Cemetery Junction (9/10) Revisited

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant hold a special place in my heart as two of my favorite comedians. Their comedy brings a smile to my face and brightens any mood. Most of us know Ricky Gervais, he's hot stuff right now. Stephen Merchant is less known but trust me when I say he's just as funny. Gervais is mostly known for many different type of comedies, TV, stand-up, animation etc (I don't hear enough about "Extras" though... his funniest work). His movies include "Ghost Town" and "The Invention of Lying". However his third film is his best, not a doubt in my mind.

"Cemetery Junction"tells the story of three boys growing up in a small town in England. They're done with their teen years and should be ready to move to adulthood. However they all have different views on how to live with the next level. Freddie Taylor (Christian Cooke) wants a good job to avoid his father's (Ricky Gervais) fate of industrial factory work. His friend Bruce (Tom Hughes) works at the factory with Freddie's father and has no big plans. After his mother left, Bruce has had little respect for anyone including his father and himself. Then there is "Snork" (Jack Doolan) who is odd one of the group. His life plans are complicated because he hasn't really grown up yet, he has no intention to leave their town of Reading and lives the simple life. All three characters (made possible by the actors) have strong development and give off a lot of laughs and heart. 

Freddie works for an local insurance company and looks to climb the corporate ladder. This requires following Mr Kendrick's and Mike Ramsey's (Ralph Fiennes and Matthew Goode) footsteps. The two play scumbags so convincingly that it looks like it would be in their blood. Mike's fiancee is Freddie's childhood friend Julie (Felicity Jones). She has dreams of traveling the world but may end up being like her mother (Emily Watson), a hollow shell of a women who once had ideals. Freddie runs into Julie after her return from boarding school and will help change Freddie's opinion. The other youngsters are ready to see things clearer as well and everyone in the town is in for the change to come. "Cemetery Junction" is a delightful film to warm the heart with big laughs and genuine sincerity. 

9/10

Recommendation: Just see it, it's fantastic. Gervais and Merchant are masters of their crafts.