Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee

The success of Shane Meadows' recent television series on Channel 4 will hopefully spike a revival of interest in his brilliant movies; including this one, his funniest film yet. In his youth, Meadows was in a band with Paddy Considine, whose career as an actor he later helped launch; and the two are back together here, with Meadows playing a fictionalised version of himself, a film-maker shooting a documentary about the life of a roadie (Considine) and his musical protégé, a most unlikely rapper. Considine is great, as ever, in playing the part of a social misfit utterly lacking in self-awareness: the film is full of laugh-out-load moments, yet still manages to be touching in places. I don't know if the low budget is the reason why the role of a supposedly new-born baby is played by a child who's practically a toddler, and it's scarcely a weighty piece, but it's delightful nonetheless. I continue to find Meadows' ongoing struggle for commissions amazing - to me, he's the best film-maker we have in the U.K. right now.