Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?
Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?! is a 2014 British Christmas comedy film which serves as the third instalment of the Nativity film series and was directed by Debbie Isitt. It stars Martin Clunes, Marc Wootton, Catherine Tate with Celia Imrie and Jason Watkins. Like its predecessors, it was distributed by Entertainment One.
Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?! | |
---|---|
Directed by | Debbie Isitt |
Written by | Debbie Isitt |
Produced by | Nick Jones |
Starring | Martin Clunes Marc Wootton Catherine Tate Celia Imrie Jason Watkins Susie Blake Duncan Preston |
Cinematography | Sean Van Hales |
Edited by | Nicky Ager |
Music by | Nicky Ager Debbie Isitt |
Production company | Mirrorball Films |
Distributed by | Entertainment One |
Release date |
|
Running time | 109 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | £2.8m[1] |
Box office | $11.3 million[2] |
Plot
set two years after Danger in the Manger.
Jeremy Shepherd is an Ofsted inspector who is the father of Lauren and is due to marry his fiancée Sophie in New York City. He is hit in the forehead by Mr Poppy's pet donkey Archie. He has amnesia and no memory of anything that happened before. Mr Poppy and the children have to get Mr Shepherd's memory back before the big day as well as stopping the flashmobber Bradley Finch from stealing Sophie back.
Cast
- Martin Clunes as Jeremy Shepherd
- Marc Wootton as Desmond Poppy
- Catherine Tate as Sophie Ford
- Celia Imrie as Mrs. Keen
- Jason Watkins as Gordon Shakespeare
- Stewart Wright as Uncle Henry
- Adam Garcia as Bradley Finch
- Ralf Little as Charlie Ford
- Duncan Preston as Sophie's Father
- Susie Blake as Sophie's Mother
- Lauren Hobbs as Lauren Shepherd
- David Hunter as Mr. Parker
Reception
The film was panned by critics. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 16% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 3.14/10.[3]
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film one star out of five, comparing it to "A John Lewis Christmas ad directed by Satan". Bradshaw added "This is one of those British family comedies that make you want to soil the Union flag with your own faeces in the cinema foyer before setting fire to it.[4] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph called the film "a garbled, sprayed-around mess", in his one star review and added, "As soon as I left the cinema, I went looking for a donkey to kick me in the head."[5]
Isitt defended the film following its scathing reception, saying "These critics are just so out of touch with what people like and want."[6] In response to Bradshaws scathing review, Isitt stated, "What on earth is wrong with Peter Bradshaw? He is disgusting and like a troll and should be ashamed of himself. Was he sent to boarding school and abandoned? Perhaps he’s insane".[7] In response to Collins review, Isitt said "I would do it for free… and in my high heels".[8]
When the film was released in the United Kingdom, it opened at #3, behind Interstellar and The Imitation Game.[9]
References
- "Birmingham-born film director Debbie Isitt returns with latest in Nativity! Trilogy". 12 November 2014.
- "Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?!".
- "Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Donkey (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- Bradshaw, Peter (14 November 2014). "Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey? review – unfunny, infantile and crass". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- Collin, Robbie (13 November 2014). "Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?!, review: Martin Clunes makes an ass of himself". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- Young, Graham (18 November 2014). "Coventry film director Debbie Isitt hits back after Nativity 3 is panned by critics". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- Butler, Tom (18 November 2014). "Nativity 3 Director Slams 'Disgusting' Critics After Press Drubbing". Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- Young, Graham (18 November 2014). "Nativity 3 director Debbie Isitt hits back at critics". Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- "Weekend box office 2nd September 2005 - 4th September 2005". www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2018.