Benny & Jolene, film review: Satirical comedy, teen romance or road movie?

(15) Jamie Adams, 88 mins Starring: Craig Roberts, Charlotte Ritchie

Geoffrey Macnab
Friday 06 June 2014 18:41 BST
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Craig Roberts and Charlotte Ritchie play a musical duo in 'Benny and Jolene'
Craig Roberts and Charlotte Ritchie play a musical duo in 'Benny and Jolene'

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Writer-director Jamie Adams' Benny & Jolene is a dithering British attempt at US indie mumblecore-style film-making.

Randomly structured and seemingly semi-improvised, it makes laborious viewing, in spite of its attractive leads.

Craig Roberts (Submarine) and Charlotte Ritchie (Fresh Meat) play aspiring folk singers Benny and Jolene.

The film follows them on a road trip to rural Wales, where they are due to perform at a music festival. Adams gives us little sense whether Benny and Jolene have any real talent.

They're famous enough to appear on breakfast TV and to be signed by a record company but their first album is panned as pointless and derivative.

Adams seems uncertain whether he is making a satirical comedy about the music business, a teen romance or a road movie.

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