It is no reflection upon the sadly recently departed Dudley Moore, who did some fine work in his career, but this film really is the pits. It's been around a decade since I saw this, but I can still remember getting excited as an 11 year old boy who loved his movies (and still does!) when mum suggested we go to the cinema. I had my own ideas about what I wanted to watch, but the majority of our party voted to take in this. I can still remember all of us sat in a darkened cinema, exchanging looks with each other as the farrago on the screen went from bad to worse. The screen was near packed, but everybody sat in silence as this supposed 'comedy' painfully ran itself out. Everybody, that is, except one clearly insane woman who thought every gesture was hilarious and emitted a piercing shriek to prove it. It was singularly the most uncomfortable period of time I've spent in a cinema, before or since. Mum still owes me a decent film for insisting we see this tripe!
Since 1992, of course, the British seem to have learnt to make comedies that have mass market appeal, drawing as they do on our distinctly dry sense of humour. This film, however, was made in the dark ages where it was still considered acceptable in a comedy to gather the most offensive set of stereotypes together, and laugh as they did things like fall over. Oh, my sides. The events of the film seem to take place in some kind of parallel universe where the laws of reality do not apply. Every contrivance is shoehorned into the script in a desperately pathetic attempt to get a laugh. Surely the whole point of comedy is imagining such a thing happening to yourself? There is no chance of that, this is just a movie; and thank God for that, because it means I never, ever have to watch it again. If possible, burn all tapes of this you can find. If somebody sits you down to watch this, gouge your own eyes out. Anything to avoid this steaming pile of dung masquerading as a funny movie.
Since 1992, of course, the British seem to have learnt to make comedies that have mass market appeal, drawing as they do on our distinctly dry sense of humour. This film, however, was made in the dark ages where it was still considered acceptable in a comedy to gather the most offensive set of stereotypes together, and laugh as they did things like fall over. Oh, my sides. The events of the film seem to take place in some kind of parallel universe where the laws of reality do not apply. Every contrivance is shoehorned into the script in a desperately pathetic attempt to get a laugh. Surely the whole point of comedy is imagining such a thing happening to yourself? There is no chance of that, this is just a movie; and thank God for that, because it means I never, ever have to watch it again. If possible, burn all tapes of this you can find. If somebody sits you down to watch this, gouge your own eyes out. Anything to avoid this steaming pile of dung masquerading as a funny movie.