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The Hippopotamus

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for The Hippopotamus Released Jun 15, 2017 1h 29m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.
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The Hippopotamus

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Wendy Ide Observer (UK) This adaptation of Stephen Fry's novel leans heavily on the elegant profanity of the source material. Rated: 3/5 Jun 4, 2017 Full Review Kevin Maher Times (UK) A towering, at times monumentally good central performance from the character actor Roger Allam stands at the heart of The Hippopotamus, but it is entirely alone. Rated: 2/5 Jun 2, 2017 Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine Despite a wonderfully witty voiceover and the bullish playing of a willing ensemble, this bawdy romp consistently stumbles over its more contrived excesses. Rated: 2/5 Jun 1, 2017 Full Review Sarah Cartland Caution Spoilers Director John Jencks does a great job highlighting the cognitive dissonance resulting from the human race's uneasy blend of practicality and credulity. And Roger Allam is terrific as the self-loathing Ted Wallace, drunk poet turned drunk sleuth. Rated: 4/5 Mar 9, 2019 Full Review Matthew Bond The Mail on Sunday (UK) Sex, alcohol and a generous helping of four-letter invective all feature in a comedy-drama somewhat over-reliant on large gobbets of fruity narration and totally indebted to Allam's stand-out turn. Rated: 3/5 Oct 10, 2017 Full Review Jessica Baxter Hammer Film Reviews The rest of the supporting characters are little more than targets of Wallace's diatribes. That's not to say that the A plot lacks appeal. But Wallace is, without a doubt, the star of the show. Aug 7, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeff S Sadly, and despite the (mostly) fine cast, this was utter drivel. A silly plot, tin-eared dialogue and a lot of unfunny jokes. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/01/23 Full Review Joe T An anemic rendering of the book. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/24/23 Full Review Ian W A really odd film. I'm a big fan of Stephen Fry, but not really sure where this one is coming from. Roger Allam is perfectly cast, but can't really save it. Is the main character a faith healer or a con artist? And do we care? All is revealed in a sub-Poirot/Mrs Marple denouement. It's just really odd. 5/10. "It passed the time", yup that's about it. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Paul C Pretentious nonsense. Tried hard to see the point of the story but gave up, although I did see it to the end. I'm sure few people would have watched the film if it weren't for the cast. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/11/22 Full Review Audience Member Hippopotamus 14.2.21 4.5/0. I enjoyed this more than the last two films I watched, quite mesmerising. The ending had a feeling of stiltedness and a lack of closure, like an ongoing study. D.B. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Really brilliant and comic use of language. Many laugh out loud moments! Loved it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Hippopotamus

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.
Director
John Jencks
Producer
Alexa Seligman, Jay Taylor
Screenwriter
Tom Hodgson, Blanche McIntyre
Distributor
Lightyear
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 15, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2017
Runtime
1h 29m
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