Film review: Beyond the Pole

Published on Thursday 18 March 2010 18:04

BEYOND THE POLE (15) ** DIRECTED BY: DAVID L WILLIAMS STARRING: STEPHEN MANGAN, RHYS THOMAS, HELEN BAXENDALE

GIVEN the prevalence of eco-docs, there's scope for a funny, satirical takedown of the kind of (self) righteous indignation on offer in movies such as An Inconvenient Truth. Sadly, Beyond the Pole isn't it.

A likeable but giggle-free Brit comedy that brings nothing new to the ubiquitous mockumentary format, it succeeds only in gumming its targets instead of sinking its teeth into them. Adapted from a Radio 4 comedy series, Stephen Mangan and Rhys Thomas star as best friends who decide to make a carbon-neutral trek to the North Pole, ostensibly to protest global warming, but really to give their failing, post-university, disappointment-tinged lives some purpose. Ill-equipped and ill-prepared for the challenges that lie ahead, catastrophe duly ensues, mostly as an excuse for showcasing weak gags involving angry polar bears, crampons and a gay Norwegian couple on a similar challenge.