Bestselling author Nick Hornby has seen several of his novels adapted to film. Whilst there have been some undeniable successes in the shape of About a Boy, Fever Pitch and High Fidelity but there’s also been the abject failure of The Perfect Catch (a disastrous Americanisation of Fever Pitch). A Long Way Down has an intriguing premise but doesn’t fully live up to expectations.
It’s New Year’s Eve and disgraced former TV presenter Martin Sharp (Pierce Brosnan) is planning to commit suicide by jumping of a building. When he gets onto the roof he meets Maureen (Toni Collette), politician’s daughter Jess (Imogen Poots) and pizza boy JJ (Aaron Paul) who all have the same idea. They decide to make a pact to not end it all until Valentine’s Day, and when they’re pursued by the press, they decide to take matters into their own hands.
Whilst A Long Way down is slightly messy and questionable at times, it’s still quite an entertaining watch. It does however play fast and loose with serious subjects, which can grate at times. It also feels lightweight and fails to dig too deep into the emotional motivations; merely skimming the surface. Then again, it’s not written to be anything other than a light comedy about a group of people from different backgrounds who find comfort and a connection with each other.
A Long Way Down is released by Lionsgate on DVD and is out on July 28
