one4review | On 21, Aug 2026

Dreamgun Film Reads is a basic idea with a fantastic outcome. Each night one of a selection of different parody film scripts is performed live in front of an audience, often with guest comedians and performers who’ve never read the script before. Hilarity ensues.

The films parodied are a selection of well-known hits, from Die Hard to The Matrix to The Shawshank Redemption. For my showing it was Jurassic Park which, due to my chronic lack of media literacy, I’ve actually never seen. But that does mean that I can confidently state that the show is funny enough that not seeing the film is no barrier to enjoying the show. In fact, potentially it makes it even better.

While all the performers who step up to the selection of mics are great, the true star of the show is the script, with a series of very silly and very funny gags coming so thick and fast that there’re undoubtedly some you miss just from laughing too hard at the last one.

To compare Dreamgun Film Reads to its sister show/archnemesis at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Lost in Translation, which has a similar pitch I’d say that Film Reads is definitely the cleverer of the two and I think a fraction funnier for it. Both are good shows, but if I had to pick, I’d definitely come to Dreamgun every time.

On reviewing the show before I remarked how it felt like a show that had been written for me specifically and I still agree with that assessment. The love of film combined with a love of silly jokes and verbal nonsense spoke right to my comedy soul and, while there are those out there who might want their gags a little less wordy, for anyone who’s ever delighted in watching through a film loudly pointing at all the stupid bits with friends, this is the show for you.

*****
Reviewed by Tom

15:35

5th-17th

Wine Bar at Gilded Balloon Teviot