How To Get Ahead in Advertising – Criterion Collection
Description
Richard E. Grant endlessly suave Dennis Bagley, high-strung advertising executive shoulder sprouts evil, talking boil. boil speaks Bagley, silent rest world, growing. Ts caustic satire reunites talented team cult classic Withnail create tour force verbal jousting physical comedy. Amazon.com
After release Withnail & I, British writer-director Bruce Robinson continued satirical assault British culture fiendishly funny rant, title figuratively and literally object lesson art consumer manipulation. Ny dupes consumers Dennis Bagley (Richard E. Grant); genius crafting seductive ad campaigns earned country estate, countless awards, admiring boss, loving wife (Rachel Ward), and, well, gigantic boil shoulder that’s le throbbing zit hell. Dennis tormented difficult campaign pimple cream–and filled wh self-loathing ys promoting dubious products–that inner demon, media-savvy profiteering himself, manifested talking pustule mind (and fe voice) own.
Robinson’s scathing critique mindless consumerism begins wh funniest monologues written, Grant instantly claims role manic perfection. time bomb repressed anxiety, Dennis blossoms righteous protest at profession, oy evil boil growing dominant, worrying wife (Ward’s performance charmingly sympathetic), inevitably seizing control. movie’s message obvious heavy-handed, Robinson’s blazing wit grows increasingly bilious urgent, can’t blame sniping easy targets. corporate synergy rampant commercialism reach insane proportions, How Ahead Advertising grows relevant ever, holding mirror grotesqueries capitalism in extremis. –Jeff Shannon









