Happy Ever Afters review

Slapstick and screwball entertain in this Irish wedding comedy

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Putting a screwball twist on the wedding Brit-com formula, Stephen Burke’s debut follows two unhappily betrothed couples whose respective nuptials coincide.

Not hard to guess that troubled souls Freddie (Tom Riley) and Maureen (Sally Hawkins) will seek solace in each other, but the way their dance unfolds is off-kilter enough to resonate.

The comedy’s an odd blend of bland slapstick and darkly uncomfortable one-liners (did we miss the memo about child-beating being funny?), but shortcomings are offset by Hawkins, imbuing her character with depth and pathos.

Sad, then, that no one else matches her.

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