Another Flip for Dominick

[CrypticMirror]

https://sfdebris.com/videos/films/dominick2.php

Chuck is not wrong about the sequel.

I can watch The Flipside today and still be entranced and feel the same way I did when I was a kid and first saw it. But even as a kid I thought Another Flip was a slog. There are good bits; I liked the male Nanny, that was a big thing for the eighties believe it or not and the breaking of gender norms; Mavis, as Chuck points out, is an unending delight; I even like Caleb and his weird sinisterness; and Michael Gough's scientist is just sheer brilliance. Even Jane's airport scene as she rejects Dom is a small gem. And the worldbuilding stuff is good. Very early eighties BBC futurism is my jam, it is very unlike most American works that it is a thing unto itself. The idea that Dom's attempt to deliberately out-trick time is nicely set up with the comedic reveal of the failure to win the football pools which pays off with his attempt to dodge the blazing row failing later.

But these are all bits and pieces, there is no real meat joining them together. The whole rescue the Princess Plot is so generic, and a bit racist, that it feels like such an excuse just to jam Dom back into the past. They had to tell a story, rather than having a story to tell; IYSWIM? I think the way they so summarily end that plotline with a radio broadcast of all things, shows that it is just poorly integrated into the story. While there was some cringey fish out of water laughs in the original story, the cringes in this are cringey. The bit in the court with Dominick blatantly mugging for the Justice of the Peace [JPs are a sort of volunteer judge who can only hear really minor stuff that it isn't worth troubling real judges for, and they are not entitled to wear the full get up] was flat out awful.

And I agree about You Better Believe it Babe being used as padding. I liked that song, I ripped it from the DVD and patched it together [there was no official release of it, ever] because I liked it. It has a wonderful melancholy to it. I can even take it being used for the park scene, because it kinda fits there, but the use of it for the super slow descent down the side of the high rise was pure padding. I mean, I get it, the director wanted to symbolically show us Dom descending or falling into the past, but it dragged far too long and the use of YBBitB there just set the tone for everything being dragged out. I will defend Duncan's music, well defend it in a Limited and Specific Way, if you will, in that it was very much inline with early eighties UK music. Our music was dire back then, the American scene was coming up with the eighties rock but the UK scene was... not so good. Chas and Dave still made the '82 top fifty singles. Chas and flipping Dave, for God's sake. Bucks Fizz made the top ten with The Land of Make Believe. Our music scene sucked, so Duncan's song might have sucked but it sucked in an authentic way.

I do still watch Another Flip, partly because I am a completist and it burns my soul to leave out an entry in a story even if it isn't a good entry, but also because the bots that are good are bits that I do enjoy. I do enjoy it in aggregate, and I do like the ultimate resolution in that Dominick learns an important lesson in both plays. In play one he learns to loosen up and the value of spontaneity, and in story two he learns that the value of spontaneity is that it is unrepeatable. He learns to treasure the past, but also when to move on from it too. I think those are valuable lessons. I just enjoy the second story with my finger ready for the fast forward button for the cringey or padded parts.

Thank you Chuck for doing these tv movies though, I love it when you agree to tackle something a bit oddball or out of your wheelhouse.

[PerrySimm]

'More of the same' for a concept that already might not quite have been everyone's cup of tea. A bit surprising to hear that it did so well at the time to earn a sequel like this; today it seems a bit more worthy of "Bad Movie Night" or a sideshow for a Britcom or Dr. Who marathon.

Sometime soon, I'll have to look up some of those other "Play for Tomorrow" shows too, maybe there's a hidden gem in there.

[CharlesPhipps]

Honestly, it's impressive how much of an asshole Dominick is in this.

[ozduck]

When I commented on the review of the first outing for Dominick I said that although I had watched both shows when they were originally released I couldn't recall much about the second show while I remembered the first one fondly - and now I know why. Even after watching the review only the barest of memories crossed my mind and that seems to be because it was a subpar outing.

"Another Flip for Dominick Hide" certainly does not have the charm of "The flipside of Dominick Hide" and is pretty obviously a prime victim of the law of diminishing returns. It does indeed seem a pity that the goodwill garnered in Dominick's initial outing was to some extent squandered in this one. Firth still seems to be charming in the title role but the characters excesses tolerated too much. However, it was nice to see Patrick Magee again

[CrypticMirror]

'More of the same' for a concept that already might not quite have been everyone's cup of tea. A bit surprising to hear that it did so well at the time to earn a sequel like this; today it seems a bit more worthy of "Bad Movie Night" or a sideshow for a Britcom or Dr. Who marathon.

Sometime soon, I'll have to look up some of those other "Play for Tomorrow" shows too, maybe there's a hidden gem in there.

You gotta remember the social context of the first one though. It was made at the end of the seventies, and in seventies UK there was this huge sense of social stagnation, and also the anticipation that there was a big change coming. Modernisation was finally knocking on the door of Britain and for once we were going to answer it. A lot of people empathised with Dominick's situation, feeling trapped and bland, and the idea of entering into this loud new world and then taking the lessons from it back, that really struck a chord. It came along at the right time to catch the zeitgeist.

Plus, like I said, British Eighties Futurism [like you see in the Peter Davidson Doctor Who episodes] was a very specific trend.

[Artabax]

Trial Scene: Chuck says I'm not sure if she is a Judge.small

In Britain, big crimes are tried before Judge and Jury; small crimes are tried before Magistrates, Justices of the Peace, 3 Civilians, mostly middle income.

Branagh does Revolutionary speech, at the back of the Crowd, the spitting image of O'Brien, and the nxt scene Dame maggie Smith is very old even though she was a baby in the 60's. Truly this is Time Travel.

[drewder]

I'm curious why they're all speaking with British accents when they're obviously American as evidenced by the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas"

[Freeverse]

So, for a minute I thought maybe the future was polyamorous, but no, apparently it just doesn't count as cheating if you time travel.

[Riedquat]

I'm curious why they're all speaking with British accents when they're obviously American as evidenced by the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas"

First time I've heard that "Merry Christmas" is supposed to be an Americanism.

[AllanO]

First time I've heard that "Merry Christmas" is supposed to be an Americanism.

So the phrase "Merry Christmas" is not an Americanism but using it a certain way is in my experience for English speakers in the late 20th century and early 21st, although perhaps even that is not exclusive enough?

I know a great many British People and they overwhelming say "Happy Christmas" unless singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" (which did originate in England) or otherwise employing the whole phrase "Wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year" whereas North American use Merry Christmas solo and never say "Happy Christmas". However looking it is claimed that British people do use "merry Christmas" on its own at least some of the time (hard to say) and certainly did in the past (for example in Dickens's A Christmas Carol everyone is Merry Christmasing on its own.
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2018/01/merry-happy-christmas.html

I will defend Duncan's music, well defend it in a Limited and Specific Way, if you will, in that it was very much inline with early eighties UK music. Our music was dire back then, the American scene was coming up with the eighties rock but the UK scene was... not so good.

[emphasis added]

I am taking this as an oblique knock on the Dire Straits.