Flashbacks of a Fool

Joe Scot is a British actor living in Los Angeles whose once successful career is flagging and spends most of his time indulging in alcohol, drugs and one-night stands. The only person he has in his life is his personal assistant Ophelia and even she is growing tired of his antics. He receives a call from his mother to say his childhood best friend, Boots, whom he has not seen in years, has died unexpectedly. Shaken by the news, he attends a disastrous meeting with an up-and-coming director and his agent, who has lost interest in him. Joe learns he will not get the part he had hoped would restore his career and publicly berates his agent. The agent tells him he is washed-up and quits. Upset, Joe walks to the beach and swims out to sea contemplating suicide. Floating in the waves, he thinks back to the final summer holiday he spent with Boots.

The story then flashes back 25 years, to a 16-year-old Joe and his best friend Boots. Joe lives with his mother, aunt and younger sister Jesse in a small town on the English coast. Boots has epilepsy and has recently had an attack in the cinema. Joe's next-door neighbour, young and bored housewife Evelyn (Jodhi May), tries seducing him and invites him over, where they are almost caught in flagrante by her unsuspecting husband. The next day, Joe bumps into a popular but quirky girl his own age from town, Ruth. She invites him back to her parents' house and he accepts, leaving Boots alone and angry. Joe is impressed by Ruth's affluent home and her parents' record collection. Ruth applies make up to Joe's face, making him resemble Bryan Ferry. They dance to If There Is Something by Roxy Music and indicate their interest in each other. The following day, Evelyn watches Joe in the bathroom, convincing him to come to her home on the way to his date and they end up having sex. Joe arrives late to meet Ruth, who has been kept company by Boots.

Ruth sees love bites from Evelyn on Joe's neck and storms off. Boots questions Joe if he had sex with Evelyn. Joe tries denying this but Boots questions him again, this time making Joe angry. In his frustration, Joe fights with Boots who punches him. The next day, Evelyn apologizes and asks him about his date. Joe responds that it was terrible, due to the visible love bites on his neck. She responds saying she really liked how he touched her and then invites him to her house, asking if he wants to repeat it. She proceeds to force her daughter Jane, who was watching TV, out to play so they can have the house to themselves. While Joe and Evelyn are having sex, Jane finds a washed up sea mine and climbs on it, causing it to detonate and kill her instantly. Joe blames himself, runs away on the day of Jane's funeral and doesn't return.

Back in the present, Joe wakes up as he is washed ashore. He returns to England to attend Boots' funeral but he is too late. His mother and Aunt tell him that Boots died of an aneurysm and left behind his wife Ruth, four young children and a lot of debt. Joe is taken by Jesse to the church graveyard to meet Ruth, who tells him how much she loved Boots and what a wonderful person he was but how she cannot cry, even though it is the saddest moment of her life. Joe also spots graves belonging to Jane and Evelyn. Jesse tells him that Evelyn's marriage broke down after Jane died and she married a man who beat her. When Evelyn finally found the courage to leave, she was run over and killed by a truck. Joe goes back home to the grand house he purchased for his family when his career was going well. He listens to the same music he and Ruth listened to on the night they first met and decides to write her a cheque to clear the debt. He encloses with the cheque a letter, containing the lyrics to If There is Something.When Jesse gives it to her, Ruth initially refuses but finds the song lyrics and instantly breaks down crying. Brought down to Earth by his friend's death and Ruth's grief, Joe heads back to Los Angeles where he is met by Ophelia and hopes to start his acting career afresh.

• Daniel Craig as adult Joe Scot
• Harry Eden as young Joe Scot
• Claire Forlani as adult Ruth
• Felicity Jones as young Ruth
• Emilia Fox as Sister Jean
• Eve as Ophelia Franklin
• Jodhi May as Evelyn Adams
• Miriam Karlin as Mrs. Rogers
• Helen McCrory as Peggy Tickell
• James D'Arcy as Jack Adams
• Mark Strong as Mannie Miesel
• Olivia Williams as Grace Scot
• Julie Ordon as Carrie Ann
• Gina Athans as Apple
• Max Deacon as young Boots McKay
• Jodie Tomlinson as Jane Adams
• Keeley Hawes as Jesse Scot
• Mia Clifford as young Jesse Scot

The film was mainly shot in Cape Town in South Africa, and England.[1]

Flashbacks of a Fool is director Baillie Walsh's first feature film. Walsh has directed music videos for, among others, Massive Attack, Oasis and INXS.[2]

The cinematography for the film was done by John Mathieson, who has shot for films such as Gladiator, Matchstick Men and Kingdom of Heaven.[3]

The song when Joe, dressed as Bryan Ferry, dances with Ruth is "If There Is Something", performed by Roxy Music, from their eponymous first album. The film misses out the first minute and forty seconds of the song. The original song is over six minutes long.

Fils de... - Scott Walker

What goes up Must Come Down - War Zone

Theme from Coronation Street

The Jean Genie - David Bowie

If There is Something - Roxy Music

When Will I See You Again - Harry Eden

Regina Coeli in B flat, K.127 - W. A. Mozart

The Theme from The Clangers

It Ain't Easy - David Bowie

The film's soundtrack plays a vital role for the plot. Director Baillie Walsh had only directed music videos previous to directing Flashbacks of a Fool.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a 38% approval rating based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 4.54/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Despite Daniel Craig's earnest efforts, Flashbacks of a Fool suffers from an ambitious but underdeveloped script".[4]

• Flashbacks of a Fool at IMDb
• Flashbacks of a Fool at AllMovie
• Flashbacks of a Fool at Box Office Mojo
• Flashbacks of a Fool at Rotten Tomatoes