Although it's clearly a personal story, Wah-Wah proves as formulaic and meandering as its satirical targets are bloated and obvious.
Comment
05/13/06
Wah-Wah (2006)
52
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:66
Fresh:34
Rotten:32
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: The ensemble cast is strong, but they get overpowered by the muddled stew of melodrama.
Theatrical Release:02-06-2006
Synopsis: Acclaimed actor Richard E. Grant's "Wah-Wah" is a semi-autobiographical "coming-of-age at the end of an age" story, told through the eyes of young Ralph Compton. Set during the last gasp of the... [More]
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Miranda Richardson, Emily Watson, Julie Waters
Director: Richard E. Grant
Reviews for Wah-Wah
The sort of film that's obviously deeply meaningful to the filmmaker, but he fails to make it particularly meaningful to you.
05/13/06
Though the raw material is juicy stuff, the details and the larger picture never come together and the cast is uneven.
05/12/06
Decadence as metaphor for decadence, how original.
05/12/06
The film plays like a scattered collection of memories rather than a straight story. The emotional and political aspects of the movie never converge to make a point.
05/12/06
The story lacks focus. The senses blur as wives and ex-wives come and go, and Harry regularly falls off the wagon, only to reform the next day.
05/12/06
As a story, Wah-Wah is far from perfect, but its wonderful cast brings it a complexity all too rare today.
05/12/06
Grant captures the essence both of boyhood rites of passage and a particular time and place for which he clearly holds affection, bumps, ruts and all.
05/12/06
Grant opens up his life, not with embarrassment or explanation but with humanity and gratitude. Emotional, melodramatic and sentimental, the film unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve, and is the better for it.
05/12/06
Top CriticA perfectly respectable filmmaking debut, Wah-Wah simply leaves us feeling that there could have been more to the story.
05/12/06
A lovably eccentric actor, Mr. Grant has created a lovably eccentric dramady.
05/12/06
Theatrical in the worst possible way. People are so busy shouting out abuse, or delivering it, that you wonder if the entire cast is somehow hard of hearing.
05/12/06
The film has that Merchant-Ivory look and feel to it (which means grade A cinematography, a first-rate British cast, and a scandal).
05/12/06
Grant's unblinking but sympathetic depiction of this emotionally unhinged world makes the viewer feel like an illicit, enlightened gawker, and it has the enormous fringe benefit of fine performers.
05/11/06
Set to the death rattle of the British Empire in Africa, Wah-Wah observes the disintegration of the Compton family through the eyes of its young son, Ralph.
05/11/06
Top CriticSwitching hats from actor to writer/director, Grant smoothly serves up everything you expect in a coming-of-age tale.
05/11/06
As you'd expect, Grant works expertly with a terrific ensemble.
05/11/06
Above all, the film has a wonderful sense of ensemble in the portrayal of its inbred community, and the focus stays tight on the people rather than political events.
05/11/06
Top Critic[Grant's] ambitions to make a movie about the loss of innocence and the passing of empire are unrealized, but there are some fine grace notes and a few resounding minor chords to be heard along the way.
05/11/06
Wah-Wah is guilty of numerous crimes: sweeping theme music, meaningful close-ups, endless sunsets, a boatload of quirky supporting characters who fail to entertain.
05/11/06
Latest News for Wah-Wah
May 14, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Mission: Impossible 3" Beats "Poseidon" to Remain at #1
Tom Cruise's spy sequel Mission: Impossible III remained the most popular film in North America for the second straight weekend while the big-budget disaster film Poseidon... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds