Hello Carter
Starring: Charlie Cox, Jodie Whittaker
Director: Anthony Wilcox
Rating: 2/5
Hello Carter is just one of the British independent movies that are set to hit the big screen this December, and sees Anthony Wilcox in the director's chair.
Hello Carter marks the transition away from shorts for Wilcox and sees the writer/director take his short film of the same name - which was released back in 2011 - and turn into it into this first feature film.
The movie follows down on his luck Carter, who has recently become unemployed, single and homeless. In a bid to get back in touch with his ex-girlfriend he sets off through London to deliver a letter from a friend to a young woman - in return he would get his ex-girlfriend’s phone number. However, things don’t go to plan and the police, who believe he has abducted a baby, chase him.
The main problem with Hello Carter is it is a film that doesn’t know what it is: it tries to be a small budget London drama, a comedy, a film with elements of romance. And while it is trying to incorporate all of these things, it fails to achieve any of them.
Sadly, Hello Carter is just a jumbled mess from start to finish, as the script is poor, the pacing all over the place and the characters just aren’t particularly interesting.
For a central character, Carter is not particularly engaging: in fact, he is whiner and a moaner and is more content to wallow in his misery than to actually move forward with his life.
If an audience doesn’t feel any sort of sympathy or empathy for a character - and I have to admit that I felt neither - how can you possibly care about what happens to him? Charlie Cox did his best with what he was given, but this is not a character that he could really get his teeth into.
Similarly, Jodie Whittaker does her best to make Jenny as interesting as possible - she is a young woman who feels trapped by her job and relationship. However, she is no more interesting that Carter and they find themselves on this not very exciting adventure throughout London.
I have to say, I am a fan of both Cox and Whittaker but sadly, this is not a project that allows them to shine. Don’t get me wrong, they do the best with what they have, but a weak script really does let two very talented actors down.
Hello Carter does little to inspire from start to finish and you will find yourself counting down the seconds to when the credits are going to roll.
Wilcox has captured some great images of London with this film, but he should perhaps leave the scriptwriting to someone else in the future, as Hello Carter really is as dull as dishwater.
Hello Carter is out now.