SERIOUSLY RED

'Seriously Red' never quite lives up to its Dolly Parton stamp of approval. Her voice is in the whole film, with quotes frequently appearing as well as, of course, her music. The film seems to just piggyback off these things and thinks that will do all the work, but forgets to back any of Parton's voice with kind characters and an engaging narrative.

Red as a protagonist has the setup for a very engaging character arc but is pretty unredeemable; even before the claim to fame and her redemption storyline, it doesn't feel as earned as it should be. Because of how unlikeable she is, it's hard to jump into the world and take the journey, though there is fun to be had here with the likes of Rose Byrne ('Spy', 'Bridesmaids') as Elvis, and hearing Dolly Parton music in a theatre is always delightful, but it never all comes together. The grand idea and what the film is actually selling never join up - and that's a shame, because there is a good self-discovery film buried deep below the blonde wigs and big bosoms.

'Seriously Red' offers an engaging idea but often gets lost in its narrative, going for humour over heart. A journey of self-discovery through the lens of not only celebrity impersonation but a Dolly Parton impersonator could have been an impactful film, but as it stands it's a mediocre one that wouldn't even cut it for Snatch Game on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'.

(Hands down, the best bit of the film was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo that is just genius.)