All Simon Pegg’s Fault

Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose (2023) – A world renowned paranormal expert is called in to investigate a strange case. But the strangest part may not be the supernatural part at all.

Directed by Adam Sigal

Starting Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver, Christopher Lloyd, Neil Gaiman

Why I Liked It – Ummm, it wasn’t longer than it was?

Wow, where to begin? I clicked on the stream for this movie because of Simon Pegg’s name on the cast list. I blame him completely. In a bizarre turn, the story told here is based on actual events. Yes, there was a human being named Nandor Fodor (I can’t be the only one who thinks the name (Hungarian) sounds like a minor character in Lord of the Rings. Anyway, Fodor was a researcher into the paranormal who tried to being some science to the pursuit. This made him an outcast among the spiritualists who dominated the field in the 1930’s. He is attracted to a strange story about a talking animal, believed to be a mongoose, on the Isle of Man. What he discovers is strange without necessarily being paranormal. Or maybe it is. Or not.

As a point of information, the mongoose’s name is Gef. (Think Jeff or Geoff)

The movie gets off to a very slow start, and doesn’t endear Pegg’s character from beginning. He’s a surly, cynical character. But there was something familiar to the movie. It took me about half an hour to see it. Adam Sigal is trying for a Wes Anderson feel. Shot selection, how characters are introduced, it all has that Anderson style that you either like or hate. I like it. Sadly, Sigal lacks Anderson’s touch, leaving the movie feeling…awkward. Minnie Driver plays Fodor’s long-suffering assistant Anne, and is the only vaguely likeable character. She even shows a bit of character development. It centers on a change in belief in Gef that has no obvious foundation, however. In fact, it’s only once she’s shown how it might be all a con that she says she believes in Gef. Weird.

Oh, and Neil Gaiman is the voice of Gef.

The movie is full of itself without cause. The story is a muddle, the characters are unlikable in their singular dimensions, and the directorial style fails in its imitation. The only thing that interested me was the recurring question of “They made this bit up, right?” Only to discover over and over that, no, they didn’t.

If you feel you must, you can stream this movie on Tubi, Roku, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Google Play, and Plex.

Rating – ** Not Impressed