FlashCallahan
Mike Lawton, Maurice Horton, and Melvin Orton are three men who come to Venice. One of them is a hit man sent to take out a mobster. Another is a dirty old Mayor, looking for a little action with a woman he never met, whom he was set up with. And one of them was sent by his employer to inspect a property his boss wants to buy. All three men are at the same hotel. But when the bellboy gets their names mixed up and gives info meant for someone else. So one of them meets a Realtor who will do whatever she has to, to close the sale. And another follows a woman looking for romance....The early nineties and late eighties were a strange time for British cinema, before the advent of Trainspotting, all the UK were famous for was really Carry On, Merchant and Ivory, and awful attempts at TV stars becoming movie stars.This movie tries to go for the old farcical movies of the seventies, and it succeeds to an extent, albeit with a bigger budget, and a wonderful cast.The problem is that the film is too short, and needs to elaborate a little more on some of the sub plots. Moore is brilliant, but his little story gets sidelined in favour of the other two.The mayor and Patsy Kensit sequence is genuinely funny, but the hit man segment isn't really up to scratch, and the pigeon killings is just a rip off of the dog joke in A Fish Called Wanda.Its watchable, but don't expect something clever, its as if someone has made an anthology movie, blended the three stories and then had the titular character tie up the loose ends.
Bjorn (ODDBear)
Three men; Orton, Horton and Lawton find themselves in unorthodox situations due to the misunderstanding of a bellboy.This farcical comedy is right on the mark. Clever misunderstandings arise and they're all well played out, with a willing cast who aim to please. Dudley Moore is especially appealing here in one of his last screen roles. Bronson Pinchot is also a riot as the world's worst bellboy.The script is tight, I felt it could have been even longer, some plot holes but who cares? It's very funny all the way. Using beautiful scenery from lovely Venice, the film gets even more of an appeal. I can't see how one can dislike a film like this.
Howlin Wolf
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.
etch-1
This is an excellent British comedy -totally underrated in my view - which is set in the beautiful city of Venice.The cast includes the formidable Alison Steadman and many famous British TV and stage stars, and is headed by the talented Dudley Moore who gives a genius performance - one of his best since Arthur.British films wouldn't be the same without a 'foreigner' - no Julia, Jamie or Andie in this one, but Bryan gives a surprisingly fine comic performance.It comes right out of the traditional formula for the West End comedy farces - which quite frankly sometimes bore/annoy me and seem to star the old has been type actors/entertainers. But, BIOTB has more substance to it, has the bonus of being set in one of the world's most beautiful cities, and the acting is excellent.I must admit, having visited the city not long before I saw the film (I saw it on big screen at the cinema), there was a bit of nostalgia there as well "ooh, I stood on that bridge" "I recognise that gondolier!" and "that's where I bought you that mask from!!!".Easy to watch and pleasing to the eye, I would highly recommend this film.I was still laughing out loud at the very end as the credits rolled.Look, it may be silly, but it's fun. Enjoy!
AD
