Stella Street (1/10)

by Tony Medley

I have always liked impersonators, from Vaughn Meador to Rich Little to Billy Crystal and on. So I was looking forward to Stella Street, which is based on a BBC2 episodic parody that has run for four seasons. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards run a corner shop; Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino hang out; Michael Caine acts sort of a master of ceremonies.

The cast is comprised of two men, actor/impressionists Phil Cornwell and John Sessions. This, I thought, was going to be fun.

Was it? Two people walked out of the screening in the first half hour and the man sitting next to me slept through it. I wondered why it didn’t work. For one thing, the impersonators aren’t very good at capturing the celebrity’s voices and mannerisms. Michael Caine comes across OK, but the rest didn’t even seem close to me. And, except for Caine, they don’t come close to any physical resemblance.

When it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, and there’s really nothing more to be said.

October 19, 2004

The End