Beckett: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of UKistan
REVIEW: Widely acclaimed as one of the funniest films of the year, Beckett follows the adventures of an official from an ex-socialist political party as they attempt to tackle the world’s problems by taking on the job of Foreign Secretary of UKistan. For the most part, the humour is ribald, light, and fun, and few can sit stony faced through the scene where Beckett carries a case full of chickens into a meeting of foreign ministers only to get involved in a cock fighting session with Belgian and Dutch officials. Often, however, the laughter is savagely dark. The nude wrestling scene alone warrants the adults-only certificate.
The documentary is at its best when Beckett’s inept diplomacy satirises the real political system, though many of the jokes premised on the backwardness of UKistan certainly leave a bad taste. No amount of well meant satire can overcome a deficiency of taste by mocking a nation in which only 61% of the nation bothered to take part in the last democratic elections, whose favourite food is supposedly hamburgers, and the favourite pastime is earning enough money to pay the exorbitant taxes. B-. One thumbs up. Three stars out of five.
