Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break

How much is it worth to become a celebrity and a social network star? Some youtubers seem to be ready to do anything to become known, appreciated by a public in loss of references, adulated by famous brands. If the movie Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break discovered during the SXSW festival is a good start of answer and once again a perfect illustration of the youtubers' sphere, the movie fails on the other hand to find a perfect rhythm and to satisfy our expectations of spectators.

Paul, a small employee of a charity store, is desperate to win a national talent contest. With a sparkling suit, a killer routine and his dear old mother in tow... this is his big chance. But when the actions of five uncompromising and selfish people get in the way and cause him to miss the audition, Paul plans a deadly mission of revenge. One lunch break, five spectacular murders. Each evildoer will be disposed of in a fitting manner by a sparklingly suited Paul who goes on a vengeance rampage in his small hometown. Will he be able to stay one step ahead of the police and find the fame he's always wanted?

After an unnoticed debut film Tank 432 (2015), director Nick Gillespie switches from horror to a comedy-drama and delivers an unbridled comedy that really struggles to find its footing. We can certainly understand that behind this satirical comedy, the director and screenwriter points out the flaws of English society with notably inefficient law enforcement, a corrupt church and especially a voyeuristic English public that seems to be in need of their dose of hemoglobin to the point of encouraging the main character to exorcise his demons through violence.

Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break could have been a good movie if its less disjointed script had followed the same direction as the cult comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) by narrating Paul's day in which he let his primitive instincts get the better of him and led us into an adventure mixing perfectly comedy and horror. Unfortunately, the result obtained here leaves us completely doubtful, unless it is English humor that is very different from ours.

Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break
Directed by Nick Gillespie
Produced by Finn Bruce
Executive Producer: Finn Bruce
Written by Brook Driver, Matt White, Nick Gillespie
Starring Tom Meeten, Katherine Parkinson, Kris Marshall, Alice Lowe, Mandeep Dhillon, Johnny Vegas, Steve Oram, Craig Parkinson, Kevin Bishop, Pippa Haywood
Music by Dan Baboulene
Cinematography: Billy J Jackson
Production Designer: Laura Little
Sound: Martin Pavey
Costume Designer: Jasmin Knox
Colourist: Karol Cybulski
Edited by Tom Longmore
Production : A Bonnebouche Media presentation of a Belstone Pictures production.
Release date : March 17,2021 (SXSW)
Running time : 95 minutes

Seen on March 19, 2021 (SXSW)

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