Rev

[poliphilo]

Rev is a charming, Curtisy sitcom about a London vicar, starring the cute Tom Hollander and the cute Olivia Coleman as the Rev and Mrs Adam Smallbone.  The half-mad, homeless people they have to deal with are a lot sweeter than any of the half-mad, homeless people who came knocking on my vicarage door- and they see a lot more of their Archdeacon than I ever did (poor things - because Archdeacons always spell trouble) but otherwise everything is spot on-  the lack of privacy, the anxieties about money and church attendance, the doleful hymn singing, the embarrassment that comes with being the community's licensed fool for God. In the old days- when religion was still hot and had to be handled with tongs- ecclesiastical sit-coms (I'm thinking All Gas and Gaiters) skirted round the central business of a priest's life, but now that no-one gives a stuff the comedy vicar is allowed to be a man of faith and talk about Jesus and scatter gospel texts around without giggles or irony. This isn't a pious show - last night's episode made mincemeat of a power-hungry charismatic-  but it does treat Christianity as something to be taken seriously- which is unusual, refreshing- and even- perhaps- a little subversive.  

Comments

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

I'm somewhat disturbed by how gleeful I was when the Rev banished the homophobic evangelical. And that I nearly fell off the sofa when the parishioner said, "Smoothies? This is wrong! Coffee must be served in church!"

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I haven't yet persuaded G to watch it, but from the snippets I've seen, it looks good. I'm glad you can confirm that because the digital hard drive gadget is busy recording the episodes for me, so I will watch them in due course.

[tinceiri.livejournal.com]

Your description brought Keeping Mum to mind, for some reason. Completely different movie.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

This sounds like one that I would like to see. Here's hoping BBC sends it on fairly soon.

[sovay]

The half-mad, homeless people they have to deal with are a lot sweeter than any of the half-mad, homeless people who came knocking on my vicarage door- and they see a lot more of their Archdeacon than I ever did (poor things - because Archdeacons always spell trouble) but otherwise everything is spot on- the lack of privacy, the anxieties about money and church attendance, the doleful hymn singing, the embarrassment that comes with being the community's licensed fool for God.

That's awesome. I love seeing actual professions done well in art, as opposed everyone's inaccurately popular idea of what it's like to be a house painter or a fireman or a clinical psychologist.

Also, I like Tom Hollander; maybe I will check it out.