Dad’s Army
Band of blunderers…
Amovie version of beloved wartime sitcom Dad’s Army? Talk about stomping on sacrilegious ground. But fair play to director Oliver Parker and screenwriter Hamish McColl, they make a go of it, with a brilliantly appointed cast led from the front by Toby Jones as Captain Mainwaring, the pompous bank manager and leader of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard.
Alongside him, Bill Nighy is perfect as suave Oxbridge bumbler Sgt. Wilson. Ditto Michael Gambon as sweet old codger Godfrey, Sir Tom Courtenay as Corporal Jones, The Inbetweeners’ Blake Harrison as “stupid boy” Pike and Daniel Mays as spivvy Wilson. Joining them is Catherine Zeta-Jones as a journalist for The Lady magazine, penning an article on our heroes.
It’s 1944 and the men are losing morale. But when it’s revealed there’s a German spy in their midst, Mainwaring and co. see a chance to do something for the war effort before the platoon is disbanded by Mark Gatiss’ toffy-nosed military man. The laughs are largely gentle, with a few saucy postcard innuendos (“slipping her a sausage”) and some pratfalls, courtesy of Jones’ gift for physical comedy.
Parker, who previously helmed the St. Trinian’s reboots, does his best to approximate the original show, from shoehorning in the catchphrases (“We’re doomed!” etc), to the theme tune and the “You have been watching...” end credit that always followed any Jimmy Perry-David Croft creation. At least the set-pieces are bigger, involving tanks, U-boats, explosions and a real cliffhanger with Jones.
The end result emerges as an eerie facsimile – one that leaves you wondering what the point is. However good the actors all are, they’re never going to be Arthur Lowe and co. Adding in Mainwaring’s previously unseen wife (Felicity Montagu) is a nice touch, but really the film is vying for the goodwill of older audiences who’d be better off sitting at home watching the repeats with a cup of tea and a Chelsea bun.
THE VERDICT Full marks for the impersonations, no marks for originality. Not the embarrassment it could easily have been, but far from a must-see-at-the-cinema.
› Certificate PG Director Oliver Parker Starring Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Daniel Mays, Blake Harrison Screenplay Hamish McColl Distributor Universal Running time 99 mins