Bob's Weekend (1996) User Reviews

CORONATION STREET Viewers Will Love This

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 27 August 2004]

It`s often a dangerous sign when a Brit flick opens with a scene featuring an actor who`s famous for a role in a soap opera . Does anyone remember that gawd awful movie THE WEDDING TACKLE that had Leslie Grantham from EASTENDERS in it ? Boy that was a really rank movie , so when BOB`S WEEKEND opening scene had Bruce Jones ( Les Battersby from CORONATION STREET ) alarm bells started ringing in my head , a situation not helped when moments later another CORONATION STREET regular ( Samia Ghadie ) appeared in a walk on role . It`s also impossible to think of Jones as anyone except Les from CORONATION STREET since being type cast as a regular character from a famous soap does tend to kill off an actors career

Despite this BOB`S WEEKEND works because it`s like watching a slightly grittier version of CORONATION STREET and it`s very easy to recommend this movie to fans of the soap . Bob is almost a clone of Les as eternal failure seems to heap up upon him . There`s a scene with Jones and Brian Glover that could have come from a classic episode of the Manchester soap opera followed by a scene that could have easily featured Janice Battersby and a " taxi driver " , with darkly comic scenes coming by the bucketload

I`m not a fan of soap operas but if you like CORONATION STREET you`ll enjoy this Brit flick .

Really quite good...

[The_Movie_Cat · 8/10 · 25 September 2004]

... not a proper review this, more a series of random comments in an attempt to redress the balance.

If I was writing a "proper" review I'd do a little bit of research, structure this into paragraphs and chose a title quote. As it is, while I enjoyed the film I hadn't planned to post a comment until I saw the low score (though from only 31 votes) and scathing comments already posted.

So to stand up for Bob's Weekend I say ignore the somewhat jaunty, cheesy title - this isn't a British sex farce from the late 70s, but a dark, occasionally surreal take on a man's journey to the edge of suicide.

I never usually try to reference other users' comments in a negative way as it's bad mannered, but some of the views expressed under this entry shocked me with their perceptions. One of the few positive reviews suggested that Coronation St. fans would like it - would they?!!? - and another suggested that Bruce Jones is flat. To me, he's not flat, he's underplaying. There's a clear actoral direction running throughout - to cite Jones as being wooden is the same as criticising the two fairground attendants for being unnaturalistic. It's clearly been guided as such, just as the heavily stylised beating they give Jones is deliberately unrealistic.

What I really admired most about Bob's Weekend was the writing, which was well above standard for a film. Okay, it veers into uneasy territory when it tries explicit comedy - Brian Glover's cameo unbalances the film while he's on screen and the final pay-off is a stinker - but with musings on the nature of time and the value of life this isn't something you'll see every day.

There are other plusses, too, but, like I said, I never planned to write a review. All I can say is... give it a go. 7/10.

Post-script: In 2012 there are no longer any negative IMDb comments on this film, rendering parts of my review meaningless. There have also been over 100 additional votes, making the film slightly more popular on here than it once was. Lastly, I've no idea why in my review I state that it's "7/10" when I clearly gave it an 8.

Hard to believe this is a directorial debut!!

[Craig_Whitney · 8/10 · 30 November 2001]

A truly enjoyable British film that follows our hero Bob through a very difficult weekend in his life. Just about every man's worst fears come to fruition for Bob, who then decides to deal with the fallout by going on the run in what could only be described as a Northern Walkabout. He is helped along the way by Angela, who becomes his companion and guardian angel. Their journey is funny, sad, happy, but mostly surreal. There are some fantastic performances including a powerful (extended)cameo by Brian Glover in one of his last film appearances. Corrie fans will get a huge kick out of seeing Bruce Jones (Les Battersby on the Street)as Bob, whose performance does nothing less than suck you into his world. The flow of the film is very exacting, pacey, and takes your emotions on ride as if you were on the pier in Blackpool. It is hard for me to believe that this was Jevon O'Neill's first feature film as a director. O'Neill's style is surely his own, but I was reminded of Capra throughout, and the way he tactfully injects misery,humour,and imagery makes the film very enjoyable. I have watched it a few times now, and I even have some favourite lines (always a good metric of a movie in my book).

Thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable

[Claire-Borrowdale · 8/10 · 12 March 2003]

This debut movie of director Jevon O'Neill was both thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable, with a fantastic performance by Bruce Jones. At times surreal in concept, the atmosphere is gentle and good-humoured enhanced by sophisticated cinematography and a pithy , pacey script. A great 'feel-good' movie encompassing humour, pathos and imaginative locations (more positive representation for the North) which leaves you feeling that you have spent the last 90 minutes watching something worthwhile ( one of the last screen appearances of the late and great Brian Glover being another bonus).

I sincerely hope that Jevon O'Neill will soon be directing another such quality film.

An excellent, yet underrated piece of UK cinema

[cassierose · 8/10 · 30 January 2008]

I saw this film on BBC1 not long ago and it was a good thing too, because I don't think I'd even heard of it before. Or, if I had, I don't remember. Something about the film grabbed my attention and I watched the whole thing, with genuine enthusiasm. It was the performances that reeled me in. The story also intrigued me; a man who was already suffering from impotence is devesated after losing his job and discovering his wife's secret affair. He makes a pact with himself to go away for the weekend to Blackpool, where he plans to end his life.

Bruce Jones and Charlotte Jones lead a stellar cast and give it all to their roles. It's unfortunate that Bruce Jones is probably going to be remembered, by the majority, only as Coronation's Street's Les Battersby as he's shown, in Bob's Weekend, that he can be a very fine actor with the right script and direction. It's also unfortunate that Charlotte Jones acting career never seemed to take off because she also gives a superb turn here as psychology student Angela, a young woman who befriends title character Bob.

Although the film has a very surreal feel to it, the script is clever and tight and you really do go on Bob's journey with him. Surprisingly, the film is actually quite dark. From the title and the casting of Bruce Jones you'd be forgiven for thinking it a mindless comedy or something along the lines. Instead, you might be pleasantly surprised because there are lots of moments during the story that really make you question just what's going on, even to the point of wondering whether any of it's real at all. The strange array of characters that Bob meets during his weekend are also well played by a very stellar supporting cast and - though maybe it's just me - there seems to be a sinister undertone throughout the film that none of it's what it seems. I don't know if that was intended by the director or script but that's how it plays out to me.

If you like a clever and sharp script and good performances, this very underrated film is well worth seeing. Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I did and will be able to appreciate it. This mid-1990s release really should have been a bigger success than it was.

Darker than it appears?

[raygirvan · 9/10 · 8 October 2007]

A man in a dead-end uniformed job, haunted by flashbacks to an incident in which he was shot, finds his life is unravelling and goes on a surreal journey, meeting dangers and helpers as he moves toward a threshold of understanding. Is this an understated British equivalent to Jacob's Ladder? I've watched this several times and find it makes increasing sense to interpret the story as Bob being dead: that he was killed during the armed robbery, doesn't yet realise it, and is being guided toward the afterlife. As with Jacob's Ladder, there are characters - the old lady and the fairground attendants - who explicitly tell him he is already dead. Far from being a slight comedy, I think the film has hidden depths, and I find it gripping every time I watch it.