The Hippopotamus
- 2017 film
Adapted from the novel by Stephen Fry, about a disgraced poet investigating a series of miracle healings. Also features Roger Allam, Emily Berrington, Matthew Modine, Fiona Shaw, Tommy Knight and more.
Streaming rank this week: 5,076
Press clippings
The Hippopotamus (DVD review)
Ultimately, the movie is a trifle - passable but never getting its teeth around the material. It's a mystery that's not very mysterious, a comedy that's not that funny, a farce that keeps forgetting to be farcical, and a character study that plays things in strokes that are too broad.
Tim Isaac, Big Gay Picture Show, 7th July 2017The Hippopotamus review
Simply yet competently directed, The Hippopotamus doesn't quite have the grungy honesty and quotability of, say, Withnail & I - a true classic of the 'drunken Brit comedy' genre - but it does have enough affectionately-crafted sauciness to make it worth the price of admission.
Ryan Lambie, Den Of Geek, 2nd June 2017When disgraced poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's Norfolk manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles, he becomes entwined with the backstories of his fellow guests as he attempts to solve the mysteries.
Based on Stephen Fry's 1994 debut novel of the same name and directed by John Jencks, this should be an intriguing adaptation with a good helping of wry humour.
Alex Nelson, i Newspaper, 25th May 2017Review: The Hippopotamus
The film adaptation of Stephen Fry's The Hippopotamus is no less an exposé of the writer's views and temperament than is his novel - Fry is brilliantly witty, unapologetically bawdy, and mercilessly cynical.
Catherine Sedgwick, The Upcoming, 23rd May 2017The Hippopotamus review
Roger Allam savours a juicy starring role in an otherwise half-hearted farce.
Allan Hunter, The List, 22nd May 2017