Mortdecai isn’t quite as awful as the trailers and advance public response would have us believe – the breezy caper antics occasionally spark and the winsome supporting cast seem to be having fun. But it unfortunately cannot overcome the superlatively grating central performance from Johnny Depp, who plumbs new depths of crapulence here.
It’s telling when The Fast Show‘s Paul Whitehouse turns up in a small role – Depp spends the entire film acting as if he’s in a five minute sketch.
The rest of the cast actually seem to be taking the affair seriously (well, as seriously as you should take a light globe-trotting comedy), and I couldn’t help but wonder if this might’ve worked with someone like Toby Jones or Eddie Marsan in the lead role. By the time Jeff Goldblum turned up, I was very ready for him to take over.
So although there are some minor joys to be found throughout – Paul Bettany’s Kato riff is quite fun, and the art world setting has some appeal – Depp’s cartoonish portrayal sees Mortdecai aligning itself with the meagre likes of Johnny English.
For those who simply can’t look away from a high profile cinematic disaster, Mortdecai has some appeal as a misguided comedy oddity. But it also feels like being stuck at Johnny’s house late on a Sunday evening enduring endless rounds of after-dinner charades with Gwyneth and Ewan.
