Shane Meadows (This is
England) directs this mock music documentary about Le Donk (Paddy
Considine), a Nottingham based roadie working
for The Arctic Monkeys and managing
rapped Scor-zay-zee (playing himself). The film blends reality and fiction and
is set and filmed in five days leading up to an Arctic Monkeys gig in Manchester .
Le Donk has recently separated from his pregnant girlfriend (Olivia Coleman)
and travels to Manchester
with Scor-zay-zee for work and with the hope that he can somehow get the rapper
on the bill at the gig.
Paddy Considine is brilliant as Le Donk and carries the
entire movie. Most of his lines are improvised and the majority work, with
hilarious results. He appears to be channelling David Brent and Alan Partridge
at times but is thoroughly convincing. The film itself outstays its welcome after
about 45 minutes. Despite a promising start the joke kind of gets old by the
mid way point and although the film comes in at only 71 minutes, it feels long.
I couldn’t help feeling that it was more suited to TV and perhaps would have
worked better as a 45 minute or one hour special. I’m glad that I didn’t see it
at the cinema myself.