Alfred Molina does the best he can with a rather insipid character, while Christopher Walken does battle with corny material and an atrocious hairdo! The casting of Naomi Watts as a mono-layered local bimbo is a major insult to her talent. However there are even greater insults to our viewing intelligence to be asked to believe that Betty wouldn’t have seen what was going on under her nose and secondly that someone warm and alive can get away with playing dead in an open casket at her own funeral!!

Some lovely moments are had however when Boris goes into his fantasy world as a dancer and the old big band tunes are a delight. The use of the Jerry Springer show incorporated into a plot is always a fun device and the visual beauty of Wales’ green valleys is a pleasant thing to look at. But these things cannot carry a film.

All that said, I think my prejudices against this type of film come through, as I know that there are many people who enjoy the lightness of the genre and will no doubt find it a pleasing diversion. Certainly it is good to see the subject of death and funeral parlours out in the open and dealt with in a humorous way, but for me the juggle of sentiment and so-called black humour didn’t work.The TV series Six Feet Under do it far better.

 

 

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