Comfort and Joy (1984 film)
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| Comfort and Joy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Bill Forsyth |
| Written by | Bill Forsyth |
| Starring | Bill Paterson Clare Grogan Eleanor David Alex Norton Rikki Fulton |
| Music by | Mark Knopfler |
| Cinematography | Christopher Menges |
| Editing by | Michael Ellis |
| Release date(s) | 10 October 1984 |
| Running time | 106 mins |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Comfort and Joy is a 1984 film directed by Bill Forsyth. It starred Bill Paterson as a Glasgow radio DJ whose life undergoes a bizarre upheaval when his girlfriend moves out of their apartment, taking much of the furniture with her.
[edit] Plot
In his quest for solace, newly-single Allan Bird follows a girl riding in an ice-cream van and finds himself in the middle of a turf war between rival Italian ice-cream sellers. After several misadventures (including the 'bombing' of his fancy sports car with ice-cream cones) he negotiates a truce between the rivals, who turn out to be uncle and nephew. He does this by giving them a new treat that both can sell, while he alone controls the recipe.
The script features the whimsical humour that was Forsyth's trademark at this time, and pushes the limits even further in some respects. The nephew's operation is called "Mr. Bunny", and the trouble starts after Paterson's character, Alan "Dicky" Bird, follows the "Mr. Bunny" ice-cream van under a tunnel-like railway bridge. This, of course, is not the first time someone has followed a rabbit into a hole with bizarre consequences. In this case a gang of toughs ambush the van, whose occupants retaliate with jets of raspberry sauce. In the middle of the attack the assailants recognize Bird and demand that he play them a request on his show.
Later Bird, trying to warn "Mr. Bunny" about the rival "Mr. McCool" gang, broadcasts cryptic messages on his show, which earns him a trip to a psychiatrist. He has to deal with his boss, played by Scots comic actor Rikki Fulton, and also a variety of monomaniac whizz kids of a kind prominent in UK local radio at the time.
In the end, however, his common sense and a bit of craftiness bring him through. In that sense, he is different from the heroes of Gregory's Girl and Local Hero, both of whom are pretty much adrift, and only arrive at a good ending by happenstance.
