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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
Look, if you have a soft spot for British comedies that feel like they were filmed in a drafty basement, you might enjoy Partners Please. If you need pacing, logic, or a plot that doesn't feel like it’s being held together by scotch tape, skip it. It’s for the folks who like digging through the bargain bin of cinema history.
The whole thing starts with our hero, Lord Dawlish, being told he’s basically a bum. It’s that classic trope where the rich dad demands a job. It makes you realize how little has changed, honestly. At least in The Match King, they had higher stakes than just dancing for rent money.
Watching Dawlish navigate the dance club is... an experience. The choreography isn't exactly high art, and you can see some of the extras staring right into the lens when they think no one is looking. One guy in the background spends a solid five minutes just shifting his weight from one foot to the other. I couldn't stop watching him. He looked like he was waiting for a bus that was never coming.
The rival character is so cartoonishly evil it’s almost funny. He sneers at everything. Even when he’s just sitting there drinking tea, he looks like he’s plotting to blow up the moon. It lacks the grounded tension you might find in something like Ponjola, but it’s got a weird energy that keeps you awake.
There’s a moment where Dawlish tries to look smooth on the floor, and he almost trips over his own feet. It wasn't scripted—it had to be a mistake—but they left it in. It’s the most human moment in the whole picture. The rest of the time, the actors seem terrified of bumping into the furniture.
It’s not as sharp as The Girl in the Taxi, and it definitely doesn't aim for the emotional weight of The Fear of Poverty. It’s just a light, slightly dusty little story about a guy who really needs to pay his bills. You won't remember it by tomorrow morning, but you won't regret the hour you spent watching him stumble. 💃
