IMDb plot summary: A crime novelist, whose research on Victorian serial killers has turned him into a paranoid wreck, must confront his worst fears, when a film executive takes a sudden interest in his movie script.
Directed by Crispian Mills and Chris Hopewell. Starring Simon Pegg, Alan Drake, Clare Higgins, and Paul Freeman.
This movie has some promise but it squanders most of it by feeling too mean-spirited. It's exceptionally clear that this character has some mental health issues to deal with, and he seems in genuine distress, and while we are trapped inside his head with him, it feels just so cruel to try to laugh at his irrational fears. When we laugh at fear and anxiety it's usually because we find it relatable, and at first I thought I wasn't laughing just because I didn't relate that hard, but then during the middle section, there's an extended scene of him panicking in a social situation, something I DO relate to, and instead of feeling seen and laughing, I just felt mocked. And EVERY punchline revolves around this fear, so if the jokes they choose to pull out of it don't land for you in the first 10 minutes, none of it will. The lines between comedy, horror, and tragedy are all thin and this never quite tips over into the comedy section, despite trying very hard.
How it entered my Flickchart:
A Fantastic Fear of Everything < Letters from Iwo Jima
A Fantastic Fear of Everything < As Good As It Gets
A Fantastic Fear of Everything < Annie (1982)
A Fantastic Fear of Everything > Sweet Home Alabama
A Fantastic Fear of Everything > Flywheel
A Fantastic Fear of Everything > Courageous
A Fantastic Fear of Everything < John Q.
A Fantastic Fear of Everything > Taxi
A Fantastic Fear of Everything > Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
A Fantastic Fear of Everything < Eagle Eye
A Fantastic Fear of Everything < Shrek the Third
A Fantastic Fear of Everything < Detropia
Final spot: #2877 out of 3252, or 12%.
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