Let it never be said that director Shane Meadows is a man that rests on his laurels. But even knowing to expect the unexpected might not prepare you for the curve-ball that is Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee, a mostly improvised mockumentary about a delusional roadie named Le Donk (played quite brilliantly by Paddy Considine) and his chubby meal-ticket, and real-life rap star Scor-Zay-Zee (otherwise known as Scorzilla the Gorilla… because, uh, he was once monstrously large or something). But the thread that ties this particular movie to the bulk of Meadows’ filmography is that even at its most ridiculous, this insanely low-budget piece of cinema feels as genuine as they come. It might not stick with you for as long as the sublime This Is England, but its definitely worth following this unlikely duo on their 70 minute journey into musical infamy.
Light years removed from Dead Man’s Shoes (the demented mind-fuck that was Considine and Meadows’ first collaboration), Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee oscillates somewhat wildly between touching, hilarious, and surreal (this is, after all, a movie with a lengthy cameo by The Arctic Monkeys). Though the plot may be utterly threadbare, my attention span didn’t seem to notice, and that’s thanks in large part to the impressive talent of the star player. Simply put, Considine’s Le Donk is one of those rare self-delusional pricks who manages to make you love him despite his arguably meager charms, and his take on the archetype deserves its place next to greats like Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan. I’d hate to think of what a film so aimless and off-the-cuff might be like if deprived of his ample charisma, not to mention Meadows steering the ship, but luckily none of us have to.