Hot Fuzz is a self-consciously Americanised British film that crosses over into a
variety of genres – cop film, action, western, murder mystery, gothic horror and
even slasher – all which are underpinned by a sense of farce and comedy that
feels distinctly British. It most explicitly juxtaposes American cop and action film
references against a stereotypically British “heritage” narrative, setting and
characters. This serves not only to illustrate the increasingly pervasive cultural
influence of America upon Britain but also the differences between the British
and American film and television treatment of crime; the former low-key and
subtle, the latter glamorous and brash. Whilst Hot Fuzz subverts, satirises and
thereby perhaps questions stereotypical notions of Britishness, Four Weddings
and a Funeral appears to use humour to reinforce such notions. It gives an
idealised and traditional representation of Britain. This is, in part, a consequence
of it targeting an American as well as a British audience; as a result, it presents
British “heritage” characters and situations that are also designed to appeal to
Americans.
As I have mentioned, Hot Fuzz is filled with references to American cop films. PC
Danny Butterman tells Nicholas Angel that he is a fan of the Bad Boys films
featuring Will Smith when they go back to Butterman’s home after a night at the
local pub to pay homage to his film heroes. Butterman seems to believe that
Angel is from a similarly glamorous urban environment in London, reinforcing the
stereotype of him as an ignorant rural policeman; indeed, the vaguely homoerotic
relationship between Butterman and Angel could be said to mirror those in
countless American action or cop thrillers such as Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon or
Point Break. Moreover, the heavily stylised shootout towards the end of the film
also clearly draws upon a number of American cop films – a world of machine
guns and extravagant, acrobatic and explosive stunts – but takes place in an
apparently quiet and unspoilt English village populated by typical British stock
types who speak, for the most part, in a recognisable south western accent – the
vicar, the pub landlord, the police constable and the local amateur dramatic
society, amongst others.
The mise-en-scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral is similar in many ways to
that in Hot Fuzz. Both are set in a wealthy rural enclave of south western white
“heritage” Britain – a land of churches, village greens, Minis, Land Rovers, old
houses and pristine white weddings. As I have mentioned, however, whereas Hot
Fuzz subverts these conventions, Four Weddings and a Funeral reinforces them,
presenting an idealised representation of British life and satisfying the audience’s
probable desire to see a happy ending – it is ultimately a feel-good comic love
narrative.
Although the leading figures in both films are almost exclusively white and British,
there are key differences in characterisation between the films. The characters in
Four Weddings and a Funeral are predominantly upper-middle class,
strengthening further the idealised picture of British life that it tries to construct.
Charles, played by Hugh Grant, is an example of such a personality; he speaks
with a received pronunciation accent, is floppy haired, eccentric, erratic and
prone to making embarrassing mistakes but has an underlying charm and
confidence and a dry, self-deprecating sense of humour. His best man’s speech
at the wedding towards the start of the film is an instance of this type of
characteristically “British” humour; he jokingly suggests he may have cursed the
marriage of a friend he was previously best man to and begins to mischievously
tell the story of the Groom’s unfortunate and obviously fictional sexual experience
with some sheep. An exception in the film is the character of Carrie, played by
the well-known American actress Andie MacDowell – an indication, perhaps, of
the director’s desire to appeal to an American audience with a recognisable face.
In contrast, those characters in Hot Fuzz – generally people from traditional rural
working or middle class jobs – are arguably more broadly representative of the
area they come from.