TIFF 2009: BUNNY AND THE BULL

Bunny and the Bull

Released: 2009

Directed by: Paul King

Starring: Edward Hogg, Simon Farnaby, Verónica Echegui

Genre: Comedy

Short Review:

Bunny and the Bull is a quirky comedy about Stephen Turnbull (Edward Hogg), a man who hasn’t left his house in almost a year and has organized his life to an extremely precise schedule. But because of a mice infestation that destroys his routine, he is forced to revisit the last time he really ventured out of the house with his best friend Bunny, on a cross continent adventure. The film is ridiculously hilarious, with an imaginative art style that should not be missed by fans of unusual British comedies.

Full Review:

The film focuses on Stephen Turnbull (Edward Hogg), a man that lives his life to a very strict schedule that regulates everything in his life from how long he brushes his teeth to what he eats for all his meals. But one day his world is turned completely upside down due to a serious mice infestation that gorged themselves on all his pre-cooked meals, causing his well planned schedule to be thrown into utter disarray. Because Stephan has organized his entire life to the letter, he has not left his house in at least a year and because of the mice, he is forced to relive what caused him to live in seclusion, a disastrous cross Europe trek with his best friend Bunny.

Bunny (Simon Farnaby) is the opposite of Stephen - he is sex obsessed, always drinking and a compulsive gambler that bases everything on his gut and then makes a bet on how much he can put in it. Before their trip, Stephen is suffering from a massive romantic disappointment from a girl that he had loved for years without telling her, but when he finally expresses his feelings, he discovers that “She's put me in the friend zone”. Bunny’s solution is to travel across Europe, drink an excess of alcohol and find Stephen a new girl, but there through their journey they encounter an insanely superstitious waitress, a man that lives under a bridge and loves his canine entourage a little too much.

The story is over-the-top ridiculous but has the air of a, ‘you wouldn’t believe what I did last night’ kind of believability that is so outlandish that it has to be true. Because most of the film takes place within Stephan’s subconscious, it possesses similar characteristics of The Science of Sleep, where objects in his world are made up of paper and other objects his magpie-like mind keeps collected. There is one scene where Bunny dives into a frozen lake and it appears the ice was made up of a thick layer of paper, and the effect of the ‘ice paper’ breaking was really cool (sorry for the pun).

I found the film’s humour was really enjoyable, with many moments awkward that make you pity Stephen, however a large number of the jokes are sight gags and as a result it makes it difficult to properly articulate the excellent humour. Some of the jokes consist of scenes with long montages that actually deliver on a solid joke. (Such as Stephen making a really complicated drink and when he’s finally completed he discovers that Bunny simply drank fives beers and is completely unconscious.)

The film was easily one of my most enjoyed films at the Toronto Film Festival this year.  It was witty, funny and possessed real emotion that makes you feel really bad for poor Stephen. I hope that the theatres near me actually pick up this film so that I can ‘persuade’ my friends to check this film out.

SHARP OBJEX Rating: 3 out of 4

Bunny and the Bull Trailer

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