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Dom Robinson reviews
Entertainment in Video
- Cert:
- Cat.no: EDV 9077
- Running time: 87 minutes
- Year: 1999
- Pressing: 2000
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 16 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 5
- Price: £19.99
- Extras : Scene index, Trailer, Interviews, Featurette
Director:
- Sara Sugarman
(Mad Cows)
Producers:
- Frank Mannion and Aaron Simpson
Screenplay:
- Sasha Hails and Sara Sugarman
(based on the novel by Kathy Lette)
Music:
- Mark Thomas
Cast:
- Maddy: Anna Friel
Gillian: Joanna Lumley
Dwina Phelps: Anna Massey
Alex: Greg Wise
Dr. Minny Stinkler: Prunella Scales
Mad Cows is a disjointed comedy farce in which Maddy’s (Anna Friel, using the accent left over from Rogue Trader) hormones go into overdrive when she gives birth, but later gets arrested while shopping in the local supermarket for stealing peas, stuffed down her bra to relieve breast pain. She’s sent to prison (as if) and discovers the only way to escape is to visit the in-house psychiatrist Dwina Phelps (Anna Massey), although she cons her into signing adoption papers for a childless couple, the female half being played by Elizabeth Berrington (The Lakes, My Wonderful Life).
In a bid to overturn things, a prison visit from her best friend Gillian (Joanna Lumley, basically playing her AbFab character Patsy) gives Maddy the chance to sneaks her baby out in Gillian’s handbag (but how come the prison officers didn’t spot his sudden disappearance?)
And so it goes on from there in quite predictable fashion, with little to say other than to list the acres of cameos including Noel Gallagher, his now-ex-wife Meg Matthews, Harrods boss Mohammed Al-Fayed portraying himself as his own doorman, Game On‘s Neil Stuke (the sexually confused Matt from series 2 onwards) and Eddie Marsan, who played a one-off appearance as Stoat in series 2’s “Heavy Bondage & Custard Creams”.
Pop maestro Howard Jones appears incredibly briefly as a DJ, Rustie Lee, Jodie Kidd and Sophie Dahl are prisoners, Emma Thompson’s real-life partner and mother, Greg Wise and Phyllida Law, are their own relatives here, the former playing Alex, the father of Maddy’s baby.
Prunella Scales is TV baby adviser Dr. Minny Stinkler, Cold Feet‘s gorgeous Hermione Norris is Alex’s fiancee Petronella , author Kathy Lette appears as a browser in Mothercare, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson is elevated to the status of “celebrity”, Small Potatoes‘ cafe owner Omid Djalili and finally, Badi Uzzaman is the Indian shopkeeper who has Maddy arrested. For those unfamiliar with his name, he’s the man who, literally, got the point from Robert Carlyle in Cracker: To Be a Somebody.
EiV have done a very good job of the picture. Presented in its original anamorphic 1.85:1 ratio, the only thing to mar it are some minor artifacts which won’t be noticed from the usual viewing distance. The widescreen framing is mostly well-used too. The average bitrate is a so-so 5.16Mb/s, varying wildly and occasionally peaking over 9Mb/s.
And yes, EiV have blessed us with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, often filled with loud music from artists such as The Cardigans, Natalie Imbruglia, Rod Stewart, Cornershop, The Corrs, Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg (yes, THAT one!), Robbie Williams, Tom Jones, Edwyn Collins, Space, Sister Sledge, Chic and Propellerheads‘ Bang On, the techno track which accompanied the Natwest TV adverts earlier this year, not to mention some decent sound effects swishing around the speakers on occasion, including the moment when Anna Friel shouts out Alex’s name in the prison.
Extras : We’re promised “Over 16 minutes of extras!” on the cover. Yes, there’s 17!
A 2-minute Trailer, an 7-minute Featurette comprising of film clips, chat from the cast and crew – yes you know the drill, while the 8-minute Interviews section repeats some of the same content – and adds to it – but without the music in the background and includes comments from all the principal cast members, although Hermoine Norris becomes “Himani Norris”. Oh dear. None of them have much to say that will make you revisit these extras either.
Menu : A static and silent menu with options to start the film, select a scene or views the extras.
Overall, if you liked the film then it’s certainly well-presented in terms of the picture and sound quality, but it’s rather lacking in supplemental material.
DVD Trivia: Spot the cameo from Teletubby La-La.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL 
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.