Twelve in a Box

2009

Comedy

Britain

Director John McKenzie

Producer Bruce Windwood

Fat Features

Icon Film Distribution

R4 DVD

Reviewer: Bob Estreich

This is one of those wonderful low-key comedies that the British do so well. The plot is fairly conventional. Twelve ex-schoolmates and their spouses gather at a country home for what is supposed to be a school reunion. A wealthy benefactor offers them a challenge – a million pounds each if they can spend ninety-six hours in the house together. The conditions are simple. No phones. No-one leaves or everyone loses their money. Anyone who enters the house stays there for the 96 hours. No exceptions.

Right from the start we can see they are a motley group of characters and there is going to be friction. There is the grey-haired granny with thoroughly mercenary tendencies, the pushy businessman, the short guy who was picked on right through his school days, the religious lady nutcase and so on. Can they unite to win the money? Although initially none want to play the game, the lure of the money wins out.

Problems arise very early when the little old lady’s husband dies of a heart attack after revealing that he needs the money desperately. All his investments have failed and they are destitute.

The religious lady is hilarious as she explains to God that she will use the money for good works, but starts to negotiate over whether she could keep just a little of the money to buy a new car so she can do so without the risk of breakdowns. As the negotiations continue she finds other things that she could do with the money, all to her benefit and, of course, in the Lord’s name.

“There have been greater miracles than this, you know. After all, of all the days Jesus could have been born, he was born on Christmas Day. Is that not a miracle?”

Sexual tension develops, too. We find that a number of the men and women are, shall we say, somewhat liberal in their sexual preferences.

This leads to constant threats for one or another of the group to walk out and so deprive them all of the money.

This becomes a problem when the spouse of one of the group tracks him down. What to do with her? Simple. Truss her up and store her in one of the spare bedrooms. The two burglars who choose this weekend to do the mansion over? They receive the same treatment.

“What do you do? Collect people?” asks one of the burglars.

The religious lady falls down the steps and is killed. Gradually the collection of bodies and kidnap victims increases. Then the police arrive.

The film is not as dark a comedy as it sounds. As director John McKenzie increases the pace the situation becomes more farcical than dark. It has a lot in common with a late Carry On film – the somewhat stereotyped characters, the increasingly demented storyline plunging relentlessly from impending doom to total disaster, the improbable bungling. This similarity is not accidental. Producer Bruce Windwood said

“John (McKenzie) and I had just finished working together on a short film and were discussing the feeling we both had that the film industry in this country seemed to be missing its self confident “Britishness” which characterised its most successful period up to the 1960’s. We are fans of the classic Ealing Comedy movies, and felt that it was time to re-visit that style of movie; a style which simply sets out to entertain.”

That the film works is due to the tight direction, excellent script and a quite competent group of actors. If you liked the Carry On films you will love this one. It’s well worth a look.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.4 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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