Beast review – down-and-out MMA fighter film is predictable but still lands punches

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Directed by Tyler Atkins and co-written by Russell Crowe, this Australian feature follows a familiar playbook – but you’ll find yourself surprisingly invested Ah, yes: the promising fighter who could’ve been a contender, could’ve been a champion. But then life intervened: bad decisions were made, promises broken, the wrong paths taken. But what if the past came knocking on his door? What if our long-in-the-tooth hero could have another crack, set things right, get in the ring one more time? To say that Tyler Atkins’ Australian martial arts drama Beast plucks moves from a well-worn playbook is putting it lightly. This is one of those genre films in which nothing surprises in broad terms; it’s the small pivots and deviations that matter. Given the ring of familiarity surrounding everything, I was surprised to find myself as invested in the film as I was, particularly because so many chest-thumping sports movies are already out there, many of which I find about as intellectually engaging ...
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The Problem with People review – old-country lark takes on blarney-fuelled family feud

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Paul Reiser and Colm Meaney go into cliche mode when an Irish patriarch wills half his legacy to his son’s unknown American cousin

Never mind people. The problem with this comedy is the cliches. It could not be more Irish if it was dropped into a pint of Guinness and rolled in shamrocks by a dancing leprechaun. The script is co-written by the American actor Paul Reiser, with a very broad sense of humour, though it’s likable enough. Colm Meaney is also on decent form as undertaker Ciáran, whose elderly father Fergus (Des Keogh) has a deathbed request: he wants to heal a rift with the American side of the family that has rumbled on for a couple of generations.

Over in New York, Reiser plays American cousin Barry, a real-estate tycoon. He’s recovering from the double whammy of a heart attack and divorce, which puts him in the sentimental mood for a family reunion. So off he flies, back to the old country. Initially, Barry is charmed by the beauty of the landscape and the quirky locals – among them a B&B owner with Mrs Doyle levels of pushiness and a pair of teenagers constantly putting on terrible American accents. The poor actors seem to have been directed to play it full-on, with exaggerated facial expressions and slightly embarrassing oversize performances.

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