Little Lady Fauntleroy [DVD] [2004]

The early parts Allen's film are liberally sprinkled with clips of James' many TV appearances, most notably an appearance from the early 90s on Terry Wogan's chat show with Jeff Goldblum and Frank Skinner. Goldblum's expression is priceless. James seemed to think that he was conveying important knowledge to the great unwashed; unfortunately his particular brand of tongue-tied oration just didn't wash, and one got the uncomfortable feeling that he was being invited to appear on such programmes simply to be made fun of.

By the time Allen catches up with the family, James has undergone a sex change operation and is now Lauren. Along with the rest of the family, she is a Doctor of Metaphysics and practising counsellor. It is this area which catches Allen's main interest, as it transpires that every qualification each family member has was either purchased over the internet or awarded to themselves through their own home-based college, with no actual studying, training or experience to back it up.

What follows is Allen's gathering of evidence against Lauren and the rest of the family, as he prepares to confront them at the end of the three days he spends with them. Along the way we find that Lauren is desperate to nurture a TV career, stating that she feels she is a naturally gifted performer. Indeed, during his entertaining voice-over Allen comments that he got the impression that Lauren was treating the programme as a three day audition. So we see Lauren trying to sell herself as a performer in every way she can muster, with predictably cringe-making results. It goes without saying that she proves hilariously inept in every regard, yet her belief in her abilities is seemingly unshakeable.

And therein lies the problem with this programme. Lauren is clearly a very disturbed individual in genuine need of extensive psychotherapy. The short cuts taken by the family in order to bring about her sex change operation without fulfilling crucial legal and psychological requirements (her mother was her assigned counsellor under a false name, for instance) are startling. As Allen says, she doesn't seem any happier as a woman than she was as a man. So we really ought to feel sympathy for her, for the fact that she has grown up in such an isolated and duplicitous family environment, and for the fact that bricks are constantly hurled through their windows from prejudiced locals. But instead, you can't help but watch the programme with a sense of appalled incredulity as the extent of their dishonesty unfolds. Against your better nature you find yourself understanding why they suffer so much abuse.

Allen certainly seems to reach this conclusion. Unfortunately, his growing irritation with the family gets the better of him during what should be the programme's gripping climax as he confronts them about their fraudulent qualifications and activities. Having spent most of the programme giving them enough rope with which to hang themselves, he loses his temper and the meeting simply dissolves into a shouting match, which at one point looks dangerously close to becoming violent, before he storms out in disgust leaving them only semi-hung.

And this is where Allen falls short. His interviews with the family members are faultless - he asks the right questions in a subtle enough way to elicit very telling information. Not much digging is required on his part, as they seem trusting and self-assured enough to incriminate themselves time and again. His conversations with Lauren are sensitively handled where appropriate, and her responses tend to be comically vapid and inarticulate. He sets the whole thing up perfectly for a Poirot-style exposure at the end of the programme, only to blow it by losing his temper. It's such a waste - Allen is more than a match for any of them. I wonder how different the programme might have been if it had been made by Louis Theroux or Jon Ronson, whose methods are far more subtle and never aggressive.

As it is, there is enough here to show the Harries family as arrogant, snobbish, and happily living in a delusional world of their own invention. That they apparently see no wrong in festooning themselves with fake degrees and setting themselves up to counsel people with genuine problems is a disturbing testament to this. And, as Allen says, they must have known that the validity of their "qualifications" would be exposed. Nobody deserves constant bricks through their windows, but in agreeing to take part in the programme they have certainly done themselves no favours. I don't doubt that selective editing was involved in the making of this programme, but it's difficult to imagine how much worse the Harries could have been made to look. Allen even makes this point himself in his voice-over during the confrontation.

Despite the frustratingly abrupt ending, this is nonetheless a highly entertaining film. Allen's voice-over is suitably sarcastic and bilious, and the optional DVD commentary featuring Allen, Ned Parker and Victor Lewis-Smith is illuminating and hilarious. This is compelling and enjoyable for all the wrong reasons, and you may find yourself watching it through hands clasped across your disbelieving face. The extras include 43 minutes of unused footage, notably more of the disastrous Dramaturgy workshop where Lauren demonstrates exactly why she isn't a natural performer, and her entire karaoke rendition of "Send In The Clowns", which does so again. An intriguing question is also raised about a mysterious text message Allen sent to Lauren.

I'd recommend this DVD. You'll laugh, you'll cringe, you'll probably feel a great swell of pity for Lauren. You may even feel the urge to throw a brick of your own through their window, although I certainly wouldn't condone that.