‘Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose’ is a curious comedy that centres on a conversational animal with a tricky appointment schedule.
There are different types of paranormal investigators. Those who believe and find evidence to support their convictions. Those who do not believe and approach each phenomenon with the intent of proving it’s a farce. And those who want to believe, hoping they will find authenticity where they’ve only uncovered falsehoods — Houdini, for example, fell into this category. The existence of the supernatural is a hotly debated issue as concrete evidence is difficult to come by, even though documenting efforts have evolved over time. In Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, a researcher is invited to meet a creature with an uncanny ability.
Nandor Fodor (Simon Pegg) is a renowned paranormal investigator, though he’s alienated most of his community with his scientific approach that seeks to disprove any supernatural phenomenon. However, a letter from a fellow respected researcher (Christopher Lloyd) convinces him to take the case of Jeff, the talking mongoose. An entire town is convinced of his existence, though only the Irving family with whom he spends most of his time claim to have actually seen him speak. Alongside his assistant, Anne (Minnie Driver), Nandor heads to the rural community to conduct his own inquiry into this talking creature, but is confronted with contradictory evidence of his existence.
This is an unhurried, dry comedy that will not hold everyone’s attention. The humour arises from the conversations and bizarre situation, which is inherently comic as each attempt to confirm the phenomenon is met with an absurd obstacle. But most of the wit is relatively subtle, making audiences work for their chuckle. Pegg is already known for his comedic timing, featuring in a number of successful comedies or adding humour to otherwise dramatic, action-oriented pictures. However, he adopts an unusual accent for this character, which is probably one of the film’s few shortcomings as it feels out of place. Meanwhile, Driver is charming as ever, though Anne could have been better utilized and played a larger role.
As for Jeff, filmmakers make every effort to keep his identity — and even his existence — a mystery to the very end of the picture. Nandor is, of course, correct to question the reality of a talking mongoose, though the opening history of talking animals, narrated by Neil Gaiman, suggests the notion is not impossible. Nonetheless, every indication points to a sham — until a sign to the contrary reignites the debate. This cycle repeats throughout the narrative, taking viewers on a rollercoaster of discovery and disbelief right until the credits roll, which is both captivating and frustrating for viewers who are simply along for the ride. In the meantime, audiences can imagine their own version of Jeff hanging around off-screen.
This is an unusual tale, but at a tight 96 minutes, it’s difficult to find a lot to complain about in this peculiar little comedy.
Director: Adam Sigal
Starring: Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver and Christopher Lloyd
