For his second feature film, director Jason Wingard has adapted his award-winning 2013 short film Going to Mecca into feel-good comedy Eaten by Lions. Following the death of their beloved grandmother, half brothers Pete (Jack Carroll) and Omar (Antonio Aakeel) head to Blackpool in search of the latter’s estranged father. They come-of-age on their life-affirming journey, finding laughs and a chance of love along the way.
Wingard co-wrote the script with David Isaac who is known for his work on British sitcoms and soap operas. This style certainly come across in the way that the gags are set up, and the narrative is consistently amusing without achieving big laugh-out-loud moments. There are some excellent cameos from comedic veterans Johnny Vegas and Kevin Eldon as the plucky brothers navigate their way through a sub-standard story, and enough charm and warmth throughout to make the road-movie an enjoyable ride.
Cinema Perspective 