A few years ago, when I was still a cinematic neophyte, I was at a second-hand bookstore and I found a book entitled Variety: Comedy Movies, a collection of capsule reviews written by the critics of Variety over the course of a few decades. At the age of only about thirteen, I didn’t care too much for the smaller films – I was all about Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Charlie Chaplin and other esteemed comedic filmmakers that seemingly defined the genre. However, I do remember, quite vividly, one film, in particular, being in that book – The Tall Guy, a small independent British comedy starring the incomparable Jeff Goldblum, the peerless Emma Thompson and the comedic icon Rowan Atkinson. I didn’t pay it too much attention, because it seemed unremarkable – pleasant, but otherwise unimportant. The years went by, and what I didn’t realize is that I would cross paths with The Tall Guy again at some point. That encounter took place very recently, and let me be frank: The Tall Guy is an absolute delight. I watched it because I came to the logical realization that Jeff Goldblum is a worldwide treasure and truly the most fascinating man working in entertainment today, but I stayed because it was a heartfelt, outrageously hilarious satire starring a trio of the most unlikely screen collaborators you could ever expect, in a film that may lack a certain distinctiveness, but still somehow finds its footing as an extraordinary little film with a perfect proportion of soulful heart and genuine laughter. In short, The Tall Guy is an exceptional film, and one of the most underrated films of its era.

Dexter King (Jeff Goldblum) is an American actor living and working in London. For the past six years, he has been the sidekick to Ron Anderson (Rowan Atkinson), who is a bit of a contradiction – in public, he is a hugely-popular, acclaimed comedian who has legions of fans, with his shows selling out due to his status as a beloved entertainer. Behind the scenes, however, he is a brutal egomaniac, someone who abuses his co-workers (if he can even remember their names) and spews vitriolic hatred their way at the smallest mistake or inconvenience. A mishap results in Dexter being ousted from the show, mainly because of his relationship with Kate (Emma Thompson), a willfully beguiling nurse who is starkly different to the girls Dexter has attempted to date in the past. The pair falls in love, and Dexter soon finds himself leading a huge West End production of a musical based on The Elephant Man. As Dexter’s professional profile raises, so does his relationship with Kate, and naturally (because this is a film written by Richard Curtis), their relationship is put to the test.

The Tall Guy is a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be, and it finds itself stuck between genres and conventions. It is a fish-out-of-water tale, a chronicle of an American man in a foreign land trying to come to terms with being an outsider. It is a satire of the entertainment industry, a semi-autobiographical film about the volatile world of performing arts. It is a romantic comedy about two people meeting almost entirely by chance and undergoing one of the most effortless romantic affairs ever put on screen. Yet, despite encompassing all of this, and often shifting in tone and becoming a tad muddled towards the end, The Tall Guy is still a rewarding experience, a silly and endearing film that has charm to spare and a palpable sense of affection for its subject. There are many films that aren’t entirely sure of exactly what they want to be and thus suffer the fate of becoming convoluted and absurd – and The Tall Guy is a film that may be extremely absurd at times (both intentionally and accidentally), but where this film thrives is in its authenticity – it is an earnest and heartwarming little tale about two central people who defy the odds (even those of real-world logic) in their endeavour to just realize that as humans, we are fundamentally driven by our heart’s desires, and while this sometimes manifests in less-than-ideal actions, we have to embrace the flaws and come to terms with everything about life.

Jeff Goldblum truly is a Renaissance man – for the past few decades, he has taken on a number of different personas – character actor, comedic icon, the internet’s proverbial boyfriend, idiosyncratic jazz musician and generally a well-rounded entertainment figure. The 1980s were a revealing time for the actor, because it gave him the opportunity to be a true leading man, and The Tall Guy occurred between his most towering work, positioned almost exactly between his grotesque science fiction masterpiece The Fly, and the role that would come to define his career, Jurassic Park. The Tall Guy is not Goldblum’s best films, and he often doesn’t get to play around with the same set of skills that he would come to be adored for later on. However, The Tall Guy is still a wonderful performance, and there are few actors who could possibly grasp the goofy charm and quirky anxieties that Goldblum portrays here. The Tall Guy is an interesting film to watch because while Goldblum is continuously excellent in his contemporary performances, seeing him play the romantic lead in a film like this is quite an experience. Jeff Goldblum truly is a treasure of an individual, and The Tall Guy is just another exceptional addition to a wonderful career.

Perhaps the only other person that can possibly rival Jeff Goldblum in sheer, willful charm is Emma Thompson, who is as enduring a figure as anyone could possibly hope to encounter. The Tall Guy is her feature film debut, a fact that was quite startling because watching this film, you’re profoundly struck by her natural brilliance and effortless comfort. This is not a performance that requires much from the actress, yet Thompson is truly extraordinary. More than just the quirky and lovable romantic interest, she elevates the character when there is seemingly nothing to work with. Even when the role of Kate is rather uninteresting, Thompson soars in the role and delivers a standout performance. Completing the central trio is Rowan Atkinson, playing a character based on himself. Considering Atkinson has formed himself into perhaps the most endearing comedic actor of his generation, through his iconic characters of Mr Bean and Blackadder, as well as his excellent stage work and the entertaining Johnny English films, to see him not only play such a despicable character, but also openly admit that it was based on himself was something. Ron Anderson is one of the most unlikable characters I have ever encountered in a film, and I adored every moment he was on screen. He is vitriolic, hateful and utterly hilarious, and he is a wonderful contrast to Goldblum, who is as likeable as ever. The Tall Guy has a trio of really great performances and considering this was a film with some of the earliest performances of three individuals who would later go on to be hallmarks of sophistication and effortless elegance in their fields, I would say it was a towering success.

Personally, my only criticism was that we didn’t see enough of Atkinson, and The Tall Guy would’ve been wise to focus more on the showbusiness relationship rather than the romantic one. The Tall Guy relishes in being a great showbusiness satire, but it sometimes gets lost in the muddle of the romantic storyline. Richard Curtis, to his credit, has never been one to show restraint when it comes to these kinds of things, and the majority of his films feature overly-saccharine sentimentality and heavy-handed romance that places the film well beyond the realm of logic (yet, it worked in making Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Love, Actually three of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time). The Tall Guy is a profoundly more interesting film when you consider that Curtis wasn’t only trying to make a romantic film, but also a film that gently pokes fun at his industry. A large portion of this film involves a musical production of The Elephant Man, which was certainly the strongest part of the film – Curtis seems to have captured the ridiculous zeitgeist of the entertainment industry so perfectly, and considering this relatively small film managed to come up with something that looks like a realistic (albeit extremely absurd) musical production deserves recognition. Considering we live in an era where every film, television show and book is getting adapted for the stage, The Tall Guy is oddly resonant.

As a romantic comedy, The Tall Guy is harmless and predictable, but otherwise very endearing. As a showbusiness satire, it is genuinely hilarious and one of the most scathing commentaries on the absurdity of performing arts put on film. This is a film that is not as well-regarded as it should be, and even putting aside some of the more obvious aspects of the film, The Tall Guy is a conventional but still very entertaining comedy that has three excellent performances from Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson, and it develops into a really heartfelt piece that is about as original as the stage production that forms the basis, but still retains authentic heart and enough charm to make this a diverting experience that may not do anything original, nor bring anything new to the genre, but still manages to be as eccentric and amusing as these kinds of films can get.