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Movies / On DVD / Mister Foe
Mister Foe

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Mister Foe (2008)

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Reviews Counted:60

Fresh:43

Rotten:17

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: Carefully balanced between the dark and the dreamy, Mister Foe is a charged coming-of-age story with whimsy and bite.

Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:31-08-2007

Synopsis: MISTER FOE is director David MacKenzie's offbeat film adaptation of Peter Jinks's coming-of-age story centered on the unlikely protagonist of Hallam Foe, excellently portrayed by Jamie Bell (BILLY... MISTER FOE is director David MacKenzie's offbeat film adaptation of Peter Jinks's coming-of-age story centered on the unlikely protagonist of Hallam Foe, excellently portrayed by Jamie Bell (BILLY ELLIOT). A troubled young man beset with voyeuristic tendencies and a strong Oedipal longing for his dead mother, Hallam is a sensitive and volatile teenager who has taken to spying on his stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani), who he suspects is responsible for his mother's death by drowning two years earlier. When a charged psychosexual confrontation with Verity stokes the fires of his unresolved grief, Hallam flees his father's country estate for the picturesque Scottish capital of Edinburgh. There, he sets his sights on Kate (Sophia Myles), an attractive hotel manager who happens to bear a striking resemblance to his late mother. Soon, through a bit of charm and more than a little stalking, Hallam scores a menial job under Kate's employ; romantically--or creepily, depending on your viewpoint--Hallam pines for Kate from a distance, observing her daily activities (kickboxing, grooming, sex), through binoculars. Hallam's adolescent fantasies soon blossom into an unlikely romance when, during an after-work function, Kate revealingly declares, "I like creepy guys." While MISTER FOE tackles some rather unsettling psychological territory, David MacKenzie infuses the film with enough light, comic touches and a playful atmosphere of magic realism to prevent it from edging toward dolorous melodrama. Rounding out this very likeable indie feature are a delightful animated title sequence by artist David Shirgley, and a spirited soundtrack from Domino Records, featuring a bevy of Scottish rockers such as Franz Ferdinand and Orange Juice. [More]

Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives

Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives, Maurice Roeves, Ewen Bremner, Claire Forlani

Director: David Mackenzie

Director: David Mackenzie
Screenwriter: David Mackenzie, Ed Whitmore
Producer: Gillian Berrie

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Reviews for Mister Foe

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Perched on a razor's edge between the sinister and the whimsical, it's erotic, well acted, beautifully photographed.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
09/08/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Somehow the whole works surprisingly well, whether or not you end up thinking that it might have been still better left on the page.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
08/31/07
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

A stylish, original romance whose dark leanings are leavened by a current of optimism running through its darting narrative.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
08/31/07
Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

Thanks to bold performances, evocative cinematography and a trippy pop soundtrack, this richly entertaining tale of adolescent angst ends up being one of the most striking Brit flicks of 2007.

Full Review Source: thelondonpaper | comment Comment
08/31/07
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
thelondonpaper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Accomplished as it is, the film has trouble marrying the separate halves of the story, the mystery of the mother's death and the weird courtship Hallam is pursuing.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
08/31/07
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Decidedly dark material handled with a pleasing lightness of touch.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
08/31/07
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The story itself is self-regarding, and the ending, with its muddled vengefulness, strains both sympathy and credibility.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/31/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is Jamie’s acting skills, which are even more well honed than his chest, that make Hallam Foe one of the best British movies of the year.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
08/31/07
Sun Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even in the earthiest moments of the film, there’s a sense of magic that reflects the filter of Hallam’s innocence, eccentricity and otherness.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
08/31/07
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bell shines as the baleful yet sympathetic Hallam, but there’s little else to get excited about, with the eventual love affair between him and Kate deeply improbable.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
08/31/07
Daily Mirror [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

David Mackenzie's fourth feature is an immensely enjoyable and incredibly well-judged film, which confirms Jamie Bell as one of Britain's brightest young actors.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/31/07
Demetrios Matheou
Demetrios Matheou
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Get past the goofy animated titles and you’ll be captivated by a coming-of-age tale with a subversive edge. The hero may be have a few hang-ups, but Jamie Bell’s an ideal star for such defiantly off-kilter fare.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
08/31/07
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Total Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An intriguing rites-of-passage story with a delirious, skewed perspective and an almost palpable sexual pulse.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/31/07
Damon Wise
Damon Wise
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Impressively directed drama from the director of Young Adam, featuring a superb performance from Jamie Bell and a terrific soundtrack.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/30/07
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

As a study of grief, this is silly and nonsensical. Taken less seriously, Mackenzie delivers a light dance over heavy issues, and the romance works – but how flippantly can we take death, grief and suicide?

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/21/07
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Grief, voyeurism and latent necrophilia make a beguiling brew in Hallam Foe, a smart coming-of-age tale from the director of Young Adam.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
07/10/07
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Affirms the raw talents of both David Mackenzie (Young Adam) and Jamie Bell (who's come a long way since Billy Elliot).

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/17/07
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

it's ultimately impossible to rise above the overly melodramatic script. The world doesn't really need another wicked stepmother, after all.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/28/08
Don Willmott
Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com

Grumpy Glaswegians going at it are once again the focus of David ("Young Adam") Mackenzie's bleak and dreary -- but not wholly uninteresting -- drama.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
10/23/08
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Another successful and intriguing entry in Mackenzie's growing oeuvre.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bonnie Fazio
Bonnie Fazio
Reel.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Mister Foe

January 08, 2009: RT Interview: Jamie Bell talks Defiance and Dance
Jamie Bell tap-danced his way into the national consciousness with his breakthrough performance in Billy Elliot nine years ago. Since then he has worked with heavyweight screen... More...

November 02, 2008: Baret DVD News: A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love. Opens in new window
More...

September 08, 2008: Teen Peeping Tom acts upon oedipal urges in dysfunctional family drama from Scotland. Opens in new window
More...

September 03, 2008: A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love. Opens in new window
More...

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