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The Hippopotamus

2017

John Jencks

Roger Allam, Tim McInnerny, Fiona Shaw, Matthew Modine ...

5.9

155

Comedy It centers on a lapsed poet, failed drama critic, redundant husband and hard-working drunk, Ted Wallace (Roger Allam). Fired from his newspaper job, Ted leaps at the chance to drown his sorrows at his old friend's country estate, Swafford Hall. A series of spiritual healings have recently put the household in a tizzy. The purported miracle worker is his hosts' teenage son, Ted's godson, David (Tommy Knight). Lord and Lady Logan are set ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter	"The mystery that serves as the story’s engine (...) never really gets humming. Against the rich, voluminous linguistic calisthenics (...) the rest of the story tends to blur. And Allam pretty much compensates for the missing dramatic oomph."	NEU
United Kingdom	Mike McCahill The Guardian	"Roger Allam elevates a wonky country house mystery (...) It’s still a pleasure, and often a joy, to watch the star measuring out and savouring Fry’s rich wordplay (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	David Parkinson Empire	"This quirky comedy only occasionally sputters into life (...) This bawdy romp consistently stumbles over its more contrived excesses (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEG
United Kingdom	Kate Muir The Times	"A towering, at times monumentally good central performance from the character actor Roger Allam stands at the heart of 'The Hippopotamus', but it is entirely alone. This is a belated adaptation (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Tom Huddleston Time Out	"Underwhelming (...) The script is just dull, regurgitating Fry’s book in the most lumpen, unimaginative fashion (...) A most unlikeable film (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEG
United Kingdom	Wendy Ide The Guardian	"Roger Allam’s admirable range of profanities apart, this story of miraculous events at an English country house stretches credibility and patience (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Geoffrey Macnab The Independent	"[A] patchy but lively adaptation (...) Allam carries the film (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEU

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