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the audience applauded

So much average

Excellent but underrated film

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This film just doesn't quite make it. It is worth a smile here and there, but there are no laughs. The story isn't compelling. It is just a structure to hang comic bits on. Fine. But the comic bits are old and their timing is a bit off. Eric Idol and John Cleese are what you would expect, but no more than that.Barbara Hersey is a problem. She plays a nympho middle aged woman and an aristocrat. This combination was supposed to be funny but it wasn't. She overdid the sexy part to the point where it was neither erotic nor funny.I have a feeling that there is an inside story on why this wasn't better than it is.

I'm probably in the minority here... but I always preferred Eric Idle of the members of the Monty Python gang. The more talented writer, both in sketch material and song lyrics(to any other Python fan who appreciates those; Yes, Idle wrote and performed the main theme), the better facial expressions and acting. Naturally, when I found out that he had written and starred in a film of his own(though John Cleese does also have a role), I had to watch it. I don't believe I ever did get to watch this more than a few times, some years back, and then I didn't really go back to it until today. As much as I like Idle, I have to admit that this isn't up to the standards of most of the Pythons' movies or Flying Circus episodes. The basic idea is fun enough; I won't reveal it here, though, since it is an important plot point(and I urge anyone reading this to not read any of the cast credits on the main page... and if you've already done so, try your best to forget what you read). The plot certainly isn't brilliant, but it's quite funny, and makes for some highly comical situations. The pacing is actually fairly solid. I can't think of any point in the film where I was genuinely bored... in spite of knowing everything that would happen. The acting is all very good. The characters are quite well-written, though I guess few of them are particularly likable. The humor is quite black, and some will definitely be offended. I'm not fond of admitting it, but Cleese actually has some of the funniest moments of the entire film. He's not very prominently featured, but he is hilarious when he is on-screen. Moranis is about as tolerable as usual... I don't feel much neither for nor against him, but if you don't care for him, you won't like him in this, either. Idle gets to both under- and overplay, and his presence was definitely the selling point of the movie for me. All in all, some very funny moments, but only just enough to make it worth watching. I recommend it to huge fans of the Monty Python crew, in particular those fond of Idle and Cleese. 6/10

I can't imagine what the fans of this film have managed to find to entertain them. No plot, poor acting and a transatlantic ambition which was ill-conceived, combine to make this one of the worst films I have ever seen. At a guess, I would say that those involved were looking to exploit the US popularity of the Monty Python team, yet even a mediocre film like "A Fish Called Wanda" made some effort to write a script that, whilst fairly offensive to Brits looking to see a film about themselves, didn't treat the country as a theme park. This film doesn't make you wonder how so many talented people became involved in such an awful project. It makes you wonder whether those people are very talented after all.

This film wasn't awful. I'll start by saying that. There was many things that this film was, but awful was not one of them. Reading that last sentence, it didn't really make sense, but you know what I mean. I'm a die-hard Monty Python fan and rabid Eric Idle lover, so I'm a bit (Ha!) biased. But really, this wasn't bad. It wasn't something that I'd expect from a great like Eric, but there's nothing wrong with making a movie solely for profit. It may have looked good on paper, but it didn't translate well to the screen. Other Monty Python and Eric Idle fans will love this for the inside jokes, but those who don't like Monty Python do yourself, and Eric, a favor and stay away. Go rent 'Life of Brian' or 'All You Need Is Cash' to see Eric at a better time. The one thing that really bothered me was John Cleese's character. It's like Eric called him up and said, "Hey John, why don't you play an evil, selfish lawyer? You know, for a change?"