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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 437022" data-attributes="member: 23">Local Hero  (1983) <img src="https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/4gfaRquiET4kRlYw7HbNiTUDrBL.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 604px" /> I couldn't swear, but I think I stumbled upon this in the "BAFTA Winners" section of Prime (or perhaps a more general "Award Winners" section). The solicit synopsis was enough to charm me:The mixed cast alone was enough to lure me in. A future Doctor, along with Mr Mackay himself and some bewildered Americans.Peter Capaldi is gloriously childlike and eccentric. His awkward, flailing run put a smile on my face every time. He did everything but extend his arms and make aeroplane noises.Fulton Mackay's IMDb page has a trailer for this film at the top. Not his iconic Porridge role. Not even Fraggle Rock. Local Hero. Here he plays an optimistic homeless free spirit, very similar to the last role in which I watched him: a guest-appearance in Shelley, from the very same year this film was released. The rest of the cast is filled with actors I confuse with other actors. I often get my Jenny Agutters and Jenny Seagroves confused. Likewise, I saw the name "Burt Lancaster" and immediately pictured Burt Reynolds. Finding the lead actor familiar I checked his name in the credits and then thought he looked somewhat different to how he was in Aliens a few years later, but it turned out Peter Riegert is not Paul Reiser. I was also convinced I saw Geraldine James among the throng in the pub, but I'm pretty sure I was wrong about that, too. After watching I took a peek on this thread to see if anyone else had watched, and Willie didn't let me down:Yes it's a very captivating film that feels simultaneously prosaic and quirky. The plot quickly takes a backseat to the characters, which then informs the plot as they win over the visitor from another land. The quirky Scottish locals all conspiring to make the best of this situation and get what they can from it reminded me very much of Whisky Galore! (and I mean the 1949 version since I have never watched the 2016 remake). There's a scene in the film that suddenly took a dark turn which I found quite shocking, and it made this cosy, uneventful film seem less safe, and almost as though anything could happen (clue: it's served up for dinner). The wackiness with Happer and his abusive therapist was almost unnecessary, but it gave some fun moments, particularly with the sign business on the window of Happer's high rise office. Mac gradually becoming assimilated into the culture and community was nice to watch. Little wins like being able to pronounce Urquhart all added up. And the way others respond to him is what makes this worth seeing. His "swapsies" offer to Gordon is out there, but it's Gordon's nonchalant response that gives it wings. I'm surprised to read this film has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes since it doesn't feel as though it has mass appeal (admittedly, though, 42 reviews is probably far from "mass").</blockquote>

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