Wah-Wah Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Every family has its own language.
Set at the end of the 60's as Swaziland is about to receive Independence from Great Britain, the film follows the young Richard E Grant at 12 (Zach Fox) through his parents traumatic separation, till he's 14 (Nicholas Hoult). It is based on true events from Richard E Grant's childhood
| Gabriel Byrne | Harry Compton |
| Miranda Richardson | Lauren Compton |
| Nicholas Hoult | Ralph Compton |
| Emily Watson | Ruby Compton |
| Julie Walters | Gwen Traherne |
| Celia Imrie | Lady Riva Hardwick |
| Fenella Woolgar | June Broughton |
| Julian Wadham | Charles Bingham |
| Zac Fox | Young Ralph Compton |
| Ian Roberts | John Traherne |
| Michael Richard | Tobias |
| Sid Mitchell | Vernon |
| Olivia Grant | Monica |
| John Carlisle | Sir Gifford Hardwicke |
| John Matshikiza | Dr. Zim Mzimba |
| Richard E. Grant |
7.00 out of 10 (757 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Melodramatic twaddle
posted on 12 Jul 2009Went to see this film on a free promotion, knowing nothing about it beyond vague awareness of the publicity blurb. What a dreary experience! It's an inauspicious start when even the filming behind the opening titles seems clichéd and clumsy. Then the characters inspire no interest, the writing and direction are Mills & Boon, the story-line rambles on with no sense of shape or structure. It was like an extended omnibus edition of a minor soap opera, without the excitement. Some normally reliable acting talent present, but mainly wasted. I'm astonished so many people who've commented already have enjoyed it! But then I hated Memoirs of a Geisha too. What else can I say? It certainly wasn't a comedy as billed. I suspect the distributor thought that was the only way to sell it, but perhaps even the film-makers couldn't decide. My wife, who usually likes this sort of thing, found it completely uninvolving too.
I was, unfortunately, disappointed
posted on 19 Apr 2009I've been a big fan of Richard E. Grant's work for years. I enjoy his manic on-screen energy. I especially enjoyed his 1995 published diary WITH NAILS, where he told of his life in pre/post independent Swaziland: his parents divorce, his father's position as minister of education, seeing Clockwork Orange illegally, etc... Therefore, I was excited to see Wah-Wah. I was wrong. If I get bored very early in a movie, that's a bad sign. I found it very slow and I didn't sympathize with the characters. I thought Gabriel Byrne gave, as always, a very powerful performance. Miranda Richardson is always a strong presence. I like Emily Watson, but I didn't like her in this film. I think she was trying too hard to act "American." Maybe Grant should have just cast an American. Once again, I was excited to see this film, but after seeing it, I felt as if it didn't need to be made.
Incredibly dull
posted on 10 Mar 2009Another actor turns to directing.The story of a young white boy in 1960's Africa.This picture is like one of those African-set movies from the late '80s - White Mischief or A World Apart. But unlike those movies nothing much happens in Wah-Wah (the title comes from Watson's catchphrase). The kid is incredibly dull and is surrounded by older and more interesting characters. The story may be true but is it worth making into a movie? Only the final Super-8 footage really worked. I liked Richardson's reason for eloping with the man - he means what he says and avoids irony.Wah-Wah is a very average movie.
Truly fantastic movie: brilliant pacing, excellent performances, quality cast.
posted on 04 Mar 2009Truly fantastic movie. I went to the world premiere last night at Edinburgh Film Festival and was blown away. As much as I like Richard E. Grant, I must confess that I was expecting a rather indulgent art-house auto-biopic. Instead, what we got was a brilliant, superbly paced, wonderfully entertaining feature film that held the audience to the last scene. The first 10 minutes are a little slow, but from then on Grant never puts a foot wrong."Wah-Wah" has the right blend of comic situations, gritty family conflict, stunning African scenery and caricatures of latter-day British imperial pretensions to entertain, engage and amaze.Nicholas Hoult shows that the intensity and charisma evidenced in "About A Boy" were no childhood fluke, while Gabriel Byrne brings a perfect mix of menace and charm to encapsulate the contradictions of Grant's father figure. Special kudos goes to Emily Watson, whose on-screen presence is radiant and lively, rather akin to Rachel Griffiths in "Six Feet Under".With an assured debut like this, Grant should soon be able to give up those wretched Argos ads for good!
great director, great actors and an amazingly great story
posted on 10 Feb 2009I love this film! I've been a fan of Richard E Grant for a long time, and this film is just the cream on the cake. :) He is a great writer and director (and of course, a fantastic actor) and I love the way he introduces Swaziland to us. The actors are perfect for the roles. The soundtrack is also fantastic. I was crying and laughing. It really touches your heart. When I first saw it I immediately knew that the film has something to tell. Having a childhood like Richard had is not an easy thing. What I love the most is the way he shows the family connections, pain, and big decisions through the eyes of a child. A great film! I recommend it to anyone.
Touching
posted on 13 Jan 2009This is an autobiographical film about a child's turbulent childhood in a small African country.The good thing about this film is that the characters are amazing. Acting by the various lead characters are superb. There are drunk fathers, charming seductress, unhappy children and pretentious upper class figures. They all do an excellent job at portraying their respective character. The scene that struck me the most deeply is that the young child prays for his mother to come back. It is the most touching! However, the main weakness of the movie is that it is at some point rather confusing, and can be boring to watch due to the very nature of the film.I can imagine the process of making this movie must be very painful to the director. Thank you for bringing your story to the screen!
The loathsome British at their worst
posted on 26 Nov 2008Grant's movie had me laughing and crying. It is not a comedy but it has moments of comedy that are priceless - Lady Muck finding out that her expert dancing partner was in fact a black man.....And as ever, looking for continuity faults in films. (concrete railroad ties had not been invented yet) But to be confronted with Grant's childhood by the man himself who had lived it - a remarkable feat indeed. Heard him talk about the producer from a hot place and wondered just how he managed it. The casting was impeccable and that snooty British attitude and its appropriate rejection was about as good as it gets.I can't wait for his next production and hope its as hubbly jubbly as this was! Bill
Wha Wha - Why? Why?
posted on 03 Oct 2008Wha Wha is Richard E Grant's Directorial debut. A self penned, autobiographical piece about growing up in Swaziland at the time of independence and frankly a bit of a let down. Despite a stellar cast the film never really moves beyond the usual character traits of the British upper classes - alcohol, sex, racism and stiff upper lips and if both dull and predictable. I was left thinking, OK I get it your dad's a drunk, your mums a bitch and your eyebrows are a bit freaky but it hasn't really held you back.The cast are excellent and the direction,cinematography and score beautiful, it is just that when you get beyond the sympathy that the autobiographical element endears you are left with another portrait of upper class Brits in the colonies.
Sarte said it, "The absurdity of life".
posted on 19 Sep 2008I find it funny reading IMDb viewer comments about films; there seems always to be somebody dumping on a movie because the "characters are cardboard" or "the script is riddled with clichés". I guess I have led an extraordinarily closeted life because I have always encountered these so-called cardboard characters in my life on this rock. So if the characters are cardboard and plots clichéd then we are left with Hollywood cop chases and that is not a pretty alternative.I loved the comment from the person who was Swazi and had known the family at the time of the movie's setting and they had found it accurate and moving; funny, cardboard seems to pop up all over the place and at all times-maybe there's some reason for that happening.The story was hard-all of it; there were few scenes that were relaxing throughout the film. It is not a fun movie. This film will make emotional demands on the viewer but that is as it should be. The emotions wrung out of a young boy watching his world collapse around him and having little or no impact on those events is all too familiar. My wife and I, who saw the movie only hours ago, thought the casting was exemplary. Bryne, Watson, Walters and Hoult were perfectly suited to their roles; the cinematography captured the beauty of the setting and Grant's direction and script were excellent. In short, the film is a triumph and should be sought out if you have the opportunity to watch it.
Well-paced ensemble multi-layered but 'old-fashioned' movie
posted on 07 Jun 2008It was fairly brave of Richard E Grant to 'come out' as a director when acting would be such a secure option for him; particularly now as the role of director, especially of relatively small independent films such as this, involves all the hustling traditionally taken care of by the producer. Although he has been low-profile as an actor for some time, paying the rent by sticking to supporting roles ( lots of them, though), at the same time he has been fighting to get this semi-autobiographical saga up to the screen. A look at a disintegrating family could be set anywhere, but this is specific to Swaziland, where the collapse of the British Empire and the end of Deference mirror the uncertainties of young Ralph Compton's life. As a little boy (Zachary Fox) he finds himself in the back seat while his mother has it off with her husband's best friend; then as an adolescent rebel (Nicholas Hoult of 'About a Boy') he has to cope with mum's desertion and dad's alcoholism while discovering 'A Clockwork Orange' and experimenting with becoming a droog. There are so many concurrent plots that every time you think, Ah, so it's that kind of film, the layers shift again. Coming-of-age, end-of-empire, adults being stupid and cruel, the class system and white supremacy turning sclerotic; these elements weave and thrust against the African landscape and inbred British colonialism. This is the world that the kids will inherit. Celia Imrie and Fenella Woolgar are a joy to watch as they 'do' the snooty dames with such natural outraged dignity, but the surprise is to see the so-English Emily Watson make such a convincing low-class Manhattanite. The old ways are going out the window, serenaded as they go by the kind of lush, romantic soundtrack that also had had its time, and adds another taste of verisimilitude. Comparisons are useful, not odious, and it's fair to relate this kind of breathless well-paced ensemble production to Altman. One last touch of the Old Ways: it stops when it gets to the ... CLIFF HANLEY
Watchable portrait of end-of-Empire Swaziland
posted on 14 May 2008"Wah-Wah" is worth watching because it paints an intriguing portrait of the British Empire's final days in Swaziland and the acting is very good throughout. The story is supposedly based on Richard E. Grant's bizarre childhood and is at times shocking, such as when his alcoholic father tries to shoot him for no apparent reason. However, while there are lots of interesting little anecdotes from Mr. Grant's youth, the story as a whole is not very well tied together. For example, at one point Ralph's mother is locked out of the house, and it appeared that this was her being finally rejected by both Ralph and his father. However, a few scenes later she pops in again, and it's not clear how they reached this state of affairs. A second example comes at the end of the film. While the two young ladies I watched the film with cried at the end when the father tells Ralph that he never stopped loving his mother, I didn't feel particularly touched. In fact I didn't even understand the comment. At no other point does the movie ever convincingly suggest that Ralph's father was so enamoured with his first wife, and the film never shows anything even remotely appealing about her character.
Saw premier of Wah-Wah at Edinburgh
posted on 10 Apr 2008Saw Wah-Wah at the Edinburgh International Film Festival – this is a really wonderful film. The story is told from the point of view of Ralph, a child witnessing the breakdown of his parent's marriage and dealing with his father's alcoholism and hasty remarriage. Both the colonial life and the adult relationships are seen, unflatteringly, from Ralph's perspective, and this could easily have been just another caricature of colonial decadence and the end of empire. In fact, despite the sombre story, it has humour and warmth as well as emotional impact. It also looks stunning: it is hard to believe this is Richard Grant's first film. All the cast give strong performances, even if most of them are hardly playing against type: Celia Imry could probably do the "upper-class bitch" and Julie Walters the "blowsy but good-hearted neighbour" in their sleep: but the core relationship between Ralph and his father Harry, played by Gabriel Byrne, is just electrifying. Byrne is totally convincing as the dedicated colonial administrator whose unresolved feelings for his first wife and fears for his future after independence drive him to alcoholism and nearly wreck his second marriage (to the also excellent Emily Watson). According to the press the film has yet to find a distributor: let's hope it is quickly picked up – this is ten times better than any of this summer's blockbusters, and deserves to be seen.
a moving and delightful piece of work
posted on 29 Mar 2008Forget the sniping review on this site. This is a labour of love and is the true story of a young boy growing up in end-of-the-colonial-era Swaziland. His loving but alcoholic father, his faithless mother and the various other upper crust Brits are bang on the button. The film was made in a very short time, came in under budget and gives us some delightful performances. Both the boys, Zac Fox and Nick Holt, are excellent. Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Celia Imrie and National Treasure Julie Walters are great. The story is told economically in just 90 or so minutes. The scenery is beautiful. What a pleasant change from over praised short-arse Hollywood 'icons' running away from explosions. Forget MI3.Go see this. Then read Richard's book 'The Wah-wah diaries.'
Excellent Family Drama
posted on 06 Feb 2008This film is a highly entertaining view of a dysfunctional family from the viewpoint of the teenaged son. It is said to be an autobiographical memory of the writer and director, Richard E. Grant. I didn't recognize the name, but once I started to read a bit about the film, I found that Grant is a fairly well-known character actor. The part most readily recognized by myself was that of the tall, thin, disapproving butler in Gosford Park. You might be interested in his biographical page on this site.The story takes place late 1960's Swaziland and climaxes with the British withdrawal from that colony. Ralph is the only child of Lauren and Harry Compton, and theirs is not a happy marriage. As a matter of fact, the film begins with a scene in which an eleven year old Ralph is supposedly asleep in the backseat of a car in which his mother and a neighbor are having sex in the front seat. She soon leaves her family and runs off with the neighbor. Ralph's father consoles himself with alcohol - it seems that practically every English adult in the colony has a drinking problem. Ralph constantly battles with his father and is soon shipped off to boarding school. The story shifts two years and teenaged Ralph who has just experienced his growth spurt returns home on vacation to find that his father has married an American air hostess. Ralph, at first, rejects Ruby but then begins to admire the out-spoken Yank. The title of the film comes from Ruby as she describes the supercilious talk of the British as, "Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah." Grant has accumulated a superior group of veteran actors to portray the major characters in the piece. Gabriel Byrne plays an alcoholic father to perfection being both a hurtful drunk and a loving father. Byrne has the talent to realistically inhabit these two opposite personalities. Miranda Richardson is the perfect distant mother. Julie Walters plays the wife of the man with whom Ralph's mother has the affair. Walters adds a welcome spot of humor as a woman cheated upon but able to muddle through with generous helpings of whisky. Ruby is played by Emily Watson whose pixyish look and behavior fits the Yank like a glove.Ralph is played by two talented young actors. Zachary Fox is Ralph at age eleven - an intelligent boy beginning to discover that his parents - especially his father - have feet of clay. Ralph at age thirteen is played by Nicholas Hoult. He has an extraordinarily unusual look about him and is in that awkward stage of physical development enabling him to make the role his own. The trivia on IMDb is that he was originally set to play Ralph at both ages, but his growth spurt caused him to be too large for the younger part. That growth spurt gives his a great look for this movie.Even though we get an insightful look at the British colonists and their attitude toward themselves and the native Africans, this is not a social or political drama. It is and excellent family drama. The times and setting are simply icing on the cake.
A load of old Wah-Wah
posted on 04 Feb 2008I grew up in Swaziland five years after the period in which this film was set. Although I was a white boy growing up in Africa, and went to the same school as Richard E Grant, my experience was nothing at all like this film. Clearly, independence from Great Britain had a hugely positive impact on the country. The only affecting scenes are those showing the beautiful landscape and the climactic independence celebrations. And I got a small thrill out of recognising locations from my youth: the (presumably recreated) Cinelux cinema and the hot pool (commonly known as the cuddle puddle). All the characters in this film are loathsome. Are we really supposed to care about these pith-helmeted dinosaurs of the colonial period? Luvvies prancing around under the African sun? This is how Richard E Grant decides to pay tribute to the country he supposedly loves? This really is, as one of the characters remarks, all too hoity-toity and a load of old Wah- Wah.
Lack of flow and motivation
posted on 16 Dec 2007I saw this movie having high expectations, but they were sadly let down. The story lacks flow, in that one event is just put after another without proper motivation for the characters. Many times it is not clear if events happen right after each other or if some time has passed. I also miss any sense of motivation behind the actions of the characters, so decisions appear to be completely taken from out of the blue at times.There seems to be a better movie in there, but if there is it got lost in the editing room when they tried to shorten it for a wider audience. There are good performances and especially the stepmother is very entertaining to watch, as are some of the upper-class women. For the most part, however, you never get a feel for who they are or why they suddenly end up in doing what they do, and that makes me stop caring.
Brilliant Movie
posted on 29 Sep 2007Such a pity this film is not being shown on general release but apparently only at "art" cinemas. It is one of the most moving films I have ever seen and will stay with me for many years to come. The entire audience in the theatre where I saw this film sat in stunned silence at the end. Seeing the movie was of particular interest to me because I lived for some years in the country in which the film was shot. Seeing the movie brought back so many memories for me - some of the 'extras' were people I knew during my time there. The story, based on Richard E Grant's childhood experiences in a tiny African Kingdom is brilliantly portrayed by a mixed cast of well known and unknown actors. Well done, REG, for telling your story so well!
Apologise to the Yanks immediately, Richard E. Grant!
posted on 25 Jun 2007Richard E. Grant, if I may say so, owes a huge apology to the population of the United States. For I can see them now, those millions of Americans, earnest devotees of popular culture, trotting along to their local movie theatre in the erroneous belief that Grant's "Wah Wah" is a Barbara Walters biopic... (Anyone who needs this explained to them should consult their nearest popular culture guru...), That however, is where the apologies stop. For, not only does Grant give usthe real talent in the extended Walters family, the wonderful Julie of that ilk, but we get Gabriel Byrne, Miranda Richardson cornering the English Bitch market and the incredibly talented Celia Imrie (There will be those who think Imrie's performance somewhat OTT. It isn't. The English Gorgon she portrays is alive and well and infesting the Home Counties). I was also very impressed with Nicholas Hoult's sensitive performance.Just one gripe. The material covered in the film, plus the array of talent used, would have justified a miniseries in which a good deal of desirable fleshing-out of the characters could have been done. That aside, this is a filmthat makes me look forward to Grant's future efforts as director. His first outing has resulted in a real gem.
Camelot
posted on 31 Mar 2007The opening scene of this film is something not to be believed. We are aware that young Ralph, who is lying in the back seat of a car is not asleep. When the car stops, his mother, Lauren, and her male companion, proceed to engage in sex in the front seat. Just to imagine that anyone in its right mind would take such a chance, let alone, knowing one's son might get to see, or hear, what's going on, is beyond comprehension.The relationship between Lauren and Harry Compton, higher ups in the British delegation in Swaziland, in the sixties, is on the border of collapse. Harry drinks too much and Lauren feels nothing for this man. When Lauren announces she is leaving father and son, she doesn't realize the effect it will cause on the young, and impressionable boy, who compensates his frustration with a nervous tic whenever he feels a stressful situation happening, or even on the alcoholic husband.Harry goes to marry an American, Ruby, a kind woman who takes to the young boy, who refuses her attentions at first, but he ends up bonding with her because she turns out to be a real friend. To make matters worse, Harry has gotten to the point of no return. His drinking is killing him. Ralph pleads with a local doctor to prescribe pills to help his father, but obviously, all comes too late.Richard E. Grant's directorial debut shows a man with a sensitivity for this drama, which we don't know if it's autobiographical, or maybe it might have been a story he might have witnessed during his childhood in that country. He gathered a cast of some of the best actors working in films today for this picture. By selecting "Camelot" as play the club is going to stage, makes perfect sense as this particular musical implies a bygone era that is fondly remembered.Gabriel Byrne is fine as Harry. Miranda Richardson shows a cruelty beyond human comprehension as Lauren. Nicholas Hoult makes an impression as the sensitive Ralph. Julie Walters is perfect as Gwen. Celia Imrie, a fine actress is great fun to watch as Lady Riva Harwick."Wah-Wah" is an interesting film debut as it shows a talented actor that puts into practice what he learned in front of the camera.
Domestic relationship crumble as officials for Great Britain hand over control of Swaziland in 1960's.
posted on 05 Aug 2009"Wah Wah" purports to dramatize the unraveling of domestic relationships as they parallel the British loosening of its control of Swaziland and granting independence to that African country in 1960s. The British as colonial rulers are inept. As human beings, they are shallow. Theme calls out for a writer with the satiric genius of an Evelyn Waugh. Instead the view gets wah, wah. The result is that the dramatic scenery is more interesting and active than the soap opera plot and over acting of some distinguish players. Movie suffers from the typical upper class British attitude of "look how clever we are." The colonials performance of "Camelot" fits this charade of a movie. Could have been a moving and interesting movie but failed in story, pacing, and acting. "Wah Wah" is a no, no!