Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Grimsby' Gives Lessons on How Not to Get a Town to Like You

Sacha Baron Cohen's upcoming spy spoof, "Grimsby," is also a bit of a spoof of the real-life titular town in which it's set -- and residents are none too pleased with their portrayal.



Local media reports indicate that natives of Grimsby, England have been horrified by the way the town is being set up for the film. Though shooting is taking place in a small town just outside of London, not in Grimbsy itself, locals who have caught wind of the production say that producers are aiming to make it looks like the northern England port town -- but with run-down, offensive results.



The Hollywood Reporter writes that residents have seen the Grimsby stand-in filled with "gardens covered in rubbish, graffiti scrawled on walls, cars on bricks and boarded up shops. Pictures that have emerged from the shoot show characters urinating out of windows, drunks passed out on benches and mothers offering cans of beer to children on the street."



Naturally, locals have not taken kindly to the association, and have complained that Baron Cohen and co. are giving them a bad rap.



"I've lived here all my life. It's an up-and-coming area, and I'm not pleased that this is the way the world will get their first and maybe only look at Grimsby," one resident told local newspaper The Grimsby Telegraph after witnessing some of the filming. "This area has a hell of a lot going for it, and it's disappointing to see what they've done."



And this isn't the first time Baron Cohen's attempts at comedy have fallen flat with those they've portrayed. Kazakhstan threatened to sue Baron Cohen for insinuating that the country was racist and sexist in 2008's "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," and the U.K. home of Baron Cohen's "Da Ali G Show" character officially changed its name from Staines to Staines-upon-Thames to distance itself from its portrayal in the production.



Disgruntled U.K. residents will have to put up with "Grimsby" for at least six weeks of production before the shoot moves to South Africa. The flick, which also stars Mark Strong, Isla Fisher, Penelope Cruz, Rebel Wilson, Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe, and Annabelle Wallis, hits theaters next summer.



[via: The Hollywood Reporter, h/t Uproxx]



Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images







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