Submarine (2010)

Being a fan of Richard Ayoade from "The Mighty Boosh" and "The IT Crowd," I was eager to check out his feature film debut "Submarine." As the writer and director of this offbeat coming-of-age story, Ayoade demonstrates a deft hand balancing a narrative that is simultaneously outrageous and surprisingly grounded. Championed by Ben Stiller (who takes an executive producer credit), the movie has moments of laugh-out-loud humor to be sure--but it is much more than a conventional teenage romp. I hate using the term quirky as a descriptor. Quirk, as I've often and loudly proclaimed, is the curse of independent cinema. Too many times, eccentric characters and unbelievable situations abound in quirky coming-of-age stories that drain real life relatability out of the comedy. "Submarine," however, employs a real restraint. Its deadpan tone and clever script are its strongest assets in conveying a story that, despite its occasional wackiness, presents identifiable dilemmas and believable protagonists.

Set in contemporary Wales, "Submarine" introduces a high school outsider played by Craig Roberts. Roberts contends with the traditional angst of a boy of fifteen. Trying to navigate the pitfalls of school and, in the process, score his first real girlfriend--Roberts has an understated charm that is pivotal to the success of the film. Even at his most gloriously frustrating, Roberts always holds the story together as one of the most strikingly original heroes I've seen in a while. In addition to his blossoming romance with a very challenging partner, his life faces further upheaval as his parent's marriage seems to be on the brink of destruction. His mother (the always reliable Sally Hawkins) is spending a lot of time with an old paramour who happens to be a neighbor (Paddy Considine). Befuddled dad (Noah Taylor) seems ill-equipped to deal with this new set of circumstances so Roberts becomes both sleuth and mischief maker in a scheme to keep things on track.

In truth, there is nothing in the plotting of "Submarine" that you haven't seen in countless other films. But despite this, the movie still feels very fresh and original. A lot of credit must go to a terrific central performance. But Yasmin Paige as the tough, yet vulnerable, love interest is such a complex and interesting character as well. Hawkins and Taylor make a perfect pair of opposites and Considine has a lot of fun with a new-age self-help psychic ninja shtick (you just have to see the movie). Although quite humorous, this is not always what I would describe as a laugh riot. It has an understated cleverness and much of the amusement derives from uncomfortable situations. If I had to compare the film's sardonic tone to that of another filmmaker, the closest relation in my mind would be Wes Anderson at his most restrained. An easy recommendation, Ayoade has scored a winner and I look forward to future endeavors. KGHarris, 9/11.

It's a short putt from here to a Wes Anderson movie, so if you like Anderson, this should do you just fine.

Here's the scoop. Fourteen year old Oliver Tate is in love with his classmate Jordana Bevan. Oliver's folks are having issues in their marriage and mom's old flame has moved in next door. Oliver feels compelled to get the girl and save his folks' marriage.

This is a quirky flick. Oliver is young and too bright for his age so he comes off as kind of gorpy. Jordana seems nice enough but has a dark side and harbors issues regarding closeness and commitment. Of course Oliver only sees what he wants to see in her because he wants to get in her nickers. His mom seems normal enough but dad is an intellectual stick in the mud. Her old flame is way too into himself and his "New Age" guru travelling show, but he's more alive than dad. This film does much to give the viewer the sense of the craziness one experiences when coming of age. The awkwardness and missteps are all brought to the forefront.

Again, this is a very quirky movie. It's set in Whales and sometimes the accents and Oliver's rapid fire delivery of a line kept me from getting everything, but I enjoyed it just the same. And this is only a happy-ish ending. You get the feeling that Oliver and Jordana, if they move into the future together, might not end up as the storybook happy couple. They both have issues to work on.

This is director Richard Ayoade's first feature length film, but he seems to have already found a voice. This is so good I will easily look forward to seeing his next outing

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I generally appreciate British humor and quirky comedies, and I really wanted to like this movie because I liked Richard Aoyade so much on "The IT Crowd." (Just to be clear, he's the director of the film; he does not act in it.) It wasn't a bad little movie, but it felt pretty flat overall. The acting was good, and the story was certainly quirky enough (in fact, a bit quirkier than I cared for), but I thought the humor wasn't all that humorous.

What it really reminded me of was one of Wes Anderson's less successful efforts; so imagine what Wes Anderson's take on a coming-of-age film set in a Welsh town...directed on an off day for Wes Anderson...and that's pretty much what "Submarine" is like. If that sounds awesome to you, then, seriously, have at. Otherwise, you should probably pass.

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This somewhat sweet, somewhat creepy coming of age movie is worth watching for its quirky humor and for the sincere acting of its young cast. It is set in South Wales in the mid-1980s. By way of local color, there are some nice shots of the seashore, the hills, the local junkyards and railway depots and deserted industrial plants.

We meet Oliver, a somewhat thoughtful, somewhat geeky kid of around 15 anxious to avoid bullying, if necessary by joining in against even more vulnerable targets. His love interest is Jordana, a cute classmate with an independent streak. Both of them have problems at home.

Oliver's parents are bizarre, each in their own way. His father seems to be in the grip of clinical depression; his mother is obviously frustrated and somewhat attracted by a creepy neighbor who practices a form of "new age" therapy to do with light. Both are hopelessly awkward and inept with their son.

We learn later that Jordana's mother may die of a brain tumor, though when we meet her, she seems amazingly healthy. This is one aspect of the plot that totally fails to work.

Oliver earns Jordana's respect when he submits to a beating for refusing to call her a "massive slut". But then he loses it by failing to show up at the hospital where her mother has just undergone surgery. The two break up -and we watch Oliver try to go through the painful mournful process we all go through when our first love affair dies. At the same time, he makes increasingly desperate and ill-judged attempts to save his parents' marriage.

In the end, all these matters are resolved and the characters walk off into the sunset.

I quite enjoyed it, my wife did not. I think it's worth watching on an evening when there's nothing on the TV and when you can't stand yet another reality show.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program A lot of films strive to 'place' the viewer in the place of the protagonist of the story. To cause the viewer to feel and sympathize with the hero of the film, and cheer him on. It's difficult to think of a film that does just this more productively than 'Submarine'. I went into it knowing nothing about the movie, and came out of it feeling like I had just spent time with a close friend.

Ultimately, 'Submarine' is an exploration of a young man's adolescent failures and tiny successes, but every thought that 'Oliver Tate' (our hero) stammers aloud is met with touches of humor, confusion, anger, conflict, romance and anxiety from both the cast around him and the audience. 'Submarine' is perfectly cast and hits its mark time and time again. I had a great time hanging out with Oliver and his family, and reliving the awkwardness and thrills of young love and adolescence.

A great directorial debut from Richard Ayoade (yes, the guy with the afro on 'The IT Crowd')... I can't wait to see where he takes us next.

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