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The Martins cast: Lee Evans, Kathy Burke director: Tony Grounds 85 minutes (15) 2001 Icon VHS rental Also available to buy on DVD RATING: 5/10 reviewed by Debbie Moon |
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The Martins is advertised as a comedy, but if it is, it's the blackest of black comedies. The continual parade of humiliations that is Robert's life is too vicious to get more than a nervous laugh. Perhaps it's best viewed as a satirical drama with a warm, though not overly sentimental, heart.
Lee Evans plays admirably straight as a good man whose best efforts are always doomed, and Kathy Burke, who can probably play this kind of role in her sleep by now, gives admirable support. The script, however, never builds to the heights either of drama or of comedy that the idea suggests, and the ending is strangely low-key, leaving us unsure how Robert has been changed by his experiences. The uncertainty of tone makes the film less satisfying than it could have been, but it�s still an interesting idea well worth a look.