Grant's personal experiences and his sense of British quirkiness lend the story a great deal of authenticity.
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05/25/06
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Wah-Wah (2006)
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Reviews Counted:66
Fresh:34
Rotten:32
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: The ensemble cast is strong, but they get overpowered by the muddled stew of melodrama.
Theatrical Release:May 12, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $159,111
Synopsis: Acclaimed actor Richard E. Grant's "Wah-Wah" is a semi-autobiographical "coming-of-age at the end of an age" story, told through the eyes of young Ralph Compton. Set during the last gasp of the... [More]
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Miranda Richardson, Emily Watson, Julie Waters
Director: Richard E. Grant
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Reviews for Wah-Wah
The only feeling it successfully provokes is annoyance. By the time it's over, you feel like slapping some sense into the lot of them.
05/23/06
The film "Wah-Wah" comes across as contrived and artificial.
06/04/06
not quite worthy of those on screen
05/04/06
Wah-Wah is an absorbing and passionate film. Too bad it's so superficial.
05/06/06
While this is clearly a very personal film for Grant, and he seems to want to tackle some serious issues, his vision is too clouded by nostalgia to be truly compelling.
07/06/06
As coming of age stories go, Wah-Wah does little to distinguish itself.
05/09/06
Top CriticGrant captures the essence both of boyhood rites of passage and a particular time and place for which he clearly holds affection, bumps, ruts and all.
05/12/06
Top CriticBoth tragic and very funny, an accurate snapshot of adolescence and a glimpse of the transformative power of art.
06/02/06
Gabriel Byrne gives a great performance as Ralph’s troubled father, Harry, and Miranda Richardson and Emily Watson are enjoyable as Harry’s wife and American lover.
06/01/06
After watching his directorial debut, Wah-Wah, I'd like [Richard] Grant to stay in front of the camera.
09/17/07
Set to the death rattle of the British Empire in Africa, Wah-Wah observes the disintegration of the Compton family through the eyes of its young son, Ralph.
05/11/06
Top CriticThe sort of film that's obviously deeply meaningful to the filmmaker, but he fails to make it particularly meaningful to you.
05/13/06
It's a remarkable ode to both an imperfect father and an emerging nation.
05/06/06
Theatrical in the worst possible way. People are so busy shouting out abuse, or delivering it, that you wonder if the entire cast is somehow hard of hearing.
05/12/06
Grant opens up his life, not with embarrassment or explanation but with humanity and gratitude. Emotional, melodramatic and sentimental, the film unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve, and is the better for it.
05/12/06
Top CriticThe film has that Merchant-Ivory look and feel to it (which means grade A cinematography, a first-rate British cast, and a scandal).
05/12/06
Wah-Wah is guilty of numerous crimes: sweeping theme music, meaningful close-ups, endless sunsets, a boatload of quirky supporting characters who fail to entertain.
05/11/06
Ralph's life, at least as it's presented here, isn't all that interesting, and Grant fails to elevate the ordinary into anything more than that.
06/16/06
I admired the movie and was happy to see it but can think of two other films about whites in Africa that do a better job of seeing their roles.
06/16/06
Top CriticLatest News for Wah-Wah
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