THE HONEYMOON
UK/Italy, 2022, 97 minutes, Colour.
Maria Bakalova, Asim Chaudhry, Pico Alexander, Lucas Bravo.
Directed by Dean Craig.
A positive review of this comedy drama is that it is comedy for an unsophisticated audience.
Another positive feature would be the location photography, especially at the opening wedding in the Lakes District, a great deal of the beauty of Venice, and, less so, the countryside of Slovenia.
Reviews have generally been unfavourable despite the fact that the film has been written and directed by Dean Craig, writer of both versions of Death at a Funeral, arresting comedies in their way.
On paper, the ideas probably seemed more than feasible, a young couple getting married, going on their honeymoon to Venice, the romance. The couple are played by Pico Alexander and, another star vehicle for the Bulgarian actress, Maria Bakalova who made such an impact with Sasha Baron Cohen (and lawyer Rudy Giuliani) in moviefilm.
On paper, the other main idea probably seemed feasible as well, the groom’s best friend from childhood, Bav, contriving to go on the honeymoon with them and all the mishaps that could occur. And, then, complicating the honeymoon with introducing Italian drug dealers and their pressurising the groom and Bav to drive into Slovenia to deliver drugs and collect the money, returning to save the wife who has been taken as hostage guarantee.
In fact, there are some funny situations and some humorous dialogue.
What may be too much for many audiences to take Asid Chaudhry’s presence and performance as Bav. Chaudhry has a reputation for being a successful comedian and a short glimpse of him can be seen as Mo the Matchmaker in What’s Love God to do with It?. It is something of a cameo role and easily entertaining.
However, the whole film with Bav as interpreted by Chaudhry and played, has funny moments but his continued presence, his ruining every situation, his ingenuous response to everything, always excusing himself, can be very trying – and for over an hour and a half. He means well but completely misjudges situations, says the first thing that comes into his head, getting everyone into absurd situations. There are some cathartic moments when he is told off by some of the characters. And, he is never to blame.
Lucas Bravo is Georgia, son of a wealthy drug dealer, with two henchman (also a bit dopey) who is attracted by the wife, invites them all to the home for a meal, takes her to a Gallery that she has always wanted to see but is closed for summer, and then pressurises the husband and Bav to drive Slovenia. (Slovenia could put in a formal complaint about the way it is presented in the film, odd and ugly characters, gangsters, ugly countryside…)
All kinds of mishaps along the way, the two held up by the police, fearful, driving away, having to stay the night when the car breaks down, an ugly hotel, a spitting landlady crone, a huge driver who shares the room for the night, but who drives them to their rendezvous as well as driving them back to safety. And, complications, when Bav has a bath to loosen the duct tape on the drugs on his body and they dissolve, and later a fight out in the open when they are covered in cocaine. There is a shootout, Georgio having warned the police but this never explained, and the two having to return and confess what has happened.
It is hoped that this is something of a fair description of The Honeymoon enabling audiences to decide whether it is their kind of unsophisticated comedy or not.
