This British comedy sees Lee Dennis playing an on-the-outs psychic attempting to talk his way out of a home burglary.
★★✰✰✰
A showcase in misleading intentions, the mystic arts, and Great Yarmouth—Sideshow is a dry comedy with very few tricks up its sleeve.
Pendrick (Les Dennis) is an unsuccessful psychic somewhat held together by his clueless talent agent Gerald (Anthony Head). He is targeted by two incompetent thieves, Eva (April Pearson) and Dom (Nathan Clarke), who break into his house to see if he hides any value behind his naff act. Over the course of the film it becomes clear that Eva’s intentions go beyond what she has led Dom to believe resulting in a mystery that baffles even Pendrick—an ironic twist considering he is the self-defined psychic.
Eva’s assertiveness and Dom’s immense naïvety set the story up to be chaotic. Along with a washed-up psychic and talent agent who’s inherited his father’s clients, the plot exploits those characteristics to curate a level of unpredictability woven into the comedic events. Most of the laugh-out-loud jokes come from more physical comedy, like falling over and gesturing, whilst the other jokes fall flat by leaning on older, generalising material. Nonetheless, Les Dennis naturally embraces the role of the cynical, worn-down psychic Pendrick from the opening, and his well-connected, loyal talent agent Gerald, becomes a friendly juxtaposition for Pendrick to work against. From the offset, Pendrick is scrambling for jobs and Gerald is using all the connections he has to offer, begging the question—why would anyone be interested in stealing from a psychic who is begging for a paycheck?
This is the mystery at the core of Sideshow, which doesn’t quite maintain this intrigue throughout. In particular, a startlingly quick ending denies any earned sense of closure. Rather than Sideshow outshining those drier comedies with the mystery they aim for, it becomes overpowered by the reach for intrigue, passing up the chance to use the mystical elements and comic relief to its advantage. Perhaps in a bid for self-awareness, the slow hum of intrigue is the aim. After all, the inconspicuous sideshow is more pronounced for it.
Part of the appeal here is Les Dennis and Anthony Head— known for their iconic television performances in Coronation Street and Merlin respectively. Although there are some lax jokes throughout, the mystical and the mysterious peddled by the dated psychic made up for those slower comedic attempts. Though it may not pack the punch of Hot Fuzz or even the ensemble cast—Sideshow’s main appeal is the Britishness of the characters it portrays.
There is a lot that unravels towards the end in a cartoon fashion as the film tries to cram a muddled resolution in for the sake of a child’s attention span. Reminiscent of the quick reveals of Scooby-Doo, this is a trick Sideshow may not have wanted to pull off, but succeeded at all the same.
The Verdict
With a small but loveable cast to get behind, a lot of mystery, and a few twists and discoveries along the way, Sideshow has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, the comedy does not compel, despite the potential of the mystical storyline.
Words by Annabel Smith
Sideshow is available for digital download now
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