Mark Kermode

Particularly, I have to say, Spike Fern, who has the sort of gangly, awkward, lovestruck, lovable persona to a T. I mean, I think you heard it in that clip.

I mean, I think it is a very charming performance by him.

Everything about his performances is believable, even when the narrative contrivances are completely unbelievable.

So it's like, well, I wouldn't believe in any of this for one minute, but he's doing it convincingly enough that I do.

And Uri Reiss has the harder role because I actually never believe for one minute

in her student status or in a dissertation or in a course.

I mean, it's not her fault.

I actually think that it would be hard for anyone to make that role convincing because that role is the contrivance role.

That role is the, okay, you have to believe that here is a person working on this dissertation and blah, blah, blah.

And I think, okay, I don't believe in any of that.

That is absolutely mechanics.

I also didn't believe for one minute in the on-campus television station, which seems to be broadcasting 24 hours a day

big screens out everywhere so that at any time of day or night, people can see things about this story on this big TV.

I was at Manchester in the 80s.

I know it was a different era, but if you ever did university radio, you'll know that you might as well have just been talking down a toilet roll in your own room.

Okay.

Also, I didn't kind of really... There's a whole thing going on about the warring factions among the various Emilies, which are supposed to sort of parody, you know, campus politics.

People...

the way in which people respond to the fact that there's this lovestruck guy who's desperately looking for anyone called Emily.

You know, is he cute and lovable or is he actually harassing and stalking and all the rest of it?