User Reviews

Saw the world premiere of this film at Salford festival last night. Laughed my head off from start to finish. This is a hotch potch of colliding characters and story lines, with documentary footage (well, faux documentary, the actors remain in character) mixed in too, and a bizarre American folk singer popping up a few times too. Its unconventional, off the wall, but very, very funny. The gags come thick and fast right from the off and the audience clearly enjoyed it (despite some technical problems that meant the film had to be re-started twice). Afterwards I saw several of the cast members in the lobby, which was pretty cool too. I recommend this film highly, its low budget, utterly lacking in "message" or "meaning" - its one of those films that basically does what it says on the tin. I look forward to seeing it again and congratulate the team who've made it. Low budget indie film making is tough at the best of times but these guys have pulled it off.

This low budget British comedy is a lewd, crude, laugh out loud little film with a few home truths about how people really are. I saw it at a cast and crew screening in Leeds last week and had a good time, the script is very quotable, and the film displays a lot of imagination on the part of the film makers. At times I was laughing at scenes and didn't know why, for example an American folk singer pops up a few times in the film with some hilarious songs and video clips, commentating on what is going on, another time an Asian guy delivers a kebab and whether intentionally or not goes so OTT with his charm I was laughing about it the next morning. One of the main characters talks to the audience during the end credits, talking up the positive virtues of "lesbian films", so as long as they are well made. Haven't a clue what the relevance was but we were quoting it in the bar afterwards. "Rough Around The Edges" is basically about some low life people who are all up to no good in Wakefield. Some of them know each other, some of them don't but their paths cross, and some of them never encounter each other. There's a gorgeous male stripper, a pair of dodgy policemen, a middle aged salesman with delusions of taking over the world, some students organising a party, some minicab drivers, and several others. Its all weaved together very well, especially the bits where the characters talk to the audience, documentary style. The performances from the entire cast is excellent and befits the film's quirky nature. The female characters are strong. With many laughs to be found, it's well worth the time but don't expect 'high-art' - it's not pretentious in the slightest. Recommended.

i attended a film premier on the 23rd of November at the salford film festival where my wife and myself have been going as regulars for a few years.the film we saw was a comedy called rough around the edges set in the north and with slivers of the league of gentlemen and hints of the full monty it was low budget film with an unknown director at the elm. i was really surprised how well put together the film was, some great writing and lots of language some a bit shocking but this is the 21st century and the world we live in. i cringed in parts because of the crewed humour and the fact that i was with my wife but she enjoyed the film more than i did and laughed the all way through. we are both in our mid fifties and i can honestly say i have never seen another film quite like it. it got straight to the meat of the matter. i found the film to be quirky,wild and refreshingly true. we live next door to a policeman who one of the characters could be based on. there was a few technical difficulties with the screening of the film not really sure why this happened and felt quite sorry for the director who was left in the hands of the gods but this didn't not seem to bother the audience and left us all laughing even more. since going back to work i have told colleagues who are now eager to see the film and are quite envious.also i must mention a mad folk singer also bobs up to summarise the different paths and plots of the characters this adds infused humour to the edgy comedy which in our opinion was brilliant and well directed, acted and produced looking forward to seeing more from this director.

I found about about a private screening for this film the night before via Facebook, and turned up with no prior knowledge, except that my friend's brother has a small speaking part in it. The writer/director spoke to the audience just prior to the screening, and explained that "Rough Around The Edges" was a self funded, low budget comedy film that had taken him two years to complete. It was his first feature film, and he thanked the assembled film crew and actors for their patience, as it had taken longer than it should have to get the film completely finished. It was the first public screening and he seemed a bag of nerves ! The film begins with a bitingly pessimistic overview of modern day Britain, although far from being political or social comment for the sake of it, its pretty hilarious and had the audience laughing right off the bat. The voice over delivers the overview very well, I don't know if it was done by a cast member or not but it cracked me up. It set the tone for the film – as far as "Rough Around The Edges" is concerned, Britain is going down the drain rapidly, and every man and woman is out for themselves (this film does have lots of strong language and sporadic nudity, so be warned).

We are then introduced to a number of characters, with most of them speaking directly to the audience about their lives, their opinions, and their interests. They all seem to have self centred agendas, such as revenge, or losing their virginity, which gives the viewer a clear picture of their motivations.

The style of the film took a few minutes to get used to, switching from what you would call normal scenes, to sections where the characters are speaking as if being interviewed. Once it became clear that this is the pattern for the film, I found it engaging, as it drew me into why these people are doing what they do, and in that regard it took the edge off some of the less sympathetic characters, eg, yes this guy or that woman might be completely selfish, but at least they take the time to explain why – its hard to argue with that I suppose ! The audience seems to be dropped into some of the story lines as they are already underway, for instance some taxi drivers have a dead body to dispose of. The film starts with them falling out with each other over what to do about it, and who is to blame for it, rather than showing us how the body died. This threw me, but later the characters explained what had happened and this was accompanied by flashbacks. Not a conventional narrative, but interesting and at times laugh out loud funny, and as the film went on, I found myself drawn to its unconventional style of storytelling. Spoiler alert – the dead body apparently suffocated in the car boot while sleeping off a hang over, with the taxi driver being too pre-occupied with his "bit on the side" to remember to open the boot and give him some air ! Every so often there is a story within a story, or a character will go completely off at a tangent. The film is heavily dialogue based, and requires your attention. Most of the visual gags hit their mark, and there are several scenes that appear to come out of nowhere, including an American folk singer who is singing in a pub, about what is going on in the film. As far as I could see he doesn't appear anywhere else in the film, but he got a lot of laughs. Incidentally the guy was sat two seats away from me.

Some of the comedy is up front and obvious, eg, LOTS of toilet humour and a cracker of a pay off when a male stripper gets exposed, but other aspects that made me laugh weren't as obvious, such as a teenage lad, getting ready for a party where he hopes to get laid, stuffing his underpants with a rolled up tie for added "bulge". My friend, sat next to me, completely missed this. I would single out particular credit to the actor who plays the toilet salesman, a middle aged businessman who is trying to seduce his babysitter. This film has an unknown cast but I'm pretty sure I've seen this actor before and he does a fantastic job here, especially in a cringe-worthy "making out in the back of a car" scene which for me was the funniest section of the whole film. Needless to say it goes badly wrong for him.

I really enjoyed "Rough Around The Edges", and the experience of being invited to a new (locally shot) British feature film that had literally just been finished, with the director getting onto the stage to speak to the audience, was novel and exciting. I recognised a lot of the cast members on the way out, which was weird. The last comedy I went to see on the big screen was the Will Ferrell blockbuster "Land Of The Lost". "Rough Around The Edges" had a much better reaction from its audience, clearly it is a low budget film but laugh for laugh it punches well above its weight. The director spoke to us all again at the end and was clearly relieved that the screening had gone down well. He mentioned sequels being made, and I would certainly like to see more of these characters.

I saw this film recently at the salford film festival and I was very impressed. This is one of the funniest films I've seen in ages. The film is about people getting up to no good and behaving badly in Wakefield. There is no over-arcing storyline as such instead the film is a mix of different story lines involving single mums, bent coppers, strippers and cabbies (with a dead body to get rid of) which interweave and play off of each other throughout the film. The film has many laugh out loud moments, my personal favourite being the attempt to dispose of a dead body involving a single piranha and a tortoise. The style in which these stories are told is very effective as well. The documentary style to-camera moments are very funny and as for the American folk singer...inspired! Writer director Jim Dickinson has done a great job, getting fine performances from his actors. The ensemble cast really do act their socks off. The film may suggest that our modern society is a little rough around its edges but its suggested in a very very funny way. IMDb lists two sequels and if their anything as good as this one I cannot wait to see them

A side splitting, quirky British comedy focused on a working class town up north. With characters that are larger than life and a plot that put the "F" in farce this film is short of nowt! I had the pleasure of seeing this at The Salford Film Festival, a hidden gem you might say. Written and directed by Jim Dickinson, made apparently on a micro budget, he's definitely a name to look out for in the future. The story has no special effects or gimmicks, it relies purely on the hilarious script and the comic timing of the actors. However, if you are easily offended this film may not be for you, the language and sexual references are enough to make a hooker blush!!

Saw this at Salford film festival, lured in by the "world premiere" tag, figuring it'd be the only time in my life I ever make it to one. Laughed my head off all the way through, and was embarrassed a few times too, sometimes the humour crosses the line, not sure what the rating would be for this film, but it it was on TV either it'd need editing down, or showing late at night.

Yes the male stripper is as good as people are saying. Wish I could get good odds on the actor Steve Garry making it, watching him on screen I wondered what Daniel Craig was doing five or ten years before he was cast as James Bond. I'd stick a tenner on Garry to be a big thing somewhere down the line.

Credit to all cast members though I completely believed in them for the duration of the film. There really are some cracking characters in this film and their work is excellent. Kudos to the taxi drivers, whenever they were on screen they got laughs and I found their storyline to be unpredictable and dramatic, while staying within the confines of what is believable.

For a low budget British film by a first time director this is excellent stuff. Clever name for a low budget film about working class people, if you want to see something that will make you laugh out loud, this is for you.

Thank god for indie comedies that dare to be different. "Rough Around The Edges" doesn't follow the standard Hollywood template. There are no convenient co-incidences. No attempt to make the viewer feel good about society and the world in general. No attempts to tie all the strands together. No crass love interests. This is a mad, off beat film that dances to its own tune. Yes there are central plots but I defy anyone, 20 mins in, to predict where this film will meander to. At times it almost veers into comedy sketch realms, before returning to propel along a storyline. I attended the screening of this film at a film festival in Manchester last night, on recommendation of a friend. It was a sell out but I blagged a ticket by hanging out in the bar. I've not laughed so much at a comedy in a long, long time. Its not the kind of film you can sum up in one word, ie, like "Bruce Almighty" is about a man who is given god-like powers. "Rough Around The Edges" has a lot of characters, and a crazy amount of antics going on. The male stripper thread is brilliant, as has been observed by an earlier poster. The actor has done an outstanding job of bringing to life one of the best British comedy film creations in, I would argue, decades. I laughed at almost every line he utters and the film's climax is fantastic. I was half way out of the door when I noticed there are several minutes of bloopers during the end credits, after which the director got up to speak to the crowd and thank them for coming. What a nice thing to do ! IMDb lists two sequels are in progress and I will be first in line when they are released. I end this review as I started it, thank god for indie comedies that dare to be different. Highly recommended.

Saw this low budget indie film at End Of The Pier festival last month, and spent ten minutes chatting outside the screening with the producer and director.

Rough Around The Edges was shot on a very low budget, reflected in the basic production values on show. No recognisable faces appear, and a few of the actors came across as inexperienced. The leading roles were obviously cast with professionals, but in my opinion a few minor roles were not.

That said, it is a funny film, which was enthusiastically received by the audience. There is A LOT going on in this film, and the script is excellent. I'd say the main reason why the film, in terms of its audience reaction, is more than the sum of its parts is because there is so much packed in there. If one scene is flat or confusing, the next one gets a laugh. Same for the characters, if there is one that doesn't appeal, the next one probably will. You would probably have to watch the film twice to follow every storyline, perhaps it could have been condensed down to few elements.

As an experience, I enjoyed it.

As previous reviewers have rightly commented, the male stripper character stands out. The actor does a superb job and he was responsible for the biggest laughs.

Chatting to the director afterwards gave me an insight into the mad, mad world of low budget film making. This film has opened doors and now he's working with well known actors and bigger budgets. You can only admire the dedication of these guys.

i work for a local leeds based magazine and was invited to attend the first public airing of Rough around the edges, a new film from a regional writer and director, who i have to say gave a brief insight to the film before the reels rolled,he was nervous as hell this been his first production and taking a few years in the making. i found the film to be a true comedy romp and really, really funny, been able to relate to some of the situations which flared up through out the film,the film was a great hit with the audience who laughed throughout, one of the quirkiest , funniest films i have seen this year, although the film was produced on a budget of which the director mentioned before hand it does not reflect or take away from the delivery of the final product, i would also add the film would be very saleable in the right hands.the voice over which appears throughout the film adds to the humour and interacts well with the characters forming a great backbone to the film. if the opportunity arises viewing is highly recommended.i will genuinely look forward to any future works from this up and coming writer and director.

as i am a drama student i attend a lot of cinemas as you can well imagine, on Monday i went to the local film festival in salford from Friday onward i had been to see seven different films. but none of these films could compete with Monday nights hilarious rough around the edges. apparently i was lucky to get a ticket as the desk supervisor explained to me the film was a sell out, and after watching it i could well understand why, although a low budget and indie made film with a self financed writer and director behind the whole thing.it was a total triumph of hilarity and frolics right from the off the writing was superbly done and i must have laughed at 90 percent of the films antidotes and scenarios the acting was to a really high standard throughout the film and out shone named actors which appear on t.v on a regular basis. the bent copper was my favourite character and i am sure i have seen him in shameless or something similar. rough around the edges as the film is called but i would comment that it is a polished performance and a true satire of wit, sex and more sex. every body who if lucky enough gets to see the film will know some one like one of the characters in the film. i would love to see this feature again and again and only hope more films like this are made a true British comedy.no Hollywood glitz no brad pitt but damm sure the male stripper in the film will appeal to ladies young and old.there was a buzz about the film before hand with lots of the cast and crew members in the bar before the screening and the same after the film, i would highly recommend this dark,modern comedy to anyone with an open mind. i have never given a film a 10 out of 10 but this came very close.there was also talk of a sequel so i will be looking forward to seeing if the cast and crew can pull it off again superb.

"Rough Around The Edges" is one of those low budget kitchen sink comedies, revealing the simmering underbelly of the working class. There isn't one leading character or villain, but a group of them. The line between who is decent, and who is anything but decent, is blurred. The film frequently switches into faux documentary mode.

It has clearly been shot on digital video, with basic production values and locations, and there's not much to write home about in terms of wonderful camera work. Its strengths are its story telling, a diverse cast, and the humour, and to the film's credit I was totally transfixed for the duration. It doesn't need special effects or a love interest (plenty of "lust" interests), and there is an authenticity to the story lines that compliments the documentary style.

So what's it about ? There's a number of plots that keep the ensemble cast, and viewer, busy. The characters all have clearly defined goals, most of which are dubious, and the film follows each strand as they culminate on a weekend. Students, a toilet salesman, some taxi drivers, an appallingly unfit (morally not physically) single mother, and most effectively of all, a male stripper called Jeff – the best character in the film in my opinion.

In the film's first scene, stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror, plotting revenge on somebody who's cheated him at poker, Jeff lays down his marker – vain, confident, prejudiced and brazen. No ambiguity at all about this fella, he just doesn't give a stuff. The role has been well cast – the actor's physical suitability for the part of a male stripper is as obvious as his dancing/performance skills. There are two stripper routines in "Rough Around The Edges" and both appear to have been shot in authentic locations with real life audiences.

Jeff is a womanising layabout who enjoys a self-created comfort zone - claiming the dole, picking up "cash only" work when he can, enjoying casual flings, and shirking any kind of responsibility for his actions.

The talented actor plays him with relish, showing brilliant comic timing, and I followed his exploits through the film with delight. In one scene, his mates bring round a dead body that they've having to dispose of, on the quiet. Jeff's best lines of the film come in this scene. The corpse is laid on the living room floor, and they're all stood over it, debating their next move. Jeff will only help them get rid of the body if they agree to a game of poker, which he aims to rig, so he can get his revenge as referred to in the film's opening scene; his sole motivation for helping to dispose of the corpse is the fear of the poker game being cancelled. "That WOULD be an emergency" he quips, delivering one of the film's best lines.

Being a self centred vagabond who spends the entire film rubbing everyones noise in it, Jeff must naturally get his comeuppance at the film's climax. The manner in which this is done is laugh out loud funny and original and I salute the actor for his bravery in taking the scene to the limit.

The film's humour is blunt, crude and coarse. There is strong language throughout, and some nudity. On reflection I am full of good words for this movie, and I recommend it if you want something non-commercial, raw and authentic. It is not flawless but it is very funny.

i went to the salford film festival last night where i saw an hilarious , raunchy and brutally rude and lewd film but i must confess i enjoyed every minute. a true lol film my ribs are still aching today from laughing, although there was a couple of technical glitches this did not detract from the film and just added to the laughter and the buzz of the audience, jeff the stripper is fit and well worth a look some lovely buttocks which where on display through out the film. good acting through out and thoroughly entertaining , also saw dave from big brother who was attending the film(lovely guy)also great acting from kay mallinson who played the role of the village bike and bitch to a tee much to her credit, reminded me of a mix of shameless and rita sue and bob too! well put together and very well directed and for a low budget film it was rich in humour and fun.would recommend to any open minded fun loving folk a massive thumbs up from me.

This offbeat indie film, the only British one showing at our inaugural film festival in Pottsville, PA (Sharp Mountain film festival), went down very well with the audience. It is a motley collection of British characters who are out to scam each other. The male stripper and bent copper were my favourites. Some laugh out loud dialogue and moments, a brilliant soundtrack, and best of all for me, an unpredictable script. I honestly did not know where this was going or how the story lines would come together, it really held my interest. Loved the folk singer and the subtitles, didn't know it was coming first time round but his second appearance got roars of laughter from the audience, who followed every line. Neat idea. Well done to the guys who did this, we enjoyed it and look forward to more.

firstly i must congratulate the writer and director of this marmite(love or hate)low budget film. sheer comedy film genius that tony hancock would be proud of,an assortment of sex,swindle and down right filth and that's just the film credits. a brilliant collaboration of modern day life in a northern town,i saw this film at the salford film festival last night and it went down a storm although the projectionist should really be looking for work in another field, god only knows what he was doing back there? but it just added to the films title "rough around the edges" the actors did a superb job on the whole with the lead roles of jeff the stripper and the sex mad milf was superbly portrayed through out, an off the wall folk singer who had the look of a serial killer just added to films dark comedy. a modern hancock piece of sartorial comedy wit with the explosive nature of a vindaloo made it a great watch and thoroughly watchable this is part of a trilogy so can't wait for the rest.