Cemetery Junction - Cage

Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant are just two dudes that usher 'funny stuff' into short moments of reality in a way that has been super successful, save 'The Invention of Lying' (see review by Buck). For me, 'Extras' and 'The Office' are two of the best television shows ever made. The way that Gervais writes every single character as a witty, quick talking, perfect personification of the person you want that person to be is why he is making so many dough stacks right now. This movie is a manifestation of Gervais and Merchant's ability to do that. I think of it as them recounting a story for some of their friends. Something really funny happened to them and they are telling their friends about the time their buddy did this or that and had this boss that was this way or that and he said this or that and no one could believe he did it. And this is how they write their shows and movies. This way, each character's line or action is focused on the thing that was most funny or meaningful. And the meaningful is where I think Gervais is moving towards more often. The slapstick, awkward humor of The Office was followed up by still awkward humor in 'Extras' but a bit more real. Ghost Town was similar to Extras in this sense. And now, just as Judd Apotow with 'Funny People' has dipped into the darker side of comedy, Gervais is becoming a bit more real with his stuff. I would like to make a generalization and say that most actors and writers that make so much money off of being funny are actually really serious and emotional and smart people. I think of Conan crying every time he talks about how much the Late Night show meant to him and Dave Chapelle getting so serious with James Lipton on Inside the Actor's studio or John Stewart making earnest political appeals. I think these people really 'get' their audience and are good at making their timing and humorous moments perfect because they know what it feels like to live on that line of funny and real or funny and sad. In this way, they are really talented because it is hard to write real and funny in a way that is not lame.

Cemetery Junction takes a classic theme and interjects super witty, sensationalized characters

into seemingly real situations. You want to hang out with the main characters, you want to

punch the butthead of a boss, and you want to marry the girl. The three main characters are each stuck in the suburban boringness of 1970s England which could very

well be an American suburb. They feel they missed out on the 60s and dream of hitch-hiking to National Geographic destinations to take pictures, cause taking pictures of their feet aren't getting them much. So this is the classic story of kids wanting to get out and 'experience the world'. In the way are drunk parents, abusive parents, the law and the prospect of getting or keeping real jobs and raising a family and living a civilized life. They finally plan their break, go to get the girl, she doesn't come, then she comes and they catch the last train out of town. It's definitely a feel good movie and as I said, you love all the characters. Gervais and Merchant are starting to reach out a bit but I feel they are repeating some jokes and sticking to some staples that people expect them to stick to. I expect in the near future that Gervais is going to get a bit darker and a bit more real. If he gets bored with his characterizations and patters of story telling I would imagine that people, especially in Britain, aren't going to like what he comes up with. Thus is the paradox that chubby comedians who tell piss, fart and dick jokes have to face up to. I suspect though that we haven't seen just how dark Gervais can get. I liked this movie and I'm looking forward to his post-rehab films.