JULIET, NAKED
(Cert 15, 98mins)
NICK Hornby took us into the mind of the obsessive fan with his Nineties novels Fever Pitch and High Fidelity and this romcom is based on his 2009 novel but set in the present day when the internet has given superfandom an unhealthy boost. But it has also given the objects of superfans’ affection a chance to bite back.
Chris O’Dowd plays Duncan, a television studies teacher from the fictional Kent seaside town of Sandcliff who runs a fansite about a briefly famous Nineties rock star called Tucker Crowe.
Crowe (Ethan Hawke) recorded a single album called Juliet before disappearing midway through a gig.
To the annoyance of his put-upon girlfriend of 15 years, Annie (Rose Byrne), Duncan spends long nights discussing Crowe’s lyrics on his site’s message board. Then Duncan receives a preview CD of a demo version of Tucker’s album. When Annie tells him she thinks it’s rubbish, Duncan flounces off to spend the night chatting online with his middle-aged acolytes.
In revenge, Annie posts a scathing review on his website. And it gets one very positive response, from Crowe himself, who completely agrees that his demo was rubbish.
The pair start corresponding online and shortly after Duncan and Annie split up, Crowe travels from America to Sandcliff.
It’s a bit far-fetched but Hawke brings a lived-in charm to the ageing rocker and once you get past Byrne’s wandering English accent, you find yourself rooting for this odd couple.