Cert 15
83 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong sex references, violence, drug use, strong language
It is lowest common denominator humour but I have to admit that Grimsby made me laugh more than any comedy in the past few months.
Not so, Mrs W. She left Cineworld, Nottingham stony faced, claiming it was "not her bag".
Actually, she went further than that and said she felt a couple of the gags (about leukaemia and a child sex pervert) were offensive.
Sacha Baron Cohen sets out to shock in all of his movies and Louis Leterrier's Grimsby is no exception.
Anyone averse to the most base jokes about sex and other bodily functions should avoid it.
But most of the audience which attended the Unlimited screening on Wednesday lapped it up.
The following evening Miss W gave it lukewarm approval but admitted her fella was falling about laughing.
It doesn't surprise me that Grimsby has already elicited polar views. Cohen never has been everyone's cup of tea.
Here he plays a benefit scrounger with an army of kids and a sex-mad wife (Rebel Wilson).
In his eyes he has the perfect life with the exception of not knowing the whereabouts of his long-lost brother (Mark Strong).
It turns out that the latter is a secret agent and has the task of protecting a world famous philanthropist (Penelope Cruz) from assassination.
However, his steely focus is broken when his brother suddenly appears in his life for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Inevitably, no matter how unlikely it seems, the two team up to see off bad guys who appear from every direction.
Grimsby's plot is ludicrous and full of holes but that is not where its makers have been concentrating, they are just content to go for the big laughs regardless of whether they make sense or not.
Cohen is typically brash throughout and Strong makes a decent, if slightly uncomfortable, straight man.
Meanwhile, there are cameos for the likes of Ricky Tomlinson, Johnny Vegas, Clive Tyldesley and... Andy Townsend (yes, much of the storyline surrounds England at the World Cup).
Actually, one of my bugbears with the film was its slapdash football references (there is no Grimsby United or a World Cup in 2016).
Anyway, I could spend hundreds of words describing why it could be so much better but the truth is Grimsby has enough laughs to ensure it will be a box office hit.
Reasons to watch: there are some funny moments
Reasons: some scenes could offend
Laughs: five for me - many more for others in the audience
Jumps: none
Vomit: yes
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 6.5/10
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