A Fantastic Fear of Everything

2014
5.8| 1h40m| R| en| More Info
Released: 06 February 2014 Released
Producted By: Voltage Pictures
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.fantasticfearofeverythingmovie.co.uk/
Synopsis

Jack is a children's author turned crime novelist whose detailed research into the lives of Victorian serial killers has turned him into a paranoid wreck, persecuted by the irrational fear of being murdered. When Jack is thrown a life-line by his long-suffering agent and a mysterious Hollywood executive takes a sudden and inexplicable interest in his script, what should be his big break rapidly turns into his big breakdown, as Jack is forced to confront his worst demons; among them his love life, his laundry and the origin of all fear.

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Majikat There is one thing for sure ... you will never have seen a film quite like it. 10 mins in I wasn't sure if I was going to continue, but so glad I did. Perhaps you need to understand the workings of anxiety and paranoia and the way they make your mind work against you to really appreciated, this, but Pegg, in full dark comedy mode, gives a truly great performance in this. It's a lovevitvor hate it type of film!
yaboyDeath A Fantastic Fear of Everything gives us Jack. And Jack is a hilariously exaggerated glimpse into the life of a writer who has fallen into the pit of obsession. Like they tend to do. Murder? Phobias? Knife wielding? Little accidents with glue and stoves? Tighty whities?Please!Very British, funny, and oddly relatable.
Troy Putland Simon Pegg is a cooky fellow. It's not surprising that he's taken on the role in A Fantastic Fear of Everything. Jack is his weirdest character to date. Pegg owns his character, moulding the story around his subversive behaviour. He's in too deep with his work, researching notorious serial killers for his book freaks him out to no end. A film-maker shows interest in his work, and a meeting's arranged. Jack must face the outside world in preparation for his big moment. Pegg and the team behind the scenes manage to turn a boring narrative into an intriguing one. Pegg spends the second third of AFFoE in a launderette, suspicious of fellow launderette-ers and in need of a beginners guide to washing clothes. This won't be for everyone. The comedy's dry. The story's far-fetched and at times, drags. Pegg maybe exceptional enough to see you through to the bitter end, or lager end.
Gino Cox "A Fantastic Fear of Everything" has some very strong elements. The performances are good, especially by the versatile Simon Pegg, Paul Freeman and Amara Karan. The production design is stylish and detailed. Cinematography is good, although marred by a few shots that could have been a bit steadier. However, it is a dark comedy that is neither particularly dark nor particularly funny. It is more absurd than comedic and suffers from a weak structure. Pegg plays a man who spends most of his time running around in his skivvies, but is embarrassed to wash them at a Laundromat, which is either ironic or absurd, but not very amusing and certainly not sufficiently amusing for the amount of time and attention devoted to the gag. At the beginning of the film, he is driven by his phobias to the point of insanity, so has no place to go dramatically. Consequently, much of the first half is at a single tone, despite plot developments that elevate the stakes. While Pegg is usually affable in his comedic and dramatic roles, it's difficult to sympathize with an unkempt misanthropic underachiever who is paralyzed by irrational fears. Pegg must come to grips with his phobias before they destroy him, but also learns that his phobias are not entirely unfounded, although they are not realized in the way he expects. Consequently, he is struggling with both inner demons and outer demons, but we're not sure they belong in the same film. He must also break out of his shell, become a human being, find love, and succeed as either a children's writer or a chronicler of historical crimes. And he must survive increasingly absurd and perilous predicaments created by his own follies and phobias and the homicidal designs of an actual murderer. The story is all over the place. When he achieves a measure of success at the end, we're not quite certain he has earned it, despite the many perils he confronted. While he finds a moral for his own life, his circumstances are so unorthodox and unique, that moral doesn't seem relevant to anybody else.