DVD Review: Black Books (2000)
Dylan Moran’s Constant Cutting Remarks Make for Comic Gold
Dec 16, 2008
You might recognize him as David, the annoying friend who loses his legs – literally – in Shaun of the Dead, but Dylan Moran has a lot more talent than that small role lets on. Back in 2000, he wrote and starred in his own comedy series for BBC, Black Books, available as a three-season box set on DVD. While it does already have a cult following of its own, Black Books is still a rather unknown series, and is definitely worth watching for anyone who is a fan of British humour.
The Premise
Bernard Black (Moran) is a wine swigging, cigarette smoking Irishman who has been transplanted to London, where he has opened his own bookshop, Black Books. It’s a wonder that he manages to sell anything, because his shop is in a perpetual state of chaos, and also because Bernard has a very distinct hatred of, well, everyone. He’s the kind of bookshop owner who, halfway through the day, will decide the shop is closed and make the announcement with a megaphone and a swift whack of a broom to anyone who isn’t listening.
His oldest (and only) friend, Fran (Tamsin Greig), runs a whacky shop next door full of useless, and sometimes inexplicable, decorative goods. She pines daily for a long-lasting and committed boyfriend, whom she never really finds. The two are stuck in quite a rut when the anxiety-ridden Manny (Bill Bailey) walks into the bookshop looking for work. From this point on, the adventures begin, and only get crazier and more hilarious as the series continues.
The Verdict
Black Books is not a comedy for the faint of heart. In order to truly enjoy it, you need to be prepared to put up with an intense level of dry British humour. The great thing about Bernard is that he is so incredibly bitter – he has a biting remark for any situation. His drinking and smoking are constant and over-the-top – expect drinking from two bottles at once and gigantic brandy sifters. All in all, he’s kind of a horrible person, which is what makes him so charming!
As the series continues, it becomes more surreal and exaggerated in its humour. During a heat wave, we learn that something terrible will happen to Manny if his body temperature reaches 88 degrees. Of course, Bernard does all that he can to make Manny as hot as possible. In another episode, Manny decides (and eventually convinces Bernard) that the only way to increase the bookshop’s popularity is to turn it into a bookshop and a gourmet restaurant. Of course, these lads haven’t the slightest notion of how to cook – they tend to specialize more in liquid lunch and dinner.
Over all, Black Books is a series that may need a few episodes to grow on you, but chances are that after that, you will not be able to stop watching. The clever thing about Moran’s writing is that despite the fact that Bernard is so terrible (think Oscar the Grouch, but a real human), you as the audience still can’t help but become attached to him.
And you’ll find yourself tuning in again and again just to see how mean he can be.
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