It's common for manufacturers of any number of vehicles to advertise their offerings as a means of "getting away from it all." Whether it's your personal motorcycle, car or RV, or a trip on an airline or cruise ship, the promise is that they'll help you escape your problems, worries and/or humdrum life. That said, I don't know if the same has ever been used to sell lawn or deck furniture.
While a hammock might send you off to la-la land, a standard outdoor chair will, well, only keep your hindquarters off the ground or deck. That is, unless you attach a bunch of lighter than air balloons to it and then manage to take flight without any piloting instructions or FAA approval. That's what occurs in "Danny Deckchair," a slightly charming but formulaic picture that stars Rhys Ifans as the unconventional pilot/unwilling passenger.
Like Dorothy's spinning bed (from "The Wizard of Oz") and any number of other transport devices, the deckchair trip is one of those cinematic constructs that allow a character to escape their troubles and/or open their eyes to the error of their ways. For Ifans' character, it's an unhappy relationship and life.
When he accidentally takes flight and then lands in a far-off land, his arrival not only helps him, but also the lonely woman in whose yard he lands. Once that scenario is set up, the film becomes quite predictable as it follows the standard fish out of water formula. Beyond any lack of surprises, however, the film's bigger nagging problem is the array of logic and/or credibility lapses and problems.
Some, if not all of them could have been fixed with a more solid or at least patched story. Yet, writer/director Jeff Balsmeyer (making his feature debut) doesn't seem too concerned about the fact -- despite Danny's disappearance getting national press coverage -- that Miranda Otto's character doesn't figure out that the guy who landed in her backyard from the sky might be the one and the same. A few tweaks here and there could have circumvented such questions from arising in the viewer's mind (and thus serving as a distraction), but that's not the case.
There's also no explanation why Ifans' character -- a rather humdrum chap -- changes Otto's life and affects the rest of the townsfolk and how they feel about her. They're also the type who feel like small town movie creations rather than real people. There's satirical potential in a lone outsider changing an entire town, but Balsmeyer doesn't make much use of that.
The film does have enough of a charming quality to it that somewhat makes up for the deficiencies and/or problems. The effort, however, never really goes full-bore into quirkiness (for better or worse depending on your acceptance and/or tolerance for such material) but it often seems on the edge of heading down that very path.
Ifans ("The Shipping News," "Notting Hill") and Otto ("What Lies Beneath," "The Lord of the Rings" films) make for an unlikely couple and their chemistry together just isn't there, two points that don't help the picture. She's radiant and he's likable enough, but their shallowly written, formulaic characters don't really allow viewers to connect to them.
The subplot featuring Danny's girlfriend - Justine Clarke("Bootmen," "Blackrock") -- somewhat running off with a TV talent - Rhys Muldoon (making his feature debut) -- and then reveling in the media spotlight has some potential, be it straight comedy or more satire. Yet, most of it feels far more annoying and/or irritating than amusing or clever.
If you don't mind the formula (that would make a cinematic scientist proud) and somewhat lackluster approach of telling this tale, you might find it entertaining and/or charming enough to be worthwhile. For me, it just didn't come off as sharp, funny, heartwarming or enjoyable as it seemed it was going to or could and should have been. "Danny Deckchair" rates as a 5 out of 10.
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