Mischief Night (www.the-usher.com)

"What R U lookin' at?"

The Khan's and the Crabtree's lived on different sides of the same Leeds housing estate but as the white and Asian communities grow further and further apart, the two families are forced together in the run up to Mischief Night. As each generation of the families come together in different ways, it is up to Tina (Hollis) and Immie (Tikaram) to keep the families and the area from exploding and maybe instil some happiness.

Portraying the normal urban life in the UK has always been a struggle for filmmakers but can 'Mischief Night' show a genuine picture of life in a Yorkshire city?

After introducing the Khan's and the Crabtree's in her short films 'Tina Goes Shopping' and 'Tina Takes A Break', Penny Woolcock brings single mother Tina Crabtree to the silver screen for a full length story. Much in the same vein as the hit TV show 'Shameless' approached showing urban life in a UK city, this is a no holds barred look at two different British societies having to live together in the same run down region of Leeds.

This is an area riddled with drugs, teenage pregnancy and pretty crime and the only people with any amount of money are the warring drug dealers who run the two sides of the cultural divide. This is a common problem in larger UK cities and Penny Woolcock shows this with all the gravity and humour needed to reveal what these areas and the people that live in them are really like. From the kids having fun to the pressures of family and the racial divide, this is a no holds barred look at the multicultural problems and characters the situation creates.

The film centres on the Khan and Crabtree families and the fact that even though they are culturally different, they have very similar problems. The middle children Asif and Kimberly, played with great skill by Qasim Akhtar and Holly Kenny, become friends and help each other out when Asif gets in trouble with drug dealer Quassim (Christopher Simpson) and Kimberly tries to find her father. The youngest Crabtree, Macaulay, gather together his friends to make plans for Mischief Night. Tyler Crabtree (Michael Taylor) tries to make an impression on this drug-dealing Grandfather. It is up to Tina and Immie to try and hold the families together as well as starting their own relationship. Both Kelli Hollis and Ramon Tikaram bring experience to the film, especially Hollis who returns to the role that started her career.

'Mischief Night' offers an insight into UK living that is outside of the usual upper class or East End London life style that filmmakers seem to be obsessed with. Uncompromising but funny in parts, this feels more like a TV show than movie but this should not but you off enjoying this look at Yorkshire and British life.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Behind the Scenes Footage (16.12 mins)
Watch B-Roll footage of director Penny Woolcock at work as she brings the story of 'Mischief Night' to the silver screen.

Director's Commentary
Star Kelli Hollis joins writer/director Penny Woolcock to talk about the third Tina story. The pair talks passionately about the character and the situation that have created for her, highlighting the realism of the Yorkshire stories. This is a chatty and informative look into Tina's world and independent filmmaking.

Interviews
View short interviews with writer/director Penny Woolcock, producer Abi Black and stars Kelli Hollis, Ramon Tikaram, Chris Simpson and Gwayne Hollis

Shameless Trailer
View the trailer for season 3 of the hit Channel 4 show

OVERALL

For a low budget, British movie the DVD treatment of 'Mischief Night' is good. The commentary track is well worth listen and the short interviews get their points across. Fans should be pleased.

DVD

Shameless

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2006