There's nothing I love more than a documentary that is made in a deadly serious style... only for it to become an unintentional comedy classic due to a cast of the amusingly afflicted.
John's Not Mad would be the most famous example, but my own personal favourite would have to be Elvis in Jarrow.
Loansharks falls into the same category thanks to a duo from the dregs of society who live for bingo and booze. They're a fabulous pair of comical clowns, and it's no surprise to see them drinking in the slophouse in the Glasgow slums known as Baird's Bar, the venue where Celtic Football Club held their press conferences when they wanted to intimidate journalists with awkward questions by surrounding them with a crowd composed of the mentally unstable.
It's a hidden gem, and it deserves greater recognition due to a clash of serious film-maker and lunatic cast that leads to several laugh-out-loud moments.
True, it's not Elvis in Jarrow or John's Not Mad, but it's far better than The Scheme.
John's Not Mad would be the most famous example, but my own personal favourite would have to be Elvis in Jarrow.
Loansharks falls into the same category thanks to a duo from the dregs of society who live for bingo and booze. They're a fabulous pair of comical clowns, and it's no surprise to see them drinking in the slophouse in the Glasgow slums known as Baird's Bar, the venue where Celtic Football Club held their press conferences when they wanted to intimidate journalists with awkward questions by surrounding them with a crowd composed of the mentally unstable.
It's a hidden gem, and it deserves greater recognition due to a clash of serious film-maker and lunatic cast that leads to several laugh-out-loud moments.
True, it's not Elvis in Jarrow or John's Not Mad, but it's far better than The Scheme.