By Seb Jenkins - December 6, 2024
Rumours is undoubtedly the strangest film of 2024 – make of that what you will. The political-apocalyptical-comedy boasts a star-studded cast, including Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, and Nikki Amuka-Bird, but all are engulfed by the sheer absurdity of the story itself. Rumours thrives at times for that very reason, but ultimately leaves us with laughs left untapped in our belly.
From the minds of Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, Rumours is the story of a fictional G7 summit that becomes embroiled in an apocalyptic event. World leaders from Germany, America, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, and Japan take a walk through a picturesque forest in Dankerode for important political discussions and photo opportunities aplenty. A snapshot in front of the seven flags? Sure. A photo around the table sharing afternoon tea? Why not? A quick pic digging up one of the 2000-year-old ‘bog bodies’ native to the area? Okay…but we have a statement to draft here!
The seven world leaders eventually take a break from their PR grand tour to sit beneath a gazebo for what can only be described as the procrastination Olympics – and this is where Rumours is at its funniest. Reluctant to commit to any particular action or reveal any actual information, the leaders waffle their way through a draft statement about an unspecified global crisis. It needs to be vague, but powerful. Reassuring, without over-assurance. And most importantly of all, committed, yet non-committal. Something truly out of the politician’s top draw of on-the-fence ambiguity. But like seven world leaders trying to fight their way out of a paper bag, they can’t even manage that.
When The President of France (Denis Menochet) wanders off and falls into one of the ‘bog body’ pits, Rumours swaps a political plot for apocalyptic rot. The cocksure President of the United States (Charles Dance), is convinced the undead are nothing more than a trick of the light – an argument he makes in his Charles Dance-esque British accent. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Nikki Amuka-Bird) is more worried about the draft statement than the looming end of the world, while the Chancellor of Germany (Cate Blanchett) struggles with her complicated host duties.
Do you bring out the cheeseboard before or after the dead come back to life?
The Prime Minister of Canada (Roy Dupuis) has romantic connections to two of his fellow leaders, as well as the Secretary-General of the European Commission (Alicia Vikander), and remains determined to be the hero of our weird little story. Meanwhile, the shy and bumbling Prime Ministers of Italy (Rolando Ravello) and Japan (Takehiro Hira) perhaps warrant a buddy comedy of their very own. Put this all together and you get 104 minutes of absolute chaos. Did we mention that the undead ‘bog bodies’ are obsessed with masturbation too?
All seven of the main cast prove they are talented comic actors, with Blanchett in particular recovering from the woe that was Borderlands to drive an interesting premise. Maddin and the Johnson brothers also continue their theme of brave, experimental movie-making,
following their collaborations on The Forbidden Room and The Green Fog. You can certainly tell this trio has been writing and directing together for over a decade.
The truth is that the concept of Rumours had a lot of promise. Putting politicians in a ridiculous scenario and using that as a vehicle to mock them is comedy gold. We were hoping for the perfect blend of The Thick Of It meets Zombieland, but it fell a little short on both fronts. While there were a number of amusing moments and jibes at political stereotypes, it felt that the overall message of the film got lost in the absurdity of its surroundings. Ironically, while the on-screen characters struggled to draft a statement, Rumours itself also failed to make one. We couldn’t help but leave thinking it was perhaps 20 minutes too long and 10 laughs too short. As outlined by Blanchett’s character in the first act, the theme of this fictional G7 summit was ‘regret’. It would be harsh to say that we regretted watching what was ultimately a funny and entertaining film, but Rumours is certainly more confusing than it is ground-breaking. You have to see it to believe it, but we can’t guarantee you will understand it.
Rumours is out now in UK cinemas
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