The Look of Love – review

The Look of Love: biopic of Paul Raymond, owner of the Raymond Revuebar in London's Soho.

Michael Winterbottom and Steve Coogan combined to great effect in 2002’s 24 Hour Party People, where Coogan played infamous music label entrepreneur Tony Wilson, and they collaborated on 2005’s Tristan Shady: A Cock and Ball Story with Rob Brydon and more recently on the small screen with another post-ironic Coogan/Brydon vehicle The Trip.

With The Look of Love Winterbottom directs Coogan in another biopic, again focused on a notorious British figure, this time the subject being Soho mogul Paul Raymond.

The creative ingredients are ideal for this nostalgic trip down Soho through the ages, especially when adding to the mix Matt Greenhalgh, who wrote the acclaimed and iconic biopics Control and Nowhere Boy.

Coogan was perfectly suited to the role of the successful (but bizarre) Tony Wilson and here is another role that seems tailor-made for him, whose cringe-worthy comedy character phenomenon, Alan Partridge, resonates throughout The Look of Love.

But where Alan Partridge was a regional celebrity with a grossly misplaced sense of self-worth, the real-life success story of Paul Raymond shows a man from modest beginnings becoming (at the high of his power) the richest man in Britain.

This country’s answer to Hugh Hefner was the kingpin behind the rise of erotica in London and at times in this film looks like a blond version of Tony Ferrino (Coogan’s past “Europop” stand-up character) and is armed with the charm offensive of Partridge – just without the prudishness. Here though is a true playboy at work.

Story-wise this biopic has several facets to it. There is an indulgent playfulness, undercut by a sadness coming from several “victims” in Raymond’s dedication to the building of his glitzy and sleazy empire.

In some respects it is a titillating journey, tracking the rise of the “King of Soho” through the decades (most notably the 60s, 70s and 80s), infused by a cocktail of sex and drugs, as he controversially changes the face of London’s club scene and mindset with his nude theatre shows, strip clubs and magazines.

At the same time we see Raymond not only as a trendsetter and self-made property, show-business and publishing tycoon, but also as a brazen, insatiable cheat who let his wife, Jean [Anna Friel], suffer habitual humiliation from his infidelity. Winterbottom also focuses heavily on the unconventional father-daughter relationship between Paul and his daughter Debbie [Imogen Poots].

One of Raymond’s many infidelities sparks into something more than just bed-hopping. Nude auditionee Fiona Richmond [Tamsin Egerton] captivates him, before eventually acting almost as a muse for Raymond.

Soon she becomes the face of his venture into the soft-core porn magazine industry, when he buys Men Only. Along with the party-loving editor Tony Power [Chris Addison], they take the magazine and Paul Raymond Publications forward to new levels, breaking all sorts of taboos along the way.

Richmond is a star born; model, columnist, actress and businesswoman. This period sees Paul become estranged from Jean and their sons, whilst Debbie sticks by her father’s side, creating quite an awkward family split. Not only is Debbie a daddy’s girl, but she becomes inseparable from her father’s all-encompassing, spotlight-illuminated world, which with the help (or rather hindrance) of coke-fiend Power grows evermore decadent.

It is surprising to see so much heart in a film that could have easily been produced as an erotic farce or parody and ambitions to balance empathy and laugh-out-loud comedic elements are pretty well realised and this should be enjoyed as a tragi-comedy.

The performances from Friel, Addison and Egerton are all great, plus there are some funny cameos from the likes of David Walliams, Dara Ó Briain, Simon Bird and Stephen Fry.

Poots will take the plaudits for her convincing portrayal of a troubled girl in a man’s world of superficiality – amongst flawlessly-beautiful women – while Coogan excels as the Oscar Wilde-quoting, boy-from-Liverpool-done-good, Raymond, who justifies his needs and greed, by claiming it is all for the legacy and fortune that will pass down to his daughter and her children after. You be the judge.

The Look of Love (18)
Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan, Imogen Poots, Anna Friel, Tamsin Egerton, Chris Addison, Matthew Beard, David Walliams, Simon Bird, James Lance, Stephen Fry.
Running time: 101 minutes

The Look of Love is showing at Hackney Picturehouse throughout May.