Comfort and Joy Reviews

One of a string of first-rate Scottish comedies directed and written by Forsyth, COMFORT AND JOY--though at times rather bittersweet and melancholy--still has plenty of laughs, more than a few insights, and several offbeat characters. Paterson is a popular morning disc jockey in Glasgow. His kooky, kleptomaniac, live-in girlfriend, David, has abruptly walked out of his life, leaving him mired in depression. Paterson's placid existence really goes screwy when he gets involved in a conflict between two rival gangs that are seeking to control the Glasgow ice-cream business. (The two companies are called Mr. Bunny and Mr. McCool.) Paterson, unwilling to see chaos erupt and innocent people hurt, uses his radio show to relay messages between the warring factions. This puts his job at risk and wins him the anger of the ice-cream combatants. This is an unusual premise for a film. Some of the potentially hilarious situations don't garner as many laughs as they might, but there are many funny moments, and the picture often throws unexpected curve balls at the audience. Although this is one of Forsyth's lesser works, his films are generally impressive and there is more here to laugh at than has been seen in British comedies for some time.