Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
As I was finally watching “The Trip” series, I was inspired to revisit the first time the collaboration of director Michael Winterbottom, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon captured my attention. Their 2005 film, “Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story” is a mockumentary in the Christopher Guest vein, but rather than parodying something like the owners of dog shows, small-town community theatre or folk music, Winterbottom and his actors decide to tackle a famed novel long thought unfilmable, Laurence Sterne’s 18th Century work, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemen as their way of making fun of the filmmaking process. Any list of the best movies about making movies would do well to include it.
The film begins as sort of an adaptation of the novel itself, with Coogan playing both Tristram Shandy, who will narrative his story, and his father, which is basically just Tristram with a powdered wig on. Actually, the film begins in the makeup trail on set of the film, where Coogan and Brydon (who is to play Captain Toby Shandy in the film) are getting made up, and right away, fans of “The Trip” films will see the effortless by-play between the actors as they play heightened versions of themselves, Coogan as an arrogant “star,” and Brydon as an actor who sees himself as deserving more time on-screen. That is the dynamic they will continue with throughout the film, which shows the absurd nature of producing a film, especially when it comes to making a battle scene, and the cost therein doing so, and getting a star in Gillian Anderson to play Tristram’s mother. All the while, we focus on Coogan, as he watches as the film seems to focus less on him; having a scene of him appear as though he is in the womb, which he will have to play naked, feels like a particular insult.
“Tristram Shandy” is delightful in its deconstruction of making movies- Winterbottom, writer Frank Cottrell Boyce (credited as Martin Harvey), and a terrific cast that includes Jeremy Northam as the director, Benedict Wong and Naomie Harris as assistants on set, Kelly Macdonald as Jenny (Coogan’s girlfriend in the film) and Stephen Fry are not above eviscerating directors, writers or actors and how they view their jobs- and just a wonderfully entertaining film in its own right. What continues to give me pleasure, however, is the self-deprecating joy in Coogan’s performance. He can be a very funny blast of energy in things like “Night at the Museum” and “Tropic Thunder,” but his work for Winterbottom reveals something extra in his talents, even if the scene is something as simple as he and Brydon discussing each others impersonations of famous actors, which yes, we get to see here, as well. This is one of those moments where you see just how special certain actors are, and I will always appreciate this film for giving me my first glimpse of it from Coogan.
