The Parole Officer (2001)

67% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(6,003 ratings)

British television comic Steve Coogan made his first bid for a big-screen career in this comedy, in which he plays Simon Garden, a singularly inept parole officer who has not had terribly good luck with his clients -- after many years on the job, only three of the former prisoners he's been looking… More British television comic Steve Coogan made his first bid for a big-screen career in this comedy, in which he plays Simon Garden, a singularly inept parole officer who has not had terribly good luck with his clients -- after many years on the job, only three of the former prisoners he's been looking after have avoided returning to a life of crime. Garden is transferred from his post in Blackpool to a new assignment in Manchester, and it isn't long before he finds himself in hot water. Garden happened to be on hand when Burton (Stephen Dellane), a crooked cop, murdered a drug dealer with whom he had been involved in a cocaine deal. Realizing he's in trouble, Burton rearranges the evidence so that Garden looks like the killer. A surveillance camera captured Burton's crime on tape, and now Garden must get his hands on the tape in order to clear his name. However, Burton has cleverly stashed the tape in a top security bank vault to keep it away from Garden, so the parole officer must stage a break-in to collect the evidence -- and he chooses as his accomplices George (Om Puri), Jeff (Steven Waddington), and Colin (Ben Miller), the three parolees who've stayed out of trouble until now. The Parole Officer also features Emma Williams as a former associate of Burton's who ends up helping out Garden, and cameos from Omar Sharif and Jenny Agutter. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: John Duigan
Written By: Henry Normal
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2001 Wide
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Coogan é um comediante excepcional - assim, mesmo trabalhando com um roteiro mediano (de sua própria autoria), consegue arrancar algumas boas risadas.
Ian Waldron-Mantgani, UK Critic
It's watchable.
Caroline Westbrook, Empire Magazine
Combining all the best elements of home-grown rom-coms and gangster capers, this breathes fresh life into both genres.
Neil Smith, BBC
An intermittently hilarious vehicle for British TV star Steve Coogan.

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Film C

i like it this is a proper british comedy steve coogan is the parole officer and needs to break into a bank to retrieve the tape that proves a curupt cop murder a bloke but the only people helping him are idiots but along with some help is emma (lena headey) who ends up liking him in… More
i like it this is a proper british comedy steve coogan is the parole officer and needs to break into a bank to retrieve the tape that proves a curupt cop murder a bloke but the only people helping him are idiots but along with some help is emma (lena headey) who ends up liking him in a more personannal level but its good and funny!
A B

It's got a few funny moments - But overall nothing special.
Steven V

Such a funny film and one of Steve Coogan's good films. Steve Coogan plays loveable loser Simon Garden who is rubbish at his job as a parole officer.
Stephen E

Steve Coogan is comedic gold, but "The Parole Officer" is a completely sub-par film. Granted, Coogan has a couple of funny moments here and there, but for the most part, the film is formulaic, boring, and decidedly unfunny. Not a good start for Coogan in the business.
Barry L

Wasnt a big Coogan fn until this but he is really good, as is the film.