by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver, Neil Gaiman, and Christopher Lloyd in a movie together about a true-life tabloid story that took place almost 100 years ago about a talking mongoose? I’m intrigued. You tell me it’s shot as a quirky comedy, with visual and editing flair meant to invoke Wes Anderson? That sounds great! The runtime of this movie is a svelte 96 minutes? Hot damn! There’s so much promise and potential here. But, when I tell you that this movie is an exhaustingly bland movie… you should listen.
Back in the 1930s, a family that lived on the Isle of Man in the U.K. claimed that a talking mongoose lived in their farmhouse. The mongoose’s name was Gef (pronounced “Jeff”), and he supposedly had great wisdom regarding the universe and intimate knowledge of the people he spoke to. Parapsychologists and ghost hunters would travel to the island from around the world to investigate whether or not the claims of a talking mongoose were real. Nandor Fodor, despite having a really made-up sounding name, was one of the very real people who went to investigate such claims. Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose recounts that adventure.
Adam Sigal is a name you’ve more than likely never heard of. He’s made less than a handful of movies, all of which have received mediocre to poor reviews and have all but disappeared in the mist to never be talked about or remembered again. Sigal’s new flick is no different, because I feel like I’m going to completely forget about its existence within a week, seeing as the most memorable and lasting distinction of the entire thing is just the title. Everything else just washes away.
An hour and a half never felt so long, as this boring slog of a “mystery” as to whether or not a talking mongoose really exists submits itself into defeat. There’s nothing here to care about — the story is transparent from the jump. You know the answers within the opening act of the film, because they’re outright spelled out for you. It’s really hard to stay engaged in a mystery… when there is no mystery. We are left trying to get invested in our characters who are still baffled and bewildered by something the audience sees plain as day. And I’m all for character development and growth, but the performances are generically lackluster. Driver and Lloyd seem to be here for the paycheck. Pegg tries as Nandor Fodor, but does so with an off-putting accent that takes you out of the experience. There’s one scene in a jail cell that almost moved me, but due to the entire setup to that moment falling flat, it made the emotional moment ring hollow. So when you don’t care about the narrative or the mystery, and you’re not invested in the characters, damn it makes this all feel rather tedious.
The singular saving grace for this entire movie that prevents me from outright disliking the entire experience is Neil Gaiman having an absolute ball as Gef. Thank the cinema gods for him. He singlehandedly ensures this otherwise bad move is elevated to the realm of generic mediocrity. He makes it watchable. The spunk in his voice performance, the quirk in his tone, and the legitimate passion he puts behind his contemplative and existential monologues makes for a fun and interesting time. Or, it might just be that hearing Gaiman mock Pegg is funny. That works too. Regardless, Gaiman is a delight, and easily the bright light in this entire movie.
Unfortunately, Gaiman does not make this recommendable.
Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose is just too vapid and empty to sink your teeth into. You’re more likely to hack up a fur ball than get something out of this experience other than boredom. It’s better off to just read a Wikipedia summary of these events and go find a more enjoyable movie. Gaiman, I’m sorry your efforts couldn’t go to something better.
Rating: Low Side of It Was Just Okay
Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose is currently playing in theaters
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