howardjford

What a pleasant surprise: I was expecting some slapstick humour and a shallow comical view on a 'common' family. One of those leave-your-brains-behind movies that are occasionally worth a look when you've seen everything else. But don't be fooled, yes, it does have plenty of the slapstick variety but somehow The Martins manages to weave in a gripping and sometimes even intense drama packed with emotion and still keep you amused. It's something often attempted but rarely achieved.

Also, the performances were excellent without exception. I've never been that much of a Lee Evans fan but his performance was outstanding, every line delivered spot-on, even down to the way he moved his eyes, everything he did was in keeping with his character, surely he's into a new league now.

Also, the Director and Cinimatographer didn't self indulge themselves at the expence of the film which was refreshing considering the MTV style of film making that's popular these days. It felt like a mature hand at work here.

I wonder if this film will do as well as it should, because of the wrong impression the poster and trailer gives out. I would pitch this film as 'Dumb & Dummer' meets 'Nil by Mouth'. Basically it's like a peanut butter and jam sandwich, it seems like a stupid idea, but somehow it tastes great!

I saw this film on video when it first came out and ended up watching it several times. I've been tring to get hold of a copy ever since to no avail. It's basically a motocross drama and centers around a team of riders trying to perfect their off-road skills to win a particular event. Interestingly enough it's a female rider teaching the guys which at the time seemed like a nice touch.

It's a litttle predictable in parts but there are some nicely shot motocross action and stunts. It actually got me into motocross at the time and I'm still doing it now.