Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee Movie Review

This hilarious mock-doc has the same tone as Spinal Tap, with a free-flowing stream of throwaway gags. It also captures a terrific comical performance from Considine that finds actual depth beneath the silliness.

Shane Meadows is making a documentary about his friend Nicholas (Considine), who has renamed himself Le Donk as he tries to get his life back in control.
His main goal is to help his friend, the young rapper Scor-zay-see (Palinczuk), become a star, and he thinks he's found the venue in a massive stadium concert in Manchester opening for the Arctic Monkeys. Meanwhile, his ex-girlfriend (Coleman) is expecting their child, but her new boyfriend (Graham) seems to be taking over as the prospective dad.

Meadows maintains the documentary format all the way through the film, allowing Considine to create a character who reveals himself even as he's playing up to the cameras. It's a very clever performance that's full of nuance and incredibly quick wit, and we can't help but laugh at everything he says or does. His interaction with the other characters is sharp and often outrageous, from Le Donk's homophobic rants (but wait until the closing credit scene!) to his hilarious attempt to play nice for his ex.

In many ways, Le Donk feels like a Steve Coogan character (Alan Partridge meets Tony Wilson), but Considine adds a strong layer of pathos that sneaks up on us.
Even as Le Donk is doing things that are utterly moronic, we can't help but like him and root for him to sort out all the loose ends in his pathetic life.
And then there's the amusing banter between Le Donk and Scorz, which adds an astute take on the music industry, complete with the Arctic Monkeys playing themselves.

All of this blurs the line between reality and fiction, movie making and actual events. And it's a blend that's thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. It's also clear that Meadows and his pals are having a great time improvising and playing around while they make this movie, including the chance to take the stage at a huge rock concert. And this raucous goofiness is seriously infectious.