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If you're anything like me then you've been surrounded by alcohol your whole life (if you're British, you most definitely have), and if you're anything like me, it's something you perhaps never really questioned; alcohol is life. From the wetting of the babies head, through the 18th birthday party, the wedding, all the way through to the funeral - these markers of life are punctuated with alcohol. We use it to celebrate, to lubricate us socially, to escape reality, literally any occasion is an excuse to drink. And A Royal Hangover underscores the 'why?' so brilliantly.
Far from being a mere exploration of the quite frankly over-used and sensationalist term 'binge- drinking', A Royal Hangover delves deep into the history of alcohol in the UK, and how politics, science, religion, education and parenting impact on our view of alcohol, portraying it as a drug. And a drug it is. The film really hit home how backwards our whole legal system is when it comes to drugs, and shows just how devastating alcohol can be through interviews with addicts (none more powerful that the filmmaker's heart-wrenching conversation with his uncle, whom consumes two bottles of whisky daily), and recovering addicts from all walks of life.
Something my girlfriend picked up on, is the fact that the filmmakers don't use the word 'alcoholic', instead opting for the term 'alcohol addict', which we thought was a very clever, subtle touch. The brilliant Professor Nutt was right in his critique that we 'constantly minimise our understanding of the harms of alcohol', and the word 'alcoholic' is just another small way of doing this - it's a euphemism, more in-line with the word 'chocoholic' than 'addiction'.
Regardless of your views of him, Russell Brand adds a nice star touch to the film, and is his usual witty, exuberant self. He does make some very good arguments here with regards to the UK's drug system, and also shares some personal anecdotes on his own experiences with alcohol, but the real stars here are the filmmakers, for standing up and giving us such a brave and brilliant portrait of a nation's obsession with alcohol, from their alien-like 'non-drinker' perspective, and of course the Director's uncle for allowing us a window into the mind of a man fully in the iron grasp of addiction.
A Royal Hangover is interchangeably witty and sad, and consistently entertaining, bold and informative. This film should be mandatory viewing. For everyone.
Thank you!
score 9/10
info-45069 3 June 2015
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3250333/ |
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19-4-2021 18:05:12