A Practical Guide To A Spectacular Suicide starts off okay. It seems to be amusing enough, it’s poking fun at some dark subject matter, and the lead isn’t too bad. Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that the film is about to outstay its welcome. It runs for a brisk 85 minutes, but only has enough steam for about half of that time. In fact, cut the movie up and place some scenes into a sketch show format and that would seem to be the best way forward. Well, you’d also want more skilled performers delivering the material.
It is exactly what the title says it is. Young Tom Collins (Graeme McGeagh) has tried to kill himself a number of times. He writes a blog detailing hints and tips for those wanting to commit suicide, but he also has to see a therapist (Patrick O’Brien) after his most recent, failed attempt. Oh, and he has to go round and help out an elderly man living on his own (Mr. Neilsen, played by Ray Crofter). Tom meets a sweet, but slightly daffy, young woman named Eve (Annabel Logan) and ends up gaining a helper in his quest to plan a spectacular suicide.
Director Graham Hughes, who co-wrote the screenplay with star McGeagh and Keith Grantham, really drops the ball here. What could have been a fun mix of the amusing and the twisted simply turns into a number of punchlines squeezed into various scenes stretched all too thin, even at a few minutes in length. The script always looks as if it might be interesting, or even brave at some points, before falling back into a safety net that will leave most viewers unhappy and dissatisfied.
Unfortunately, none of the cast are good enough to make up for the weak material. McGeagh, in particular, seems to have walked on set from some local kid’s TV show. As likable as he is, his performance is very much exaggerated and awkward to the point at which it becomes a permanent distraction. The rest fare slightly better, but not by much, and it’s only O’Brien who really escapes unscathed, mainly thanks to his character getting most of the best lines.
With the mix of styles on display, and a constant breaking of the fourth wall and reliance on the charm of the lead/narrator, A Practical Guide To A Spectacular Suicide feels desperate to please. It’s like a small child showing you every one of the party tricks that it knows in the space of five minutes. Unfortunately, we often tolerate those moments while we have to and then wait until the child calms down, working on one skill that can be shown off with great pride. So, at best, you might be able to tolerate this.
DIRECTOR: GRAHAM HUGHES
WRITER: KEITH GRANTHAM, GRAHAM HUGHES, GRAEME MCGEAGH
STARS: GRAEME MCGEAGH, ANNABEL LOGAN, PATRICK O’BRIEN, RAY CROFTER
RUNTIME: 85 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: UK
Film Rating: 
