Click & Collect is a British comedy television film directed by Ben Palmer, written by Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf, and starring Asim Chaudhry and Stephen Merchant.[1]
| Click & Collect | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ben Palmer |
| Written by | Joe Tucker Lloyd Woolf |
| Produced by | Sam Ward |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Mark Henson |
| Music by | Oli Julian |
Production companies | Mondo Deluxe Productions BBC Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 53 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editUptight Andrew Bennett lives in a semi-detached house in Bedford. When he fails to buy his daughter's main Christmas present - Sparklehoof the Unicorn Princess - he is rescued by over-friendly, emotionally needy Christmas-loving Dev D'Cruz, who lives in the adjoining house. Dev has decorated Andrew’s house with tacky Christmas lights without asking. Andrew can’t sleep due to the bright lights so he pretends that the council is phoning him about a complaint in front of Dev. He also writes him an angry letter saying that they are not friends, but his wife tells him not to give it to him. Dev has managed to buy perhaps the last Sparklehoof in the UK - by click and collect. Unfortunately it is 270 miles away in Carlisle, so Andrew and Dev embark together on a cross-country Christmas Eve road trip to attempt to save Andrew's daughter's Christmas but Andrew considers him lucky as he has to deal with the extended family coming over.[2] Dev feels upset that his children are with his ex that year. At a petrol station the wrong fuel is accidentally put into the car so Andrew rents a buggy. When they pay for the unicorn, they pay for it with Jessica Hughes's card, and so, she gets it for herself. Dev and Andrew then imagine stealing the toy from her house, but then, they find it at the service station, where Andrew writes a letter to his daughter. they then play Dance Dance Revolution, but Dev then notices the unicorn in the claw machine. They spend £20 in the machine, but they lose every time. They then got another pound, and they finally win it. Happy that they won it, they head home, and give it to Andrew's Daughter on Christmas day
Cast and characters
edit- Stephen Merchant as Andrew Bennett
- Asim Chaudhry as Dev D'Cruz
- Sophia Di Martino as Claire Bennett
Reception
editClick & Collect received positive reviews across the British press. The Guardian described it "funny and tender",[3] The Observer as "excellent",[4] Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry were described by The Telegraph as "a mismatch made in heaven".[5] A number of reviewers noted the similarities with Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Jingle All The Way, with The Times noting that "these references are done with a wink".[6] Metro described it as "comforting, sharply written Christmas TV",[7] whilst The Daily Telegraph praised the "lively script" and "warm hearted satire", stating: "Click and Collect offered proof that, in certain circumstances, it is possible to have your cake and eat it. It subjected Christmas to a testy satirical buffeting while also smothering it with reverence as an enfolding nationwide group hug."[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry to star in BBC One Christmas comedy Click & Collect". bbc.co.uk. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "BBC - Click & Collect - Media Centre". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ Bradley, Mike; Virtue, Graeme; Davies, Hannah J.; Harrison, Phil; Verdier, Hannah; Howlett, Paul (24 December 2018). "Christmas Eve's best TV: Click and Collect; The Queen and I". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ "The New Review". The Observer. 23 December 2018.
- ^ a b Rees, Jasper (24 December 2018). "Click and Collect, review: this odd-couple Christmas road trip high-fives the season of goodwill". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ "Saturday Review". The Times. 22 December 2018.
- ^ Starkey, Adam (24 December 2018). "Click & Collect review: Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry are a charming force". Metro. Retrieved 1 January 2019.