"An outside bet not worth taking a punt on..."

As a keen supporter and optimist of British cinema it begrudges me to say it's been somewhat of a disappointing year so far for British film, with far too much mediocre drivel consistently being released. There have of course been some wonderful films such as Shame and Wild Bill, but sadly the balance has shifted in the opposite way, and Outside Bet is yet another name to add a worryingly fast growing list of below-par movies.

Set in London in the early 1980's, we follow Mark (Calum MacNab) - an opportunist hoping to bring wealth to his group of working class friends, all desperately trying to make ends meet amidst the turbulent Thatcher reign. Wasting days away in the local pub, Mark and his friends - including Smudge (Bob Hoskins), Sam (Adam Deacon) and Mickey (Jason Maza) amongst others, decide to take a chance and purchase a racehorse, hoping for a miracle, not only for themselves, but for Mark's dad Threads (Philip Davis), suffering from cancer in hospital.

Due to the economic crisis taking over the nation, redundancies are imminent and as Mark loses his job at the local paper, the group become desperate and put all of their money on their horse in an upcoming race, knowing fully well that a win would save them, but a defeat would do much the opposite. Mark, in the meantime, must also find the courage and take a bet in asking the barmaid Katie (Emily Atack) if she'll be more than just a friend.

I'm not sure if director Sacha Bennett is attempting to create anything new or different, but what has transpired is incredibly generic and substandard. It's frustratingly predictable, with an incredibly superfluous romantic sub-plot. Set in Thatcher's England and highlighting quite austere political themes it could be such an intriguing film, but deviates away from politics and focuses on horse racing. Horse racing is boring enough as a sport let alone a movie.

Also, as a so-called comedy, it's not at all funny, with a simplistic, almost slapstick approach where the jokes are just too obvious. However in Bennett's defence, the heart warming scenes are somewhat more enjoyable which indicates this film may have been vastly improved as a drama rather than attempt to be a comedy.

The one big joke within the film however is Adam Deacon. I doubt it's really his fault, but which casting director in their right mind decides he's the man for a period piece. The man can't even shake off his 'hood' accent. I don't even think they had 'hoods' back in those days. And don't get me started on his outfit, which looks as though it's comes straight out of a charity shop. MacNab is also unimposing as the lead, stumbling on the more challenging scenes involving his terminally ill father and his adulation for Katie. Hoskins isn't so bad, but someone needs to sack his agent because following on from Will last year, he needs to start appearing in a higher calibre of movie.

There are some quite endearing scenes within the film however, and the sequences featuring the group sitting around a table in the pub talking nonsense are actually quite charming. Another positive comes within the films setting as too many filmmakers attempt to place cockneys in contemporary surroundings, and it just feels dated. It's a lifestyle that, at least cinematically, seems stuck in the past and at least by setting Outside Bet in the 80's makes it seem more real. Although casting Deacon certainly doesn't help matters.

Outside Bet is just an ordinary, highly forgettable film that will no doubt amount to very little. Failing to be funny, or dramatic, or romantic, or anything at all really, this is an outside bet not worth taking a punt on.