World Premiere/ Rom-Com
Showing @Filmhouse 1, Thu 16 June @ 22:10 & Fri 17 June Filmhouse 2 @ 17:55
Carter Ferguson / United Kingdom / 2010 / 93 mins
Do cross-class relationships exist? Can women view themselves as anything other than prizes to be won? Can Scotland ever produce a rom-com to rival the position on the pedestal Gregory’s Girl sits on? If Fast Romance, from first time director Carter Ferguson, is anything to go by the answer is a resounding no. Following the life of a group of mainly inter-related ‘wegies, Fast Romance hinges on some kind of belief that the ideas in Love Actually needed a Scottish counter-part with speed-dating as the hook. The working-class quirky lass who snorts gets with a middle-class eloquent type until she realises she’s better off staying within her status and settles for the nice, ginger, postal-worker. Meanwhile some other stuff happens with a con-man police officer and a dying mum.
Filmmaking has never been more easy, accessible and cheap than it is now, which is why it’s so alarming that films of this quality are deemed festival worthy; low budget cinema does not have to look like this. With an unrelenting soundtrack better suited to a 1980s soap, a director that forgot to tell the actors that more than two expressions are usually needed for a 93 min film and post-production so invisible that the footage looked like rushes, the aesthetics of Fast Romance are a depressing testament to what is possible. But Fast Romance has problems beyond its production values: representing women as desperate, sad, thoughtless creatures that battle with one another in jealous fits of ostentatious exposure, unable to fathom the idea that people from different socio-economic backgrounds would be able to develop a relationship, Fast Romance is stuck in an era, both aesthetically and idealistically, that we really should be moving on from. Especially with the Scottish voice which has such an intimate relationship with representing the under-represented.
That’s a shame. Watching the trailer, only the split second of Tom Urie’s face made me smile. I do like when he shows up in stuff.
And yet compare this review with this one: http://www.thefilmpilgrim.com/reviews/fast-romance-review/4171
Audiences are loving it, critics don’t seem to like it. I’ll go with public opinion.
Hm, I do agree with the critics also this review appears to be a different synopsis from the Fast Romance I saw. Freer’s character wasn’t forced to go to the speed dating!! Anyway, good to find a film that divides…
Having viewed the trailer sometimes I wonder why I bother to even read critics reviews. This looked great and I am looking forward to seeing the whole film. Well done to the writers!!
I’ll be interested to hear your views post watching.
Just seems like the audiences go for anything. Slow, ragged “direction” – hammy acting and a hackneyed script. Good performances from Munn and Ruane. What did they do to the footage in post-production? Anything? Dialogue is poorly recorded and soundtrack is dated and amateurish.
I read the ‘recommended’ review – why cite a different opinion? So someone disagrees – great. Go onto IMDB and see where there are shamelessly papered reviews from family or from crew with psuedonyms
Can’t wait to see the whole film. Good actors, music brill and I’m a sucker for any kind of romance! Hoping to get to cinema at weekend!
Fast Romance did justice to Scottish film. It’s a feel good movie that will gain commercial success it truly deserves. The movie represents Woman in a liberated light, that are living in a society where attitudes are a lot less antiquated as the critics. It was good seeing a movie that had a different flavour from “Trainspotting” and “Neds”. I was entertained! If Films like “Fast Romance” be the food of love then play on!
Saw it tonight. Had a laugh. Give the guys a break – it hangs together fine. Acting performances mostly fine, one guy not so good, two guys great. It’s a laugh – chill out and stop taking yourselves so seriously. At least it’s not more junky sleazebags.
“…shamelessly papered reviews from family or from crew…”
Low blow by the way – who rattled your cage?
http://scotswhayhae.blogspot.com/2011/07/you-have-been-watchingfast-romance.html
http://scotswhayhae.blogspot.com/2011/07/you-have-been-watchingfast-romance.html
And Stan? Don’t put something like “…shamelessly papered reviews from family or from crew…”unless you can prove it. No doubt family and friends will be supportive and rightly so. Saw it. Thought it deserved to be on the big screen. Kudos to the guys and gals involved.
wow. lazy critics? I’d say lazy viewers but whatever. Getting a Scottish film into EIFF is pretty much the easiest thing ever….
Really, Ana. That’s your argument now? Getting Scottish Films into the EIFF is the easiest thing ever? What an insult to the local film makers who bust a gut trying to put our country on the map. There was only 2, if I remember correctly! If you rate the EIFF in this way, then why are you bothering going there in the first place to review films? Seems to me like, now you’re being proven wrong (and someone is reviewing the reviewers badly), you’re lashing out. I just saw the film is back in Cineworld for a SECOND run to houses and it seems to be pretty much full houses. Lazy viewers? (and don’t insult the audiences either, they’re the ones who matter) Nah. I think people want to be entertained and good on ’em cos that’s what the film business should be about. The film wasn’t for you and I’m sure that opinion is respected by some but don’t have a pop at those who disagree, it really isn’t professional.
It’s just a little depressing to see indie cinema imitating the worst of main stream cinema when film festivals should be bringing us films that are unique and original, with regards to your Scotland thing, England will produce 200 such things a year but we won’t see them at EIFF…or at LFF for that matter.
So it’s got to be unique and original to be in a festival? Come on. Festivals are springboards for talent and this bunch went out there and made a movie against the odds. So it wasn’t ‘original or unique’. So what? Just because it was a romantic comedy doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be there. And there’s no such thing as unique these days. The clever ones are just clever rehashes of old ones. Read ‘Save the Cat’ for examples. If festivals were only for unique and original, they’d be very quiet (and boring) places. Audiences want a certain amount of originality, granted, but also a certain amount of familiarity. And I’m not quiet clear on your post but are you saying England will produce 200 ‘unique and original’ films in a year??? That just makes me laugh. What rubbish – if that is what you meant.
OK I said England will produce 200 such films, referring to Fast Romance.
On another note, I’m glad you enjoyed the film, I see no purpose in stringing out my opinion any further, it’s clear you don’t understand what I’m saying Jim.
I understand perfectly what you’re saying, Ana. I’m not stupid and I work in the industry – have done for 23 years – and I know what I’m looking at when I watch a film but, yes, I think I’ve also made my point which is in agreement with the fee paying audiences who went to see it. 3 extra screenings last week in Glasgow, 2 sold out.
Good for you Jim.
Hey Jim,
You seem to know a whole lot about the film and the industry. The fact that the movie was supported strongly by the Scottish public does not a good film make. Fast Romance looked, sounded and probably even read – unfinished. I would say that above all else, it was a hackney awful script. It was like a bad episode of River City, which by the way “Jim”, I thought you were wonderful in … if you ‘cop’ my meaning.
Regards … “Jim” “Jimmyson”
And we’re back to the argument of the cast and crew being the only ones being passionate about a film they were involved in? I’m pretty sure Carter Ferguson (the cop in River City too, in case you weren’t sure) or any of the other cast and crew using psuedonyms, has got better things to do than spar with a blogger but if you want to think I’m him (or any of the others as opposed to someone entirely unconnected with the film but passionate about films in general), you knock yourself out. As for the ‘River City’ thing, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon – just someone who can read IMDB and click their mouse – to work out that the director, writer, several actors, producer, and probably a fair few of the other crew have worked on the show at some point. I just think it’s sad that some reviewers (though not Ana – Kudos for that, Ana) and you try to make themselves sound clever by flagging River City (which I agree isn’t a great show) as if you haven’t checked IMDB in your research. BTW, I know a lot about the industry because I adore it, have worked in it a long time and will fight tooth and nail for something I believe in. I’m not one to Stan-d back when I think there’s a point to be made.
I’m not too sure I got your point Jim. Is it that a not very good film is good? Fair enough pal, you’re entitled to your opinion. My opinion (which is that the film is woeful) happens to be backed up by The Herald, this website and Variety. So that’s three nil to me then.
BTW, seeing as we’re using cool acronyms here – if you genuinely liked Fast Romance, then you’ll simply LOVE ‘Swept Away’ by Guy Ritchie or even ‘Being Human’ by Bill Forsythe.
It’s great that you think I did ‘research’ to spar with you Pseudo-Jim. If you’re passionate about film, then there are many good films to support, getting all hot under the collar over this piece of trite suggests to me that you’re an episode short of a full series chum.
Also … If you’re not Derek Munn or Carter Ferguson (aka David Carter, or so my ‘research tells me) then I’ll eat every available copy of Fast Romance – with the dual purpose of teaching myself a lesson though saving film viewers everywhere from wasting 90 minutes of their life they can never get back.
Three-nil? Well done you. Your mum must be so proud.
Is that her calling you for your tea because it’s Fast Romance tonight. Hope you’re hungry. 🙂
can you tell me who sing i feel a alone in at movie
I love this. The Fast Romance team have been very hot on distorting internet coverage in favour of their dismal film: they mounted an enormous linked campaign to secure votes for a Cineworld award that is so suspect that Bafta Scotland may never hold another audience award prize. They are also calling it a Bafta award – it isn;t. In fact Bafta rejected their application to be considered for Bafta nominatio because the film was insufficient quality.
Nice to see they haven’t fooled this site.
Thanks Chicken George, glad to see they haven’t fooled you too!
Never heard so many screaming Mary’s in my life, this is an excellent film, If you can make such a great film with the budget they had which was under 50,000 then the Scottish films industry is a real gold mine.
Anyone else think this might be why so many critics are crying about it lol.