“Kneecap” is a Fun Watch But Won't Stay With You – Review
- Colton Gomez
- Jan 11
- 4 min read
Review
By Colton Gomez | 01/011/25 | 8:14 P.M. Mountain Time
Comedy, Musical | Rated R | 1 hr 45 min | "Kneecap" Release Date: August 2, 2024
“Kneecap” is the name and origin story of the hip-hop group consisting of Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg, and DJ Próvai, who all play themselves in the film. Cairealláin and Óg are heavy drug users who take any opportunity to mess with the cops or “peelers” as they’re called here. Próvai is a music teacher at an Irish-language school and lives with his girlfriend. The background of the film is contextualized by a civil rights movement to save the Irish language and, in so doing, meeting contention with the brits. The hip-hop trio find themselves as the unofficial spearheads of the movement as they rap their songs in Irish to bring awareness to their cause. Not everyone agrees with the vulgar display of sex, drugs, and hip-hop to represent their political cause, but this train is set in motion and it’ll either crash and burn or deliver or maybe do a little of both.
What we get here is a pretty good comedy biopic. The performances from Cairealláin, Óg, and Próvai are really not bad. Their chemistry was great, which is no surprise as they’ve been banded since 2017. They looked comfortable on camera and with each other. They turned in very serviceable performances, but I do feel that some finer nuances were missing.
Próvai turns in the best performance of the trio, possibly because his character was simply allowed to explore himself further than the other two. He has the most to lose by making this kind of music in the hip-hop/rap scene of drugs, sex, and profanity. His relationship and life as a schoolteacher is threatened so he wears a mask on stage. He’s very expressive with his eyes and brings a weight of realism and emotion to his scenes.
I was missing a bit of that discovery that happens when finding your sound, tone, theme, whatever. They bonded very quickly and there was seemingly no uncertainty in any of their parts about this music venture. There were some lines of dialogue that attempted to do this, but it was never convincing to me. I needed to see it in their eyes and on their faces. Perhaps they were too comfortable.
Óg turns in the next best performance, but again, he had more to do. I could feel his longing to make his relationship and his music work out in the end. I could feel that he had something to lose. But much of this story seems more focused on the movement to save the Irish language than about the people behind them.
Cairealláin’s performance is rather unremarkable. I didn’t get a good sense of his character or personal story. He is the most underdeveloped of the trio. The lasting impression I have of him is that he uses drugs and likes to rap and also wants to save his language. I don’t really know who he is as a person. There are some scenes that attempt to bring depth to his character, but his performance mostly consisting of a fairly neutral face reminds me he is not an actor.
The story feels very formulaic, like an early effort from a promising filmmaker. That, or one that doesn’t have the studio’s trust to do his own thing. The film is directed by Rich Peppiatt who has a modest filmography; “Kneecap” seemingly being the best of them.
Making a bit of an extended cameo, Michael Fassbender plays Arló Ó Cairealláin, Naoise’s father. This is the part of the story that feels the most fictionalized for the sake of drama and like an attempt to bring depth to Naoise’s character. His whole story doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the movie. The movie attempts to resolve his character in the end by bringing in a strange orchestral track to soften our hearts but it feels so out of place that it makes you do a mental double-take.
The performance by Jessica Reynolds, who plays Liam’s love interest, Georgia, did a great job in her role. It’s strange to see her in scenes with Liam because she is obviously the better talent. I think I need everyone to be at the same level, otherwise it just won’t work emotionally for me. I keep getting reminded that these three are playing themselves instead of studied actors.
Overall, not a bad film. The comedy hits, the music is great, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. I needed to know the people more than I got to. Much of the time is spent on the movement of saving the Irish language, perhaps too much. Its politics start getting in the way of its story. This film will make you laugh and want to listen to Kneecap. Its strengths are the displays of passion and creativity when the trio makes music. At the same time, it’s trying to do too much while not developing what it has established. Despite these comments, it’s a very entertaining watch. Just don’t expect much of it to stay with you after it’s over.
_______________________________________________________________
Review by Colton Gomez
Colton Gomez earned his BA in Film Studies from Weber State University. He owns and operates ColtonGomez.com. Here, he covers new releases in theaters and on streaming. For short versions of his reviews, check out his LetterBoxd
_______________________________________________________________
Summary
Comments