136. Eaten By Lions; movie review Asim Chaudhry

EATEN BY LIONS
Cert 12A
95 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate sex references

Ah.... a British comedy which hits the mark.
Eaten By Lions deftly handles a raft of contemporary issues such as disability and race but also left me with a beaming smile.
And it is a showcase for a super double act in Antonio Aakeel and Jack Carroll.
The pair play half-brothers, Pete (Carroll) and Omar (Aakeel) who are left alone after the death of the grandmother.
Their mum and Pete's father have literally been eaten by lions after a freak accident so it falls to Omar to suggest they track down his biological father.
The result is a warm, charming and amusing movie as the pair end up discovering much about their present selves as they delve into the past.
It is also a stroke of genius by director Jason Wingard to set the movie in Blackpool. I don't think anywhere in the UK is more off-the-wall (I once saw a bloke in his front garden in his underpants with a python wrapped around his neck there).
Before finding Omar's dad, they bump into two typical Blackpool citizens - a dodgy B & B owner and a conman Tarot card reader.
Consequently, the ribs are already tickled before they meet the Choudray family - an eccentric example of modern multicultural Britain.
All the family's characters are worth shout-outs but Asim Chaudhry's man-child and Natalie Davies's mute man-eater are most memorable.
There are touches of East Is East and The Kumars At No.42 about Eaten By Lions. Indeed, it lends itself to a TV series.
In addition, there is the superb way in which it is inclusive of Carroll's cerebral palsy which is treated along much the same lines as his comedy stage act.
And it also attacks the subjects of fostering, adoption, love and sexuality without ever over-burdening itself.
A couple of years ago I was mightily impressed by Wingard's drama In Another Life about refugees in Calais.
During that film, he touched on a slice of humanity rarely seen in films. Eaton By Lions may be a comedy but, again, it is beautifully observed.
It only prompted one big belly laugh but I smiled throughout and I am now salivating for more of the work of Wingard, Aaakeel and Carroll.

Reasons to watch: Beautifull observed, British comedy
Reasons to avoid: Not all of the gags work

Laughs: Two with lost of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Jack Carroll was runner-up in Britain's Got Talent when he was 14 years old.

The final word. Jason Wingard: "The story deals with big contemporary issues (class, diversity, disability, inter-racial relations, foster and adoption, sexuality, love, life and death) in a sharp and often irreverent way. But it is not about those big issues it is about people and relationships. It is a very modern relevant comedy that will hopefully will be viewed for years to come."

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