Troy film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Adina Verson, Michael Braun, Florian Klein directed by Mike Donahue. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Troy Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Dec 27, 2022 Directed by: Mike Donahue Written by: Jen Silverman, Mike Donahue, Dane Laffrey Starring: Adina Verson, Michael Braun, Florian Klein A couple are forced to deal with a neighbour who has loud intercourse. Thea (Verson) and Charlie (Braun) live together in a New York City apartment. Unfortunately, they are facing a problem: their next-door neighbour Troy (Klein) frequently has very loud and lengthy intercourse and the noise is making their daily lives difficult and things get quite embarrassing when they have visitors. The couple discover that Troy invites men to his apartment to have sex with him for money, however his actions result in his boyfriend breaking up with him and he becomes very upset. Thea and Charlie can hear just how bad he is deteriorating mentally and decide to try to find a way to help him. This short is an adult comedy drama that has a plot that centers on a rather awkward and embarrassing situation. The story is told through the perspective of the unfortunate couple and the screenplay effectively explores how Troy affects their lives. viewer follows them as they attempt to cope with Troy's activities, try to find out more about him, talk about him with their friends and attempt to help him recover following the bad ending of his relationship. Troy himself has little screen time and he looks like just like an everyday guy. The couple never interact with him in person and make efforts to assist him through other individuals. The film is entertaining: a person unwillingly annoying their neighbours with noisy sex is a humorous plot, however there is also drama. There is no non-diegetic music, but viewers will often hear the sounds of intercourse (which is not shown) due to Troy being busy. Visually, the film looks great thanks to Ryan De Franco's cinematography and some creative lighting techniques. As far as the acting goes, Verson and Braun are successful in delivering convincing and amusing performances. This is an intriguing story about a couple having their lives unintentionally affected by a neighbour and the couple affecting the neighbour's life, without them knowing. Sexual stuff aside, this film suggests that sometimes neighbours can be annoying and that they can also be helpful. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Overdue film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Jeanine Bartel, Howard Hendrix Powell directed by Melissa Skirboll. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Overdue Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Oct 9, 2022 Directed by: Melissa Skirboll Written by: Penny B. Jackson, Melissa Skirboll Starring: Jeanine Bartel, Howard Hendrix Powell A disgraced actor walks into a bar, where he builds a rapport with the bartender. Jason (Powell) is a young actor whose latest work has made him a laughing stock and he is now being picked on by people. Maureen (Bartel) works as a bartender and her boss repeatedly makes unwelcomed advances to her. One evening, while walking through the streets, Jason ends up entering the bar where Maureen works, meets her at a section that closed for the night and the two of them start a conversation. As the friendly discussion carries on, they take a liking to one another and realise that they used to know each other. This uplifting short is a romantic story that also contains elements of comedy and focuses on a chance encounter that happens to also be life-changing for the two individuals involved, as both of them are not content with their lives and their meeting brings them happiness and hope. They talk about their lives, discuss a variety of books, tease each other and eventually end up flirting and things turn romantic. Bartel plays a person who, even though she works an unsatisfying job, she maintains her self-esteem and is cheerful and optimistic. One the other hand, Powell's character is feeling rather down, is less mature than Maureen (Maureen is twenty years older than Jason) and believes that his acting career might be coming to an end. Both actors deliver strong performances. Skirboll also worked on the editing and does a great job, effectively utilising dissolve techniques. The soundtrack has wonderful jazz music and the song Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out is an excellent choice that fits perfectly. This is a charming story that suggests that an unexpected meeting can be life-changing and that two unlikely people can become a couple. It also shows the significance of support and encouragement and that a person's life can change when they least expect it. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Batman film review by UK film critic Hope Madden, George Wolf. Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano directed by Matt Reeves. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Batman Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: George Wolf | Posted on: Feb 28, 2022 Directed by: Matt Reeves Written by: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano The question is plenty familiar. “Who are you?” But the answer isn’t the one we’re expecting, and it’s an early declaration that there’s a new cape in town. “I am…vengeance .” Talk about your dark knights. Director/co-writer Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson make Mr. Nolan feel like Mister Rogers in comparison. Anyone looking for the recent superhero giddiness of No Way Home will find none, while comic purists may finally discover the treatment they’ve been clamoring for all along. For the rest of us, The Batman delivers a defiant, somewhat overstuffed vision, one that embraces darkness of theme and palette while crafting several truly dazzling visual set pieces. Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In , Dawn of and War for the Planet of the Apes ) wisely skips the backstory intro, giving us Bruce Wayne (Pattinson) some two years into his “Gotham Project.” Alfred (Andy Serkis) worries about the family finances, while Master Wayne is only interested in feeding his vigilante alter ego. But while Bruce is watching the city, the mysterious Riddler (Paul Dano, taking the legendarily comic villain in a terrifying new direction) is watching The Batman, leaving personalized messages with each new assassination. His puzzles draw Batman, Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and a resourceful waitress with hidden talents of her own (Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle) deep into the Gotham organized crime scene run by Carmine Falcone (John Tutturo ) and Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot (Colin Farrell under some astounding makeup). There is no shortage of characters at play, and Reeves struggles to justify all of them in one film. At stake are long-held secrets about Gotham that the Riddler wants “brought into the light,” some of which will challenge what you think you know about the birth of the Bat. And that seems only appropriate for a film that challenges expectations of its genre with a narrative more reminiscent of Seven than anything we’ve seen from DC or Marvel. So dark, and so rainy. Pattinson’s Emo Batman works well within the structure and aesthetic Reeves develops. He carves out a very different crusader, one more introspective and heartbroken than righteous. This Bruce Wayne views the bat signal as both a call and a warning, and Pattinson is able to effectively keep the tortured soul’s head above self-pitying water. Dano’s exceptional, Farrell’s fun, and Kravitz develops an intriguing antihero of her own. People talk about Joker’s lineage, but Catwoman is another iconic villain. Eartha Kitt, Julie Newmar, Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway have all left their mark, but Kravitz sidesteps broad stroke villainy in favor of something nuanced and human. But ultimately, what makes this film most interesting is the way Bruce Wayne struggles to justify the consequences that The Batman has had on Gotham, and the surprising side of hero worship. Where is the line separating savior and sinner? And who gets to draw it? Reeves isn’t the first to pull Batman into these relevant questions, but he raises them with a commitment fierce enough to generate excitement for yet another trilogy. And though there’s no surprise waiting after the credits here, keep an eye out for a villain to be named later. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic George Wolf Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Glacial Ways film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Edlyn Gonzalez, Teresa Patel, Elle Nizzardo, Steven Gregory directed by Max Millstein. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Glacial Ways Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Oct 17, 2023 Directed by: Max Millstein Written by: Max Millstein Starring: Edlyn Gonzalez, Teresa Patel, Elle Nizzardo, Steven Gregory An environmental scientist goes through a mental health crisis while at a restaurant's outdoor dining area. It is a hot, sunny day and Noa (Gonzalez) is sitting at a table at the exterior part of an eatery, trying to work on some notes, surrounded by other diners. She is a famous environmental scientist and her knowledge regarding how humans are destroying themselves and the world with pollution and unhealthy lifestyles has led her to become anxious and apprehensive. She interacts awkwardly with those around her and struggles to control her actions. Eventually, she appears to let go and indulge in the pleasure of smoking and drinking alcohol, before a dramatic revelation. The beginning of this short drama is worth exploring. It begins with a title card containing a quote by American artist John Lurie, before the camera enters the outdoor dining area, moving around characters that Noa will interact with, before approaching her, as she nervously struggles to write. While this is happening, there is a voice-over conversation between two people discussing global warming and people's simple everyday actions that unknowingly harm them. This conversation is actually a recording that Noa is listening to on her device. All this is a rather effective way to introduce the heroine, revealing her interests and troubled state of mind. The story is told through Noa's perspective, which reveals the unique and maybe frightening way that she looks at the world, with animation, sound effects and camerawork playing a key role in this. She is knowledgable about what her body consumes, with animation sequences showing bacteria from alcohol or smoking damaging her system. She is rather observant, with close-ups showing what caught her eye and montages, along with her voice-over disclosing her dramatic thoughts. She interacts awkwardly with others, telling her eating habits to a waiter (Gregory) and being concerned about a little girls's (Nizzardo) well-being in the presence of her mother (Patel). Generally, her profession has ended up making her very worried and she seems to be near the point where she cannot take all the stress anymore and feels that she should let go. Gonzalez's performance is convincing, which is vital in order for the film to work. This short is a character study that utilises the filmmaking techniques mentioned above and also slow motion, fast motion, split screen and fast cutting in order to place the viewer inside the mind of an individual who is troubled by her environmental knowledge, which seems to be doing her more bad than good. With this in mind, the film also works as a commentary on self-reflection and mental health and raises awareness of unhealthy living and the damage that people do to the planet. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Gradient Descent film review by UK film critic Lawrence Bennie. Starring James Allen Barnes, Peter Mendes, Anjie Parker directed by Vir Srinivas. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Gradient Descent Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Lawrence Bennie | Posted on: Dec 23, 2025 Directed by: Vir Srinivas Written by: Vir Srinivas Starring: James Allen Barnes, Peter Mendes, Anjie Parker During a recent trip to the Highlands, a moment stood out for me during a gondola trip up and down Aonach Mòr. For late December, the weather was very good, allowing for a spectacular view of the Nevis Range, nearby Fort William and scenic Highland beauty during the descent to basecamp. As I passed another carriage, I noticed that the individual seated inside was oblivious to the dramatic landscape on display around them. The reason why is not probably going to be a surprise. They were too engrossed on their phone. Later, at a church service, the parish priest lamented about the account of a 12 year-old boy who was denied his phone for three hours during the filming of a TV documentary. The result? The boy wrecked his house. Such anecdotes may well induce raised eye-brows or groans from sceptical readers, but such warning signs of alienation, disconnection and isolation are at the heart of writer-director Vir Srinivas' Gradient Descent . However, this descent is not a physical one down from a mountain but a psychological drop from desperation to desensitization and Srinivas' dramatic conflict is not just simply the mobile phone dilemma but a greater danger: AI. Jackson (James Allen Barnes) is down-and-out; unemployed, homeless and left to beg on the city streets. Yet, salvation arrives in the form of a well-dressed stranger (Peter Mendes) who offers Jackson an easy-fix job. Before long, Jackson is suited and booted, attending first-rate AI training, moving back in with partner Maya (Anjie Parker) and working away in a world of waiting and watching as he and his colleagues silently categorise on-going surveillance footage. However, what begins as a dream soon descends into nightmarish territory as Jackson helplessly becomes the onlooker to increasing acts of dehumanizing brutality and, in the process, finds his own compassionate awareness disturbingly slipping away... Srinivas opens Gradient Descent with Jackson barely noticeable, dwindled by the sheer size of the buildings and noise of the city around him. He is truly down and out and even the viewer only notices him once the camera moves closer. Expectedly, he is ignored by passers-by despite pleas for help. Unexpectedly, he is approached by a slick-looking businessman who Jackson locks onto from a distance. It's a decidedly Hitchcockian sequence from Srinivas cutting between Jackson and his subjective view of the stranger approaching and we're left nervingly unsure of what's unfolding. Will Jackson attack the man, in a final act of desperation for survival? Does he already know him? Instead, a Squid Game -esque scenario plays out, with the stranger charming our vagrant protagonist into a shadowy enterprise that feels too good to be true. Unfortunately, it is. There's a trade off for the fixer's golden ticket. In scenes which echo the likes of A Clockwork Orange and The Parallax View, Jackson is soon exposed to escalating unsettling content, the worst of which is actually kept from the viewer. Soon enough, Jackson begins to disconnect, spurning intimacy from his love and ignoring the cries of his baby as we see him consumed by his new-found obsession; the mechanics of artificial intelligence. "I won't let them get away with it", he says. But it's too late. The seeds of disassociation have been planted and by the film's shocking end Jackson has become another lost soul in a sea of silent surveillance. It's an arresting final sequence from Srinvas' which makes up for the film's clunkier elements (the villains are unconvincing and their central scene together plays on for too long) and which ends the piece on a powerfully conflicting note of both horror and hope. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Lawrence Bennie Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Helloween film review by UK film critic James Learoyd. Starring Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, Michael Paré, Ronan Summers directed by Phil Claydon. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Helloween Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: James Learoyd | Posted on: Oct 13, 2025 Directed by: Phil Claydon Written by: Phil Claydon Starring: Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, Michael Paré, Ronan Summers Helloween is a brand-new horror romp from writer-director Phil Claydon (whose previous work includes Lesbian Vampire Killers ). Based around what the plot-description describes as the “killer clown craze of 2016”, the film follows a few different characters as they encounter Carl Cane – a murderous individual with quite the following. This is a movie which very much wears its influences on its sleeves, and it’s not afraid to sing its homages loud and proud. The most obvious example of this comes in how Carpenter's masterpiece Halloween (1978) effectively informs a great many of the screenplay’s plot progressions. From the opening scene of a young Cane claiming his first victim, to our protagonist’s being an obvious Doctor Loomis stand-in, there’s a lot to enjoy when it comes to identifying pastiche. The implementation of contemporary issues of media and social media is what sets the narrative apart from the classic pictures this movie is riffing on (referring to the loyal, horrific following which Cane seems to be wielding). This element of the script is tremendously uncomfortable, and effective, for feeling so relevant to current times, wherein fascistic forces insight group violence upon others. That’s where this critic’s brain went to anyway, although the film never really gets complex regarding what exactly the takeaway should be in terms of our own world. But it’s already disturbing enough to see the impact of the media on a collective, aggressive mindset. If there’s an issue with this movie, it’s unfortunately the pacing. What a lot of this piece relies on is a sustained sense of imminent threat and terror. However, this often struggles to shine through due to the drawn-out nature of one or two jump-scares. While one can clearly see that Claydon is crafting the film around being as entertaining as possible, beat-for-beat, occasionally those beats slightly misjudge the overall rhythms of a feature-film. And sometimes this has nothing whatsoever to do with the base structure of the movie; more often than not, it’s the individual sequences that require a leaner edit. But the story is all there. Visually, this movie is working at a pretty high level, especially in the lighting and colour grading departments. This is a dramatically lit movie with a wonderful reliance on darkness and silhouette. It’s incredibly expressive stuff – particularly in moments when artificial moonlight is seen beaming through windows. Details such as this demonstrate just how well thought-through the cinematography is on a level of set-up and creative preparation – all with the intention of creating that unsettling atmosphere. The neon lights, and the manner in which they’re translated through the grade, lend the visual palette a wonderfully icky sense of grime and grit. It’s messy and in your face and cinematically addictive. Claydon has vocalised how this movie is meant to serve as the perfect horror movie to watch on a Friday night. The kind of simple, fun slasher that will give you your hit of bloody frights and excitement. And overall, that’s what Helloween delivers: a meat-and potatoes-slasher with some added stylistic and social flavouring. Aesthetically recognisable, yet also quite engaging. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic James Learoyd Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Changeling film review by UK film critic Patrick Foley. Starring Marie Claire Cushinan, Ryan O'Neill, Jake O'Kane directed by Marie Claire Cushinan, Ryan O'Neill. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Changeling Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Oct 27, 2023 Directed by: Marie Claire Cushinan, Ryan O'Neill Written by: Marie Clare Cushinan Starring: Marie Claire Cushinan, Ryan O'Neill, Jake O'Kane Irish horror Changeling taps in to the ultimate parental fear of child loss and combines this with unnerving superstitions and gothic fears to craft a stylish and effective short that leaves an authentic impression along with a disturbing and lingering sense of dread. Margaret (Marie Clare Cushinan) and Thomas (Ryan O’Neill) are a young couple who experience an unthinkable tragedy when their son Oisin (Keelan McKee) passes. In a desperate time of hunger in Ireland, Thomas painfully understands their loss. But Margaret begins to have visions of her child continuing to live in a deathly state. She is adamant that their son’s spirit will return to his body, but Thomas wishes to see him buried with dignity. As he puts plans into action, Margaret’s visions become more intense, and encourage her to take her own steps. Changeling understands how to build visceral fear in its viewers without resorting to extravagance. The devastation of the tragedy that befalls Thomas and Margaret needs no explanation. But directors and stars Marie Clare Cushinan and Ryan O’Neill largely understand that less is more when representing the type of dread that comes into their character’s lives. Margaret’s visions and growing insanity is self-evidently scary. But some of the film’s most moving and harrowing scenes come courtesy of Thomas’ attempts at dutifully and stubbornly pushing down his emotions at what has happened to him – and his own irrationalities as his wife displays hers. A scene in which he stumbles through a local village carrying his son’s body is truly heartbreaking – and a fine example of how even the strongest of us can be broken by loss. Indeed, the film’s strongest elements are its exploration of the cruelty of inexplicable loss. The background of the famine that has cost Thomas and Margaret their son, and the lives they thought they could lead as a family, is ever-present in the subtext of the film. Both parents try and cope in their own way – but in some sense both reactions result in further pain to each other. One senses at the film’s climax that both quiet suffering, and existential, otherworldly escape, are processes by which we as individuals try to make sense of pain – but ultimately neither are a substitute for straightforward grieving, and ultimately a desire to change the conditions that caused the suffering in the first place. A chill comes over the viewer just watching the film – as the harsh and wet conditions project out from the dark hues that the film is drenched in. Flickering candles as Margaret sews, awaiting her son’s return, are also a brilliant way to convey her emerging madness. These are the sorts of touches that elevate the film beyond its already distressing story into really memorable and lasting horror. There are some production hiccups – none more prominent than the design of Oisin in Margaret’s visions – which looks like E.T. after a night on the lash and sticks out like a sore thumb in amongst the more subtle inferences elsewhere in the film. As both directors and stars, Thomas O’Neill and Marie Clare Cushinan have clearly poured a great deal of commitment and care into the film – and their efforts were clearly worthwhile. Changeling is a brilliant short horror with a moving and profound story, fine performances, creepy and crafted ambiance and engrossing narrative. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

William Hemingway writes movie reviews for UK Film Critic. As one of the talented UK film critics, find out more here. William Hemingway I'm an 80's kid who was brought up, like everyone else, on Spielberg and Lucas and a few funny guys from SNL. Later on came high action with futuristic robots, killer aliens and the Vietnam War but what really grabbed my attention was the comedy. As I got older I began to appreciate directorial style and a really well told story, which is something I still find essential to enjoying a movie now. I prefer to see film as an art form rather than pure entertainment and I find that a well filled frame is far more satisfying than star power or rakes of superheroes. Real life stories and the capturing of real human emotion affects me most now and I'm continually searching for things I've never seen before, or old things presented in new ways. My favourite films include Seven Samurai, Apocalypse Now, Dr Strangelove and In The Mood For Love although my Top 100 remains wide and varied and still has daft movies that I find completely enjoyable every time I watch them. 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View Short Film Trailers and see our film reviews on our movie website. Promote your film or trailer here too. Short Film Trailers Featured Short Film Trailers Blank Shores When we are not writing some of the best Film Reviews available on the internet, UK Film Review promote the leading Short Filmmakers and showcase their movie trailers. On this page, you will find a selection of the most exciting Short Film Trailers, which you can enjoy lickety-split because they are usually pretty short as you can imagine. From sci-fi to buddy cop, fantasy to thriller, no short film is missed out on this page, and we pride ourselves on promoting some of the best filmmakers around. Furthermore, if you would like your Short Film Trailer to appear on our website, please use the contact form at the bottom to submit and use the PayPal option to be added to our Short Film Trailer Channel. We feel that these short film trailers should be shared with the world, but do not pretend to know your preferences as an audience member. Please only view them if you are of age and maturity to handle their content...and awesomeness. We accept no responsibility for any offence caused by these Short Film Trailers, so please do not send us messages about how they destroyed your fragile minds, questioned your belief systems, or made you see the world as the bleak, dismal place it really is. Also remember to take a look at the Film Channel where you can Watch Short Films For Free . Likewise if you would like your indie or short film added to our website, use the form at the end of that page where you can see the packages available. Or head over to our Film Promotion Packages section under the drop-down for #supportindiefilm where you can see all the other ways that UK Film Review can help promote your film. Now feel free to kick back with a drink, feet up, and some popcorn to enjoy these short film trailers...unless you are driving in which case pull over you maniac! BRAND NEW: Click one of the options below to add YOUR trailer to our website! Quick View Promote Your Trailer Regular Price £50.00 Sale Price £37.50

The Advent Calendar film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Eugenie Derouand, Honorine Magnier directed by Patrick Ridremont. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Advent Calendar Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Nov 30, 2021 Directed by: Patrick Ridremont Written by: Patrick Ridremont Starring: Eugenie Derouand, Honorine Magnier Who needs a new Christmas horror story? I do. Y’all can have your Hallmark romances but give me a little yuletide carnage and I’m filled with holiday cheer. This Christmas season, writer/director Patrick Ridremont comes through with the Belgian horror The Advent Calendar . It’s been three years since the accident that put Eva (Eugénie Derouand) in a wheelchair, but it’s still sometimes tough for her to tolerate the ableism and ignorance of those around her. Luckily her bestie Sophie (Honorine Magnier) cheers her with a visit and a gift — an antique wooden advent calendar she picked up in Germany. There are rules. There is candy. There will be blood. (But there is candy, so how bad can it be?) The “be careful what you wish for” storyline is as vintage as the ornate and impressive prop, but cursed object horror can be powerful when done well. Ridremont does it well, allowing time for his ensemble to develop their characters. And though the film skirts cliché, Ridremont respects his audience’s ability to keep up. We’re not spoonfed. Better still, Eva has depth enough as a character that when she finally moves willingly toward doing the wrong thing, you feel her resignation more than her selfishness. Derouand portrays Eva’s bitterness and longing so clearly that the film never has to bow to montage or flashback. And when the time comes to get spooky, The Advent Calendar delivers. There’s plenty of blood, but it’s the way it’s meted out that ramps up tensions. We start off with people we’re trained to want to see picked off, but viewer beware: there’s a beautiful mutt in danger here as the cursed object worms its way into Eva’s life. The FX are not as impressive as the performances, unfortunately, but the creature itself is creepy as hell. Better still, his existence and the origin of the Advent Calendar are left a bit to the imagination. It’s a clever sleight of hand, Ridremont taking advantage of our familiarity with his subgenre when he needs to, while still leaving behind the tangy taste of mystery. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Digital / DVD Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Watch Moving Parts at the 2022 UK Film Review Festival. See the UKFRF 2022 lineup and buy your festival pass. Moving Parts Listen to our review on the film podcast What our film review said: READ FULL REVIEW Will Forget’s performance as his name-sake is suitably aloof, yet human enough to allow the audience to connect to his interior vulnerability. Whilst Tom Knoblauch plays the straight man, searching for an angle whilst slowly gaining an understanding of his strange celebrity subject. The chemistry the pair share is the film’s bloodline, and allows the philosophical debates and Seinfeldian conversations that feature prominently to sustain themselves without coming across as pretentious or pointless. Proudly supporting MediCinema for our 2022 film festival.

Wannabe: All Washed Up film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Craig Robert Young, Adam Huss, Susan Duerden, Anna Becker directed by Richard Keith. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Wannabe: All Washed Up Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: May 19, 2026 Directed by: Richard Keith Written by: Richard Keith and Craig Robert Young Starring: Craig Robert Young, Adam Huss, Susan Duerden, Anna Becker A past-his-prime actor, who never really had a prime to begin with, tries to make a comeback in a film about his life, while a documentary is made about the filming of that film, with him as the star. Makes perfect sense, right? So, Steve Williams (Young) started his celebrity career way back in the 90’s in a British boy band called, The Bus Boyz. Tragically, their tour bus crashed, killing three members of the band and leaving only Steve and his best friend Paul (Huss) alive to keep on kicking. In the mid-naughties, Steve’s star rose again as a documentary was made about him trying to get a new life in LA as an actor, where he was reintroduced to Paul, and anyone watching(!) got introduced to a roster of new characters who inhabited Steve’s life. Now, in the post-covid era, Steve is at it again, with another documentary somehow getting made about him as he still bumbles about trying to get acting gigs in Hollywood. The idea is that we’re watching a mockumentary of the behind-the-scenes scenarios that happen in the backrooms of LA, where dodgy deals are made, shaky funding is promised, vacuous conversations replace real words, and smoke is blown up a plethora of asses. We see the bottom of the pile in empty theatres and questionable productions, and sit with big-wig producers as talking heads, as they tell us about the industry and Steve’s potential within it. The previous documentary made about Steve Williams was called Wannabe (2005) and so here we are catching up with him twenty years later in the sequel, Wannabe: All Washed Up . Sold as ‘The Disaster Artist without the artist’, and coming from an idea about ‘how funny it might be to make a sequel to a film that nobody has ever seen’, it’s amazing that writer/director, Richard Keith, and writer/star, Craig Robert Young, are so aware of their creations and their non-success and yet still decided to make this film. They are right, in that nobody has seen Wannabe , and so anybody walking into this one has no idea about the characters and the backstory that are being presented to us and that we’re supposed to be invested in for an hour-and-a-half. The natural style of the documentary doesn’t do them any favours either as everything just runs quickly and easily for everyone in the frame, as though it’s their everyday lives, but for us in the audience we’re left with a bunch of people we don’t know talking crap over one another. A quick ten-minutes of the first film helps lead us into this one, but it’s all a little mix-ed up in terms of narrative and what we get to see, with there being callbacks later on to these particular incidents for those who are paying attention. The rest of the comedy is bare and overly obvious, with hardly a smile to be raised at any point as we’re supposed to laugh at people who don’t know they’re saying stupid things, in true rockumentary style. Mostly it’s easy to see where the jokes are, but they never land, with a lot of the humour coming from continuously mixed metaphors and inanely banal aphorisms spouted by the characters, or alternatively, from shock-value embarrassments which paint the characters in a bad light. It’s all very derivative and tedious. However, in the end, in the final twenty-minutes, things do come together, and the characters do all find their arcs, and we see the lives and relationships they have been living along the way, and the humour does improve, almost to the point of laughing, and it seems there was a point and a vision all along – which is nice, for them. It’s the fact that Wannabe: All Washed Up will mean something to some people that stops it from being an out and out ‘disaster’, and that your time isn’t entirely wasted with these characters when there’s an investment from the filmmakers that they truly feel is strong enough to share, even if it is ninety-minutes of our lives that we’ll never get back. It’s a shame that you have to go through the first seventy minutes of Wannabe: All Washed Up to get to anything good, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to have watched the first one, too, but if you’re a fan, I guess what you’re getting is more of the same, just with what I suspect is a more grown-up outlook. You can’t fault the effort and commitment that’s gone into the Wannabe franchise, but it seems that the answer to whether it’s funny to have a sequel to a film that nobody saw, is that you’ll just end up with two films that nobody will see. Wannabe: All Washed Up releases in the UK on June 19th 2026. 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