THE MACHINE
THE STAG 2014
One immediate thought after watching 'The Stag', was how
much the film was character driven. Some may disagree and point out that the
comical writing drove the plot forward to its conclusion, and whilst I agree it
was extremely funny and well written, this film was driven, ironically by 'The
Machine'.
Maintaining plots can be very hard, especially as film
making is moving forwards at a very fast pace, a good script is really needed
to lift and drive a film to its finishing line, pulling its audience along with
it. Peter McDonald who plays 'The Machine' in 'The Stag' really gets into his
role as the annoying, absent but reputational brother in law of soon to be
groom Fionnan. His characteristics really make the audience feel, as soon as we
are introduced to him in the pub, that he is just one of those bugs in your ear
you just can't get rid of. This position is maintained through the first half
of the film, as Fionnan reveals, "You have no idea what it's like to spend
five minutes with this man".
Some
people who watch this however, may not be aware that the writers have
positioned 'The Machine' to be something more than a childish non committed guy
going along on a stag. When talking about not inviting 'The Machine' to his
stag night, Fionnan continuously tells his best man Davin to "Fix
it", when funnily enough 'The Machine' actually is used in the story to
indeed fix it.
In fact, from my perspective, I continuously picked out
moments of the film and was consciously made aware that 'The Machine' was a
crucial plot device. Without 'The Machine', we would not have confirmation of
Davin's secret love for Ruth, we would not be aware of Simon's bankruptcy, or
that Fionnan's dad was having issues with the couple , Little Kevin and Big
Kevin attending the wedding together. 'The Machine' disturbs the equilibrium,
creating a disequilibrium between the main characters. He metaphorically
represents the characters conscience, the fact they have secrets and as soon as
your conscience comes knocking it’s not going to be pretty. He asks the
questions, he uses his personality to annoy you, he loses your car keys, he
throws your compass in the lake, and he makes you come to breaking point until
you blurt out what you've wanted to blurt out. And finally, he is your
resolution. Every character has changed their viewpoint on 'The Machine', and
this resolution is the wedding reception. Speeches are made, friendships are
reaffirmed and stronger than ever, wounds are sown and fun is had.
McDonald, who co-wrote The Stag, expressed in an interview that 'The Machine'
is a "real game changer in these guys’ lives when they go on a stag",
this perfectly encapsulates what 'The Machine' is for me.
This
review is featured in film review from ‘YasminesUrl’
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her on twitter @YasminesUrl
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