Barry Humphries' infamous Australian diplomat Sir Les Patterson makes his film debut in this under-cooked and clumsy spy/comedy.
Comedies about incompetent spies like Archer or Maxwell Smart work because you think of secret agents of being highly skilled professionals (not incompetent boobs). But why bother putting Les in an adventure comedy as a bumbling secret agent when the scenes with him as a bumbling, corrupt politician are much funnier?
For those unfamiliar with the Sir Les Patterson character; Sir Les is a send-up of the boorish, foul-mouthed drunks that would occupy the boys-club of Australian politics in the 1970's. He was the direct opposite to Dame Edna's aspirational and gentle housewife character.
That's why it could have been great to see the anachronistic and boorish Patterson sleazing around in the world of Australian politics (one of the characters even point out that Patterson is out-of-date with the times). Humphires could of had a field day making commentary on the Hawke Government (I can just picture a scene with Patterson and Hawkie in a drinking contest).
But instead of a film continuing the character's satire of loutish Australian politicians; we get run-of-the-mill, fish-out-of-water farce with Patterson running around the world as James Bond trying to save the world from bio-chemical weapons (hooray for us).
Even the gross-out humour that Humphires pioneered in the Barry McKenzie films, isn't as wild or as funny as it could have been. Disappointing.
Comedies about incompetent spies like Archer or Maxwell Smart work because you think of secret agents of being highly skilled professionals (not incompetent boobs). But why bother putting Les in an adventure comedy as a bumbling secret agent when the scenes with him as a bumbling, corrupt politician are much funnier?
For those unfamiliar with the Sir Les Patterson character; Sir Les is a send-up of the boorish, foul-mouthed drunks that would occupy the boys-club of Australian politics in the 1970's. He was the direct opposite to Dame Edna's aspirational and gentle housewife character.
That's why it could have been great to see the anachronistic and boorish Patterson sleazing around in the world of Australian politics (one of the characters even point out that Patterson is out-of-date with the times). Humphires could of had a field day making commentary on the Hawke Government (I can just picture a scene with Patterson and Hawkie in a drinking contest).
But instead of a film continuing the character's satire of loutish Australian politicians; we get run-of-the-mill, fish-out-of-water farce with Patterson running around the world as James Bond trying to save the world from bio-chemical weapons (hooray for us).
Even the gross-out humour that Humphires pioneered in the Barry McKenzie films, isn't as wild or as funny as it could have been. Disappointing.