'Eaten by Lions' is a comedy that follows half brothers Omar and Pete on a journey to find Omar's real father. This comedy will give you some good tongue in cheek laughs and occasionally will make you question whether family really is defined just by blood relatives. Throughout the film we see examples of strangers doing good deeds that you would expect from family, and family behaving in a manner that you would expect from strangers. It's a feel good film, something I think would be perfect to watch snuggled up on a Sunday evening after a roast (or whatever your Sunday food of choice is).
Although the film is advertised as a comedy, so of course that should be the main focus, I do think more could have been done to build warmth and genuine connection between characters. There was definitely something there but I think there were times when we should have felt more remorse or empathy for certain situations, and because the jokes always took premise there was sometimes nothing underneath. Again, of course jokes are important in comedy but these characters are still going through a journey that should inspire emotion other than just laughter from the audience. Some of the scenes also felt like they went on a little longer than they needed to, but that can be forgiven as the actors still give great performances during them.
All of the cast did a good job, Antonio Aakeel as Omar brought a lovely subtlety to the screen that was a nice balance to some of the more extroverted characters around him, but for me the real stand outs were the supporting characters. Tom Binns lit up the screen as the ever so slightly camp fortune teller, never missing a beat with his comic timing. Kevin Eldon perfectly captured a bored suburban husband and probably did the best job of being funny but also very natural, and Natalie Davis as Parveen. It's very hard to describe her character without spoilers but I think she is a gem of a comedic actor and look forward to seeing what other roles she goes on to do.
Over all the film gets three stars, a feel good film with great performances but definitely could have got the same point across if it was 15 minutes shorter.
Although the film is advertised as a comedy, so of course that should be the main focus, I do think more could have been done to build warmth and genuine connection between characters. There was definitely something there but I think there were times when we should have felt more remorse or empathy for certain situations, and because the jokes always took premise there was sometimes nothing underneath. Again, of course jokes are important in comedy but these characters are still going through a journey that should inspire emotion other than just laughter from the audience. Some of the scenes also felt like they went on a little longer than they needed to, but that can be forgiven as the actors still give great performances during them.
All of the cast did a good job, Antonio Aakeel as Omar brought a lovely subtlety to the screen that was a nice balance to some of the more extroverted characters around him, but for me the real stand outs were the supporting characters. Tom Binns lit up the screen as the ever so slightly camp fortune teller, never missing a beat with his comic timing. Kevin Eldon perfectly captured a bored suburban husband and probably did the best job of being funny but also very natural, and Natalie Davis as Parveen. It's very hard to describe her character without spoilers but I think she is a gem of a comedic actor and look forward to seeing what other roles she goes on to do.
Over all the film gets three stars, a feel good film with great performances but definitely could have got the same point across if it was 15 minutes shorter.
Review by Summer Kaye.
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