IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Diagonaldi Very well executed

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Superunknovvn "The Parole Officer" is a funny little comedy gem from the UK that has its share of flaws. Occasionally the jokes are just a bit too silly and the movie has a few lengths in the middle. Also, the score seems completely out of place more often than not.On the plus side, though, the film has got a great cast. Most jokes work because the actors deliver them with such great timing. Nothing needs to be said about Steve Coogan anymore. Everybody knows his talent by now and the man is rightfully on his way to a career in Hollywood. Ben Miller can be seen here, too, before he came to bigger fame with "The Worst Week Of My Life". He's great, just like Om Puri, George Steven Waddington and Emma Williams, all of which play a group of ex-criminals who plan to break into a bank to steal evidence that will clear the name of the wrong-fully accused title character (played by Coogan). Lena Headey is another face you might recognize from "300" or the new "Terminator" TV-series. She's just gorgeous, beautiful and very charming. Omar Sharif makes a prominent cameo and there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Simon Pegg - probably the best moment of the entire movie.So, yeah, "The Parole Officer" is a very enjoyable movie. Not all jokes hit the bullseye, but you'll laugh more than a few times. I really recommend this movie to everyone who likes classic Heist flicks and/or comedies like "Fletch".

intelearts Best surprise I've had in a long time: funny, sweet, and just well, good. It's not crude, or rude ('cept for a couple of obligatory phallic jokes and a couple of swear words) : it could be Rowan Atkinson in the title role. Here Steve Coogan, for my money, leaves behind the skewering satire and parody that made him a household name and a cult figure on UK television, and by half way through the film develops a character that you root for 100%Nice storyline, a fun caper, and mixed bag of personalities make this a much better mix than expectations might lead you to believe. I love Ealing Comedies, and good British comedies like Brassed Off, and thought the recent US remake of the Ladykillers was just about everything you don't want a crime comedy movie to be... ... the thing about the Parole Officer is that it is simply enjoyable; it has great pace, some tension and thrills, good laughs, with enough silliness, and ideas to keep it afloat; but it also has a sweet heart and a decency at its center. We thoroughly enjoyed it: especially the last hour: once Coogan stops trying to prove he can develop figures only to poke fun about - he becomes a really likable character - and that's no bad thing. It's fun - pure and simple - which is a quality sadly lacking in films these days. Definitely worth viewing.

Caz1964 I thought this was a really funny British comedy,I'm surprised it got so many negative reviews,id never heard of this film before until id watched it on Sunday night,i wasn't going to watch it ,but I'm glad i did.The actors never force the comedy ,its paced well and the script is light.Its never too vulgar,there isn't loads of obscene language and sex scenes and it isn't offensive in any way.Although I'm an animal lover the scene involving the Jack Russell was hilarious,{well its obvious it wasn't a real dog flying over the fence}.The scene on the roller-coaster was also really funny and i normally hate anything like that which involves someone being sick,from now on after seeing this film I'm going to make sure i sit in front on a fairground ride.I think this film is suitable for all ages,don't avoid give it a try.

paul2001sw-1 Steve Coogan wrote and stars in 'The Parole Officer', an Ealing-esque take on high-tech heist movies like 'Ocean's Eleven', with various nods to James Bond, 'The Italian Job' and a host of other films gently lampooned within. Coogan plays Simon Garden, a nerdy, PC-talking parole officer who masterminds an unlikely bank job in the name of justice. There are funny moments in this portrayal, but it's a dull role which almost requires the opposite of acting: the squarer and more awkward Coogan sounds, the more in-character he is. This sort of thing can work in a "mockumentary" ('The Office' obviously comes to mind), but whether such low-key, observational comedy can really work in a comedy thriller is a different question: one might say that the very unlikeliness of this scenario is the film's selling point, but mostly it just seems lame. (I had the same problem with Coogan's (much funnier) creation, talk-show host Alan Partridge, who was horribly believable as a person but, unlike his brilliant U.S. rival Larry Sanders, never convincing as someone who would actually get on T.V.; likewise, Simon the bank-robber never rings true). Perhaps aware that it can't make its plot line stick, 'The Parole Officer' descends into obvious parody and a odd collection of gags, some cringe-worthy, some potentially funny (but only in a more realistic setting). Overall, a very flat film caught uncomfortably between slapstick and black farce.