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      Funny Cow

      2017 1 hr. 42 min. Comedy Drama List
      79% 42 Reviews Tomatometer 71% 100+ Ratings Audience Score A female comic bounces around before rising to the top in the 1970s and 1980s. Read More Read Less Watch on Peacock Stream Now

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      Funny Cow

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      Funny Cow

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      Critics Consensus

      Funny Cow rests almost entirely on Maxine Peake's performance -- which proves more than capable of shouldering the weight of this affecting period drama.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Carol M Maxine Peake absolutely shone in this movie. It's no secret that it's loosely based on Marti Caine, I grew up in the 70's and it was wonderful to see a female comedian on stage. Now after watching this, I realise she had to go through so much to get where she got. It's never been easy for women to break through in the comedy business, but in the harsh world of the Northern Working Men's clubs it made it even harder. Tony Pitt's captured the time with absolute honesty, we could all look back with rose tinted spectacles, but the reality is much different. Well done to everyone involved in the production of this wonderful film. As a Yorkshire lass, it's always nice to see Yorkshire represented in films. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/18/23 Full Review Faith W Authentic rendering of the time and place. It would have been better without the device of "funny cow" observing her younger self peppered throughout the movie. and the persistent use of red for her character - has been done before . The timing overall was uneven. The main actors however were all outstanding. Interesting if not outstanding watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/01/23 Full Review isla s This is proper 'grim up north' stuff, this. Its categorised as a comedy film but while there are some amusing moments, I certainly wouldn't primarily categorise it as a comedy film - its far more a drama that features some comedy within it, than it is a comedy with drama present. It's fairly bleak, content wise, in terms of depicting a persons life with domestic violence and bullying heavily present and also highlighting sexism and so on, so if your looking for a pick me up, this isn't what you want. The film features numerous famous comics depicting acts from working mens clubs and other characters, such as Kevin Eldon, John Bishop and Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves). Maxine Peake gives a good performance as the main character (she doesn't seem to be named other than as 'funny cow'), someone who does well to stand up for herself. There's a fair amount of quite blue comedy present, i.e. sexually explicit jokes and one or two racist comments, reflecting the culture of northern working mens clubs at the time. Also present, cast wise, is Stephen Graham, who is well known for his portrayal of aggressive men and this is no exception. This is a grim but well made film - I suppose its quite insightful too. Not an especially hilarious watch but a good film, I'd recommend it, as long as you know what it is and don't expect constant laughs, yes. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Sensational acting. Strange. I would have liked to see more of the comedic stand up behind the main character. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review steve w Anchored by a fabulous performance by Maxine Peake, this is a very rewarding watch. The struggle of women in abusive relatonships has been done before but is handled here in a way which captures the bleak rawness without sensationalising things. Peake's strength in the face of this is admirable but she also show the emotional cost in a woman who can't accept true love. Throw in an alcoholic mother, a suicidal ex-comic and the toxic nature of the humour of the time and you have a kitchen sink drama with knobs on. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Not a comedy by any stretch if the imagination but a well told story of a comedian's rise to stardom in the 70's, in spite of having had a difficult and hard life. Maxine Peak gives a stellar performance against the backdrop of gritty northern England. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Funny Cow

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      Critics Reviews

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      David Stratton The Australian Peake is excellent as this tough yet at times amazingly tender woman, and the film tells her story without pulling any punches. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 27, 2018 Full Review Jake Wilson The Age (Australia) Funny Cow is unusual enough to hold attention, but nonetheless a misfire: incoherent, arty in the wrong ways and often bizarrely misjudged. Rated: 1.5/5 Jul 20, 2018 Full Review Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard This film is interested in the point where hate and humour meet. Its protagonist is a real cow. I loved her to bits. Rated: 4/5 Apr 25, 2018 Full Review Milana Vujkov Lola On Film Depicting humour not as a relief, but at the centre of the disease, a punctured ulcer reeking of that which it could not any longer contain. Rated: 3/5 Jul 29, 2021 Full Review Jason Best Marie Claire Peake's defiant heroine has enough brass to keep a doorknob factory going for months. Sep 25, 2020 Full Review Matt Cipolla Film Monthly [Shergold and Pitts] have a stranglehold on raw emotion, and the two create something where hope and despair are one and the same. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 25, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A female comic bounces around before rising to the top in the 1970s and 1980s.
      Director
      Adrian Shergold
      Executive Producer
      Charlotte Arden, Peter Gerard Dunphy, Phil Hunt, Norman Merry, Gary Phillips, Compton Ross, Charlie Wood
      Screenwriter
      Tony Pitts
      Production Co
      Vexed Pixie, Lipsync Productions, POW Films, Head Gear Films, Gizmo Films, Moviehouse Entertainment
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      English (United Kingdom)
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Feb 11, 2019
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