Featured Audience Ratings

• Universal D

  
  Sentimental and well meaning, the first writing/directing credit for Richard E.Grant (a favorite actor of mine) and auto-biographical as well. The damned Brits are losing their very last colonial holding as those that do the actual work of holding party like its the end of the world.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Nicholas Hoult, Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Michael Richards, Julian Wadham, Fenella Woolgar, Ian Roberts Director: Richard E. Grant Summary: In his directing debut, Richard E. Grant dishes up a slice of his Swaziland… More
  Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Nicholas Hoult, Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Michael Richards, Julian Wadham, Fenella Woolgar, Ian Roberts Director: Richard E. Grant Summary: In his directing debut, Richard E. Grant dishes up a slice of his Swaziland boyhood. As the sun sets on Britain's colony, young Ralph Compton (played by Zachary Fox and later Nicholas Hoult) catches his mom, Lauren (Miranda Richardson), in a compromising position -- sending his dad, Harry (Gabriel Byrne), crawling into a bottle. The couple divorces and Harry remarries, but just as Ralph warms to his stepmom, Lauren turns up to reclaim her family. My Thoughts: "This semi-autobiographical story set in his birthplace of Swaziland is a raw and honest look into the life of Richard E. Grant as a boy dealing with the separation of his parents and his father's habit with alcohol. The movie gives you an honest look at what it's like to live with an alcoholic and how it affects the family. You feel a lot of sympathy for Ralph as you witness with him the separation of his parents and his father's downfall with alcohol. His step-mom Ruby brings some light to his dark world. The film is listed as a comedy, and although there are some funny parts, I would label this as more a dark drama. The film is filled with very interesting character's that really make the film great. With a great story, acting, and direction, it makes this film one to see."

• Ginny  

  
  A wonderfully strong ensemble, the story however, is quite complex. There was just too many things that happened, perhaps Richard Grant just threw in a bit too much in this? I loved the mini pockets of treats they placed in the movie though, (Clips from The Clockwork Orange & the… More
  A wonderfully strong ensemble, the story however, is quite complex. There was just too many things that happened, perhaps Richard Grant just threw in a bit too much in this? I loved the mini pockets of treats they placed in the movie though, (Clips from The Clockwork Orange & the mini screenplay practices of Camelot). The story is almost made to get you into a "steady emotional wave", from calm to heart piercing and to heart warming and back again. Plot: "Set during the last gasp of the British Empire in Swaziland, South East Africa, in 1969, the plot focuses on the dysfunctional Compton family whose gradual disintegration mirrors the end of British rule." Starring Gabriel Byrne, Miranda Richardson, Julie Walters, Emily Watson, and Nicholas Hoult (the kid in 'About a boy'). --- "Wah-Wah is loosely based on Richard Grants (the Directors) own childhood experiences..." or so he says. Genre: Drama Side-comment: Perhaps this is a film thats not for everyones liking. I liked it though

• Shauna R

  
  Interesting film to watch, with an excellent cast. Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Julie Waters and the young Nicholas Hoult. I was very impressed with Richard E. Grant's writing and directing skills, and was astonished that this was the story of his childhood. Even with it's… More
  Interesting film to watch, with an excellent cast. Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Julie Waters and the young Nicholas Hoult. I was very impressed with Richard E. Grant's writing and directing skills, and was astonished that this was the story of his childhood. Even with it's flaws, it was still a very entertaining film to sit through.

• Steve B

  
  Richard E. Grant's directorial debut is an autobiographical account of his youth in Swaziland in the early 70s. While it's well-made -- the performances and Grant's direction are faultless -- it was missing something when it came to character motivation. Still a great… More
  Richard E. Grant's directorial debut is an autobiographical account of his youth in Swaziland in the early 70s. While it's well-made -- the performances and Grant's direction are faultless -- it was missing something when it came to character motivation. Still a great film and an excellent debut.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Wah-Wah" starts with 12-year old Ralph(Zachary Fox) watching his mother(Miranda Richardson) getting hot and heavy with a man(Ian Roberts) who is not Ralph's father(Gabriel Byrne), a colonial education officer, from the back seat of a car in 1969 in… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Wah-Wah" starts with 12-year old Ralph(Zachary Fox) watching his mother(Miranda Richardson) getting hot and heavy with a man(Ian Roberts) who is not Ralph's father(Gabriel Byrne), a colonial education officer, from the back seat of a car in 1969 in Swaziland, South East Africa. Later, she makes things official by packing her bags and leaving the premises. Ralph can no longer stand to be in the company of his father, and leaves for the greener pastures of boarding school...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]...two years later, Ralph(Nicholas Hoult) returns to discover that his father has married Ruby(Emily Watson), an American ex-stewardess, after only knowing each other six weeks.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Written and directed by Richard E. Grant, "Wah-Wah" is an inconsistent and uneven movie that veers dangerously from soap opera to broad comedy and back again. It is set as Swaziland is gaining its long overdue independence from Great Britain and hopefully they never again have to deal with the colonials whose main pastimes are drinking, fornication, cricket and musical theatre.(Like "White Mischief," "Wah-Wah" somehow manages to make decadence boring.) That having been said, the film's sympathy is somehow on the side of the English instead of the natives. All of which is partially redeemed by another grand performance from Emily Watson, even if she is playing the stereotypical brash American opposite reserved English.(A la "Shadowlands.") Oh well, I do suppose I cannot be picky about what movies Miranda Richardson appears in nowadays... [/font]

• David S

  
  A competently made film from Grant with some good performances, especially from Watson and Byrne but this feels just too personal to make it an entertaining view. There is very little humour involved until the Camelot production near the end and by that point it's too late.… More
  A competently made film from Grant with some good performances, especially from Watson and Byrne but this feels just too personal to make it an entertaining view. There is very little humour involved until the Camelot production near the end and by that point it's too late. Although we're expected to sympathise with Bryne's character we aren't given enough time to see the warm father before he becomes the raging drunk and therefore it's difficult to care and the film feels a little unrelenting. Having read the book it's also clear to see where some of the budget and time issues affected the overall look of the film, especially in the shooting scene which is lacking one or two shots that will make it work. I hope Grant gets to direct again as he obviously has a good eye and can eleicit performances from his actors but it would need to be a less personal project next time.

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