A WAR ABOUT WAFERS.
Glasgow radio DJ Alan Bird (Bill Paterson), whose girlfriend just moved out, is drawn into a conflict between two rival ice-cream vendors. Bill Forsyth followed up his immensely successful Local Hero (1983) with another comedy that has plenty of local flavor, a film that borrows elements from an actual turf war in Glasgow between drug dealers who were using ice-cream vans as a cover. This film, however, takes the violent edge off of that story and presents a charming, amusing portrait of a local celebrity who finds a new project; Paterson is terrific in the lead.
1984-Britain. 105 min. Color. Written and directed by Bill Forsyth. Music: Mark Knopfler. Cast: Bill Paterson (Alan Bird), Eleanor David (Maddy), Clare Grogan (Charlotte), Alex Norton, Patrick Malahide, Rikki Fulton.
