Funny Cow

Audience Reviews

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Han S Mar 14, 2019 Maxine Peake is superb in this tale of a young woman from the north of England who is trying to make it in the male dominated world of stand-up comedy. Hard enough today but the movie is set in the sexist, racist 1970s on the working men's club circuit. Aspects of the movie are bleak, shocking and poignant and it serves to illustrate just how far we have come as a society in subsequent decades. Even the jokes told by Peake's character made me wince. In that respect, it felt very close to the truth for the time it was set. Peake really steals the show here and her natural twinkle and true northern grit really shine through. It was also lovely to hear an understated Richard Hawley soundtrack which gave further northern authenticity to the wet cobbles. See more

Leia R Dec 14, 2018 Funny Cow is the story of a female comedian trying to break into comedy in the male dominated club scene of 1970's Northern Britain. Maxine Peake was superb in the lead role and played a very likeble character who had always used comedy to escape the grim reality of her childhood and now continues to do so in adulthood. She sees her opportunity to escape into a better life if only she could get someone to hear her before immediately dismissing her because of her gender. It's both funny and sad with an excellent cast which is especially true of Peake and the younger actress who plays her as a child. See more

Draco G Oct 28, 2018 Funny Cow is one of those British gems. Brutal, bleak, tender and comic. Only we can do this. Set in the 1970's working men's clubs. It's a world of sweat, smoke; racism and sexism. We also have flashbacks to a 1950's childhood of poverty and domestic violence. Funny Calf (love that) is full of energy, mischief and defiance.. Men do not fare well in this film. Either beer-stained and openly violent, or sophisticated, affluent and weak Considine. My favourite moment are the auditions for a "Search For A Star." Great cameos from John Bishop and Vic Reeves. The film's climax where she swears and tells racist, homophobic jokes is shocking. But it shouldn't be diluted, and the audience is delighted to hear her just as coarse and aggressive as any male comedian of the period. Not everything works.The storyline is choppy and episodic, leaping randomly back and forth in time. It's disconcerting to see Stephen Graham as nasty father one moment, net curtain-twitching brother the next. Even Funny Cow seems remote at times, but it's great stuff from Peake. See more

Hagrid M Apr 29, 2018 I have lost count of the number of films, book and plays in which the North of England is portrayed as tough, grim and populated by bigots/ rascists/misogynists/rough diamonds (take your pick). The hero is part of it but destined to escape despite the efforts of everyone around them to keep them as ' one of us'. This another film in that genre. Personally l am very tired of it. The film is made by intelligent people who care deeply about the North. I sat in a packed cinema in central Manchester full of highly educated, creative people who are all a million miles away from the world portrayed here. When are we ever going to escape the stereotypes? If you feel like me, that the portrayal of the North in this way is past it's sell by date try 24 hour party people. It's contemporary and joyous. Funny cow is not a bad film and as everne says Maxine Peak is very good but for me it's one grim up north too many. The north of England created the modern world and us busy reinventing itself after years of decline. It is multi faith and multi cultural and churns out cultural products at a prodigious rate. Please someone provide some more light to counter all the darkness. See more

Apr 23, 2018 No accent coach. A very poor script terrible art direction in accurate settings a day language use. The only redeeming feature Sun Armstrong performance - a real pro who meets a comrtly unfeasible desire. Is. See more

Luke R Apr 22, 2018 The rise of a female 'comic' in the male dominated Working Men's Club circuit of Northern England in the 1970s is explored by this film. Maxine Peake plays the funny cow of the title although Paddy Considine has top billing with a smaller role as some arty book seller. Is the film based on the real life of the late Sheffield comedian Marti Caine? It certainly appears so. Writer and star is Tony Pitts who certainly throws in a few Sheffield references although disappointingly the film appears to have been shot elsewhere. The film does include some pretty raw subject matter such as alcoholism, suicide of the Alun Armstrong character but this is more than counter balanced by the performance of Peake. The film confusingly at first zips between timelines of the Funny Cow's life from post war childhood featuring terraced houses, outdoor baths and domestic violence to the 1970s discovery of the Funny Cow talent. If one looks at the history of Caine she did win the then talent show New Faces beating the likes of Victoria Wood and Lenny Henry. She did have an alcoholic mother. Lindsay Coulson (Eastenders) plays that tragic role. Pitts appears to have written and starred in an enjoyable and thought provoking film. It's just a shame the real Crookes club couldn't have been used instead of some stand in. Other highlights included a decent soundtrack and cameo from Sheffield musician Richard Hawley. See more

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Funny Cow

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