Rated: M
Directed by: Lina Roessler
Written by: Anthony Grieco
Director of Photography: Claudine Sauvé
Editor: Arthur Tarnowski
Produced by: Jonathan Vanger, Pierre Even, Cassian Elwes, Arielle Elwes, Wayne Marc Godfrey
Executive Produced by: Petr Jakl, Martin J Barab
Starring: Sir Michael Caine, Aubrey Plaza, Scott Speedman and Rachel Spence.
Best Sellers is a film about a crotchety recluse writer (he has, ‘Piss off’ taped to his front door), and a failing publisher, Lucy Skinner (Aubrey Plaza).
Lucy’s boutique publishing house is about to go under if she doesn’t find a relevant writer fast.
Enter, Harris Shaw (Sir Michael Caine).
The introduction of Harris Shaw, follows his ginger cat as it makes its way into his study to find him coughing and typing. The phone rings, ‘He’s dead. Bugger off,’ he says.
Harris is the classic Johnny Walker, Black Label, cigar smoking recluse writer Sir Michael Caine was made for.
Swipe to classical music: the city, a clean office and publisher Lucy Skinner getting the latest review of her recent Young Adult publication being read by side kick and assistant, Rachel Spence (Elle Wong). It’s bad.
She needs a writer that will save the publishing house.
She needs Harris Shaw.
He could be dead,’ says Rachel.
Owing the publishing house a manuscript, on the proviso there’s no editing as long as he agrees to go on a book tour, Harris and Lucy set off in Shaw’s green Jag where he starts trending after introducing his book by reading an excerpt from Penthouse.
His favourite way to describe the book tour: ‘It’s all bullshite.’
‘Bullshite’ becomes a hash tag.
And of course the publisher and writer don’t get along, but along the journey bond while Lucy vomits in the toilet.
I like crotchety characters and movies about writers, so I enjoyed the banter between, ‘Silver spoon’ Lucy and, ‘It’s all Bullshite,’ Harris Shaw.
There’s tension and obstacles to overcome, getting to the heart of this abrasive yet brilliant man that got me cheering and quietly chuckling as Shaw declares his hatred for critics – it really does suck to be a critic sometimes.
But I have to say (speaking of being a critic) the soundtrack with that 70s jangle of music to try to lift the film into old-man-cheek, cheapened the sentiment. Shaw’s like a Hemingway character with his ginger cat and cigar smoking from his mouth while typing the next, Best Seller. The character deserved something more deliberate. More… blunt. Not, dandy grandfather music.
So there’s discord between the thoughtful and funny script writing from Anthony Grieco and the underlying tone built by the soundtrack.
The script includes snippets of poignant sentences like, ‘Art is not propaganda. It’s an expression of truth,’ giving the usual drama of, I’m-here-because-this-happened, a little more.
So when the character asks the question, ‘Who put a collar on you?’ Dandy guitars aren’t going to reflect the truth of the character.
Best Sellers is a good movie. Could be been a great movie.