COMFORT AND JOY

UK, 1984, 106 minutes, Colour.
Bill Paterson, Eleanor David, Patrick Malahide.
Directed by Bill Forsyth.

Comfort and Joy is another entertaining comedy from Bill Forsythe (That Sinking Feeling, Gregory's Girl, Local Hero). Once again, the setting is Scottish, a Scottish city and a disc-jockey trying to cope with his girlfriend's leaving, keeping up his ratings on the radio, and an intriguing case of ice cream gangsters in the city.

Bill Patterson is enjoyable in the central role. The screenplay is daffy and has much verbal and visual humour.

1. The work of Bill Forsythe? The Scots humour? Scots atmosphere? Universally enjoyable?

2. The title and the echoes of Christmas? The Christmas setting? The irony of the hero not having much comfort or joy?

3. The atmosphere of Scotland, the Scottish city? The city resembling any western city? The particular Scottish touches?

4. The portrait of Allen 'Dickie' Bird? His life, his apartment, his girlfriend leaving him, his radio work, his session? His style and talk? Middle age and its effect? The opening with the shopping, Maddy suddenly leaving, taking all her furniture? Colin's advice? His dreams and imagination - the effect of Maddy on him? His driving? The ice cream? The attack by the masked bandits (and the humour of their asking for his autograph)? The slashing of his car? The investigation of the feud, the meeting of the criminals, the contacts? Bringing them on to his programme? The meeting in the cafe? The brainwave about the ice cream fritters? The ironic happy ending? The comic portrait of a middle-aged man?

5. Allen as lonely, the range of friends, advice, girls and contacts?

6. Maddy, the shopping, her leaving, her remaining in Allen's imagination?

7. The contrast with Charlotte and the Italians? infatuation, romance?

8. The ice cream feud? The gangs, the attacks? The gangsters in the city? The meetings at the factories? The go-betweens? The cafe meeting? The irony of the relationships? Italians in Scotland? Mr Bunny and Mr Cool?

9. The ironic portrait of gangsterism in the Scottish city? The American style standover tactics and violence in Scotland?

10. The focus on the media: the radio stations, ratings, programming, the popularity of disc jockeys? The effect of the media, investigations and exposes?

11. Offbeat comic irony?