Letterboxd Archive

Professor Branestawm Returns (2015)

Reviewed 30 Apr 2024

Watching the sequel to 2014's The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm, it has become obvious to me that the villains in these parochial British comedy pieces are always nosy landlords, petty bureaucrats and clipboard-clutching councillors. There is just something that captivates us as a nation about the slow creep toward fascism as seen through the small-time machinations of little Hitlers and Mussolinis. This film, of course, stops short of genuine commentary on the subject matter, though there is a healthy disrespect for traditional authority figures throughout, such as the bumbling bobby who always ends up crashing his bike, the histrionic heiress who can't make up her mind on how to dish out her fortune, and David Mitchell's drab dweeb Harold Haggerstone, who is an entertaining archetype to watch in action, especially when set against the underbaked narrative which sees Connie (Madeline Holliday) become disillusioned with Harry Hill's unmoved and distrait Professor Branestawm. It's certainly a weaker fare than its predecessor, the feminist slant having been all but dispensed with, but I think you'd be missing a trick by getting wound up over what is ostensibly a bit of pre-Christmas Dinner festivity (despite the film's summertime setting).

⭐ 4/10