Cert PG
139 mins
BBFC advice: mild bad language
So, after Sheffield last Sunday morning it was off to Bradford Cineworld for Indian films, back to back.
Tamil movies usually tick our box because they are not so flighty as either Hindi or Punjabi pictures.
However, despite its critical acclaim on the sub-continent, this one sent us to sleep (literally). In fact, Mrs W spent more time in the land of nod than she was awake.
We even tried to revive ourselves with a family pack of M & Ms (we are on strict diets) but to no avail. Balaji Mohan's film just couldn't capture our attention.
The premise is interesting, questioning why people talk so much without thinking. Often, according to the storyteller, this can lead to arguments, conflict or even worse.
Thus, Vaayai Moodi Pesavum alights on a small Indian town at the centre of a viral outbreak of 'dumb flu' in which the victims are suddenly rendered speechless.
This comes as a particular problem for the film's hero, Arvind (Dulquer Salman) who earns his living as a door-to-door salesman and aspires to be a radio presenter.
Meanwhile, it also has an effect on his hopes of a love match with a successful and beautiful doctor (Nazriya Nazim).
Meanwhile, the town is mired in corruption and the health minister (Pandiarajan) seeks to take advantage of the situation.
And there is a strange aside in which a film being shot in the area is being opposed by a drunken union leader because it portrays the evils of alcohol.
Anyway, the story would have been moderately interesting if the film hadn't have been so disjointed and so very very long.
An hour could have been chopped out but instead each plot line was stretched so much it all became soporific.
And, while others in the auditorium laughed a bit at slapstick situations, they didn't raise a smile from either Mrs W or myself when we emerged from our respective kips.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 3/10