Movie Review: The Lobster (2016)

NEWEST REVIEW IS LIVE! Today, it's not a rock, but it is just The Lobster..

Hello All,

    When I was a kid, my dad introduced me to Monty Python. It was through them that I first learned what absurdist comedy was, and truthfully I still think to this day that they were the greatest comedy troupe I’ve ever seen. I bring this up because nowadays, at least in my experience, it’s really hard to find absurdist comedy films that are not afraid to go the distance with the premise. In theory it’s because they run the risk of alienating people who aren’t a fan of that kind of comedy, and that it won’t do much business at all. So when I saw The Lobster pop on my radar quite some time ago, reading about it’s concept I was immediately intrigued. So when I found out it was playing nearby I jumped on the opportunity and made my way over to go see it. So was the wait worth it? Let’s find out together shall we?

Plot Summary - In a dystopic future, any residents of a city who are single, are taken to a hotel on the outskirts of town, and are given 45 days to find a romantic partner. If they fail in this task, they are turned into an animal of their choosing and are released into the wild. In the film we follow David (Colin Firth), a man whose wife has just left him, and so he now finds himself navigating through other guests at the Hotel in his quest to find love.

Pros - The film is pure absurdist comedy, as it pokes fun at every aspect of relationships and even being alone. It is really hard to explain without potentially going into spoilers, but the film does a really close job of capturing that Monty Python level of hilarious bizarreness. What I can say is that it’s beautifully

Cons - Like I said, if you don’t like this type of comedy then you won’t like this film. Everything line is also delivered very bluntly for extra effect, so if that also bothers you, avoid it. They also don’t really go into to many of the rules of who qualifies, preferring to leave you to think about it. It also has an ambiguous ending.

Final Score - 9/10

It’s not quite the home run that I was hoping for, but it’s at least one of the funniest films I’ve seen in a really long time.

Next - It’ll either be a double tomorrow, or Civil War Thursday.

Last Review is Here: I tackled a different comedy involving animals.

I am 1 more Twitter follower away from allowing suggestions for the 25 follower review. If you or anyone you know are looking for more twitter, I am available for following.

Until then, I’ll see you folks at the movies.