A Cock and Bull Story

"Because everyone loves an accurate period piece."

2005 1h 34m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🍅

88%

FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 157🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes●80Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 13,312

ComedyHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Steve Coogan, an arrogant actor with low self-esteem and a complicated love life, is playing the eponymous role in an adaptation of "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" being filmed at a stately home. He constantly spars with actor Rob Brydon, who is playing Uncle Toby and believes his role to be of equal importance to Coogan's.

“Because everyone loves an accurate period piece.”

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Cast

Steve Coogan
Tristram Shandy / Walter Shandy / Steve Coogan
Rob Brydon
Toby Shandy / Rob Brydon
Keeley Hawes
Elizabeth Shandy / Keeley Hawes
Shirley Henderson
Susannah / Shirley Henderson
Raymond Waring
Trim
Conal Murphy
Six-Year-Old Tristam
Joe Williams
Nine-Year-Old Tristam
Paul Kynman
Obadiah

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Winterbottom
Writers: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, shot by Marcel Zyskind. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Edward Nogria. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Christelis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and Keeley Hawes carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Because everyone loves an accurate period piece.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0423409 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Winterbottom directs. Marcel Zyskind behind the camera. Edward Nogria scores. Peter Christelis cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 21 years ago.
2Directed by Michael Winterbottom, shot by Marcel Zyskind. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Edward Nogria. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Peter Christelis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and Keeley Hawes carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Because everyone loves an accurate period piece.".
7IMDB entry: tt0423409 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Marcel Zyskind
Original score: Edward Nogria
Editing: Peter Christelis
Production design: John Paul Kelly
Costume design: Charlotte Walter
Makeup / hair: Claire Keelan
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Box office: $3,931,707
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: A Cock and Bull Story (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 80/100
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 13,312 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award2 wins & 14 nominations total

Also by

Michael Winterbottom

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-02
★ 7/10
This isn't really a film about a story with a beginning, middle or, even, an end. It's more a film about a book being turned into a film, and about how that all pans out with the actors in and out of character throughout. It's Steve Coogan who takes on the title role in a film about a landed character from Georgian England who is determined to make his mark by writing a novel about himself. Thing is, his life is just too rich and varied. He is just so interesting that he can't fit everything it... Meantime, the production crew are facing all of the issues in trying to make the film, reconcile the ambitions and peccadilloes of the cast, the writers, visiting family, bits on the side and a particularly Darwinian sort of special effect. Jeremy Northam features sparingly as real-life director Peter Winterbottom (who always looked so completely fed up when doing publicity for this) and the story flows at it's most naturally when it's just him, Coogan, Ian Hart and the man vying for (alphabetically) top billing - Rob Brydon. It's when they decide that one of the characters - the "Widow Wadman" needs to be written back in, and they discover madam "X-files" herself (Gillian Anderson) is going to come and play the part, that Brydon gets all excitable and the film starts to become a little bit too much like a farce. Still, it's an enjoyable introspective on actors, writers, directors - throughout the ages, offering us ninety minutes of characterful fun, babies screeching and copious vodka and tonics.

Production companies