Freddie (Christian Cooke) is a blue-collar worker in 1970s Reading, England. He and his friends spend their days in the machine shop and their nights fighting, drinking and chasing women. When Freddie gets the attention of his boss, Mr. Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes), he's fast-tracked into a door-to-door salesman position. Freddie is excited for an opportunity to better his life, but soon begins to have misgivings about his line of work.
Things get even more complicated when Freddie meets Julie (Felicity Jones), an old flame who is not only Kendrick's daughter, but is engaged to Freddie's co-worker (and mentor), Mike Ramsey (Matthew Goode).
To make matters worse, Freddie's new life direction begins to erode his friendship with long-time friends Bruce (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan). While Freddie is searching for a better life, Bruce and Snork see no problem with it. All Bruce wants is to get out of his home, where he lives with his alcoholic father, but can't curb his temper enough to get out of his own way. Then there's Snork, whose lack of social judgment constantly hinder his attempts to get laid.
While the general story sounds well and good, Cemetery Junction is clichéd to the point of predictability. There's nothing outstanding or original about the film; it's just one overly used scenario after another. Even though there are a few great moments, they are completely overshadowed by a number of bland sequences. Outcomes are telegraphed long before they happen in the film, removing any sense of suspense or mystery.
One of the film's few bright spots is the cast, which is welcome and a bit surprising considering it's mostly a bunch of unknowns. Every performance is perfect, particularly Felicity Jones. It's hard not to fall for her and see why Freddie is willing to do whatever it takes to rekindle their relationship. Most of the film's fun comes from Ralph Fiennes and Ricky Gervais. Neither character is looking for sympathy and come off as complete jerks. Fiennes is a slime ball. If I saw him walking down the street, I'd cross to the other side just to avoid him. Gervais is... well, he's everything you'd expect of a working-class cog.
Even with Ricky Gervais's name attached as a writer, don't expect The Office. There are hints of the same writing style, but only in how it manages to blend drama and comedy. The execution is off and there's very little in the way of real character growth. Character's change, but there's no compelling reason other than to keep the plot going.
I was surprised at the number of extras packed into Cemetery Junction. There are two audio commentaries, one from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and another with cast members Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes and Jack Doolan. I'm tempted to place Cemetery Junction as a must rent just for the Gervias/ Merchant commentary. It's just that good. The cast commentary is just "okay" by comparison, but enjoyable. The Gervais/ Merchant laugh-fest continues in "The Directors," a short featurette combining behind-the-scenes footage with commentary from the duo.
The deleted scenes aren't much to look at and do a good job of illustrating why they didn't make it into the film in the first place. The three stars show up again in "The Lads Look Back," an interview with the film's three stars that covers a lot of the same material as the commentary. Finally, there's a slate of production-focused featurettes covering everything from the actors, to filming, to the directors. Of the lot, the only enjoyable one is "Seventies Style," which looks at how the production department recreated the film's 70s feel through costumes.
Cemetery Junction doesn't do a whole lot right. It's a well-worn, predictable story that you've more than likely seen before. Yet, there are a few bright spots that really shine. Though I can't recommend it as a must see, it's at least worth a rental, if not just for the commentary track, excellent performances and Felicity Jones.
