Papadopoulos & Sons – Film Review

A thoroughly enjoyable, cracking little film, sweet, nice and old-fashioned, Papadopoulos & Sons is warm-hearted and amusing in the Shirley Valentine mould. Maybe it’s not quite as tasty a dish as that Eighties classic, but it’s flavoursome enough.

Though it’s a family comedy drama, the film focuses most of its attention on the characters, actions and relationship of the two brothers of the family, and it’s fortunate there are a couple of fine actors to bring them to colourful life. Stephen Dillane is excellent in the star role as Harry Papadopoulos, the millionaire London Greek financier whose world comes crashing down when the banking crisis hits him just as he’s making the property deal of a lifetime, leading him to fall back on reopening and running the defunct family Three Brothers fish and chip shop.

Apparently they serve humble pie there, because this is the London suburban fish ‘n chippie Dillane used to run in his youth with his two brothers and now he has no alternative but to reluctantly reunite with his one surviving, but long-estranged brother to survive. They fell out back in the day, and of course we’re going to find out why. Another ace in the film’s hand is Georges Corraface’s performance. He is so vivacious and charismatic as Dillane’s larger-than-life estranged brother Spyros that he completely takes over when he’s on screen, bringing fresh, funny life to a potentially clichéd Zorba-style freewheeling life-force character.

This is a likeable film though, like the family it portrays, it does have its share of problems. It’s not that, even at 109 minutes, it feels overlong or gets boring, but it could do with a tiny bit of paring down. With a bit more tight editing, especially at the start, and scissors taken to a long, serious scene in the car between the two Greek brothers (it could even be totally cut out), the film could be even better. This editing could resolve the slight tone problem with the balance between serious drama (both family and business) and the outright sitcom-style comedy that some of the lines, scenes and actors are going for.

Then again, it’s a shame that first-time writer-director Marcus Marcou fails to develop fully the Romeo and Juliet theme he’s raised between the Greek fish shop owners and the Turkish kebab folk across the road. Though what we have gives George Savvides a nice little role as the kebab shop owner and Cesare Taurasi, the boy who plays his son, an equally nice time as the Greek daughter’s love interest, and both actors do very well with what they’ve got.

And, on the romance front, Marcou can’t seem to do much to enliven Dillane’s love story with a sympathetic woman financier. This is routine stuff, undernourished and underdeveloped, unfairly giving the pleasant actress involved, Cosima Shaw, some problems. Romance probably isn’t Marcou’s strong suit. On the other hand, Dillane’s real-life son Frank scores well as his on-screen son, Georgia Groome’s appealing as his daughter, and Selina Cadell is a hoot as jolly old family friend Mrs Parrington.

There’s enough friendly fun to be had from Papadopoulos & Sons to recommend it. Marcou shows he is a talent to watch, so I look forward to his next movie.

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 derekwinnert.com