Chrysanthepop
Coogan stars in and co-writes a hilarious comedy. 'The Parole Officer' already has a diverse cast that includes Lena Heady, Om Puri, Steven Waddington, Emma Williams, Ben Miller and Stephen Dillane. In addition, there are some interesting and amusing cameos by Simon Pegg, Omar Sharif and Jenny Agutter. It was fun to watch all these fine actors match wits with each other and produce loads of laugh out loud moments. The plot has its share of flaws but then again, this is the kind of movie that is best enjoyed with little nitpicking. The gags work very well. There are hilarious dialogues and plenty of slapstick to draw laugh out loud moments. The attempts of our five heroes in attempting to plan the robbery, in addition to the funny gadgets, were very amusing to watch. Coogan has proved again what a great comedy actor he is and the guy can write. The innovative humour and fine cast make this one a rocky little British comedy.
Superunknovvn
"The Parole Officer" is a funny little comedy gem from the UK that has its share of flaws. Occasionally the jokes are just a bit too silly and the movie has a few lengths in the middle. Also, the score seems completely out of place more often than not.On the plus side, though, the film has got a great cast. Most jokes work because the actors deliver them with such great timing. Nothing needs to be said about Steve Coogan anymore. Everybody knows his talent by now and the man is rightfully on his way to a career in Hollywood. Ben Miller can be seen here, too, before he came to bigger fame with "The Worst Week Of My Life". He's great, just like Om Puri, George Steven Waddington and Emma Williams, all of which play a group of ex-criminals who plan to break into a bank to steal evidence that will clear the name of the wrong-fully accused title character (played by Coogan). Lena Headey is another face you might recognize from "300" or the new "Terminator" TV-series. She's just gorgeous, beautiful and very charming. Omar Sharif makes a prominent cameo and there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Simon Pegg - probably the best moment of the entire movie.So, yeah, "The Parole Officer" is a very enjoyable movie. Not all jokes hit the bullseye, but you'll laugh more than a few times. I really recommend this movie to everyone who likes classic Heist flicks and/or comedies like "Fletch".
greeny-10
***SPOILERS ALERT*****A gang of likable crooks led by a socially inept amateur plan a bank robbery with the aid of a series of low tech gadgets, ending with a feel good musical interlude. Expat director John Duigan pays homage to that excellent little Aussie movie "MALCOLM" here and if you enjoyed "THE PAROLE OFFICER" I'd suggest you make the effort to track down this 1986 heist comedy. Most people's opinions of "THE PAROLE OFFICER" seem to stem from the expectations they bring into it. I watched it with low expectations after reading a few bad reviews but ended up being pleasantly surprised, but if you're a fan of Steve Coogan's edgier work in "Knowing me, knowing you' and "24 hour party people" you'll probably be disappointed in this effort to make a conventional, feel good comedy. It's not a classic. The mix of comedic styles don't really sit together all that well, and even for the low standard that you apply to the plot of a gag movie the holes in the story tend to grate on you. (Why didn't they just kill him, why not erase the tape, why does gorgeous Lena Headey have a crush on the gormless Coogan.)But the things that work about this film outweigh the flaws. The gang of crooks is very likable, especially Om Puri as the philosophical serial bigamist and Emma Williams as a spunky joy rider who just wants to belong. The locations are unusual and nicely shot. Steve Coogan basically plays his Alan Partridge role again, the earnest but out of his depth social ingenue with a stream of consciousness patter. If you've been fantasising over Jenny Agutter ever since "Walkabout" and "Logan's Run" you'll see that she's aged rather nicely, and there's a surreal walk on part from Omar Sharif that completely comes out of left field. So if you've got a friend who's been banging on about how funny this is beware, you may be disappointed. But if you've read the reviews and are thinking about giving it a miss, try it. It's not a waste of time.
derekparry
I remember the critics slagging this one when it came out. I find Steve Coogan hit and miss so I thought I'd give it a viewing expecting a miss but was delighted to find out it's one of his better outings.
It's a thoroughly entertaining ride from the first moment to the last with good one liners and some excellent visual gags. People have expressed it requires a British sense of humour to appreciate but surely Coogan trying to break out of the bank would gain international laughter.Good performance from Stephen Dillane as a little nauseatingly unlikeable cop. All in all an excellent movie and a lesson not to believe what the critics perceive is good/bad.
AD
