Film Hick: I Really Hate My Job (2007)

Directed by: Oliver Parker. Cast: Neve Campbell, Shirley Henderson, Alexandra Maria, Anna Maxwell Martin, Oana Pellea, Danny Huston. Rated: U. Running Time: 90 minutes.

There was something slightly off about this film and I am not entirely sure what it was. I find it odd in a way that the marketing centres around Neve Campbell because despite being the big star this film is more of an ensemble piece. I understand that the film is supposed to reflect the hectic life of kitchen staff in a busy restaurant but the chaos on screen is not only that of the scripted kind – some of the direction seems a bit slapdash too.

Why Neve Campbell\’s character has to appear nude in the film I don\’t know – what exactly that serves to do, apart from to get some attention for the film is beyond me. Do you reach the end of this film feeling like you have travelled anywhere, or like you have been told anything at all? Do you feel like you know the characters even a tiny bit better? Failing that does it let you know what being a waitress is like? I think the only thing that I learned was what Neve Campbell\’s breasts looked like and while this may be enough for some people it isn\’t exactly the best thing to hang a whole film on.

Maybe that\’s unfair – they mightbe able to muster a smirk at the comedy on display; feel a slight twinge at the heart-rending drama; or identify with the plight of the waitresses they get to meet. People should be wanting to come to see a film for a bit more than a pair of tits but I am sure the rumours of that will draw them in. There are a couple of good lines of dialogue that are well delivered but on the whole the film really underwhelmed me – it came across as flat and lifeless and, though I don\’t need to like the characters in a film that I watch, to be emotionally engaged by them is not asking too much. There are better ways to kill an hour than watching this.