(Contains SPOILERs for the movie and DVD)
This film ought to be funny, as every critic in the world thinks it is, it has been written by John Cleese, is directed by the talented comedy director Charles Chricton and stars Cleese alongside with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin, all of whom are great comedians. But it just isn´t. The fault is not in the actors, they all do a great job, but it´s Cleese´s script that makes this such a disappointment to me. Many scenes that other critics have praised high, such as Cleese stripping, while the family comes in are hardly funny if you have seen at least one episode of Mr. Bean before this movie. Also Kevin Kline is too good as sadistic maniac Otto. If this was a Monty Python movie, Otto would be such an outragiously exaggerated character, that it would be at least a little bit funny. But Kline acts so naturally that you just hate the guy throughout the movie. It seems to me that the whole movie is made for American audiences rather than British, as the jokes are dumber and Kline and Cleese both mock the British culture all the time. It would´ve been fun to make the both mock each other´s cultures, but Cleese´s only comeback is the comment on Americans losing the Vietnam war. Sadly, a great scene, in which Cleese complains about Rambo, American football etc. was cut and even in the Special Edition DVD it´s a hidden extra.
Very little in Cleese´s script is the same comic brilliance, good timing and as funny as his material in Monty Python and Fawlty Towers (Like the Dead Parrot sketch, Ministry of Silly Walks and the Towers episode "Germans"). There are some of those moments, however. Michael Palin´s animal-loving stutterer Ken almost saves the movie for me. The only part that made me laugh is Ken trying to murder the witness, but each time accidentally kills one of her dogs. It´s like a Road Runner cartoon came to life, when the second dog is squashed like a pancake and very, very funny. It also gave me lots of pleasure, when Palin gets his revenge in the end and drives over Otto with a steam roller. It´s Palin alone who lifts this movie´s grade by two whole numbers.
6/10
The best part: The actual best part was for some idiotic reason deleted from the final movie and it was another part that reminded me of those good Python and Fawlty days. The scene can be seen on the DVD in one of the documents.
Cleese tries to get the stuttering Ken to tell him, where has Otto gone with the diamonds. Ken stutters too much, so Cleese can´t make anything out of his speech. ken tries to write it, the pen´s run out of ink and the pencil needs sharpening. The electric type writer hasn´t any paper, it´s no use trying to write with toothpaste on the window and so on. Finally, Palin succeeds on writing the place´s name on the wall with his own blood, with the cut he got from trying to sharpen the pencil with a pen knife.
This film ought to be funny, as every critic in the world thinks it is, it has been written by John Cleese, is directed by the talented comedy director Charles Chricton and stars Cleese alongside with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin, all of whom are great comedians. But it just isn´t. The fault is not in the actors, they all do a great job, but it´s Cleese´s script that makes this such a disappointment to me. Many scenes that other critics have praised high, such as Cleese stripping, while the family comes in are hardly funny if you have seen at least one episode of Mr. Bean before this movie. Also Kevin Kline is too good as sadistic maniac Otto. If this was a Monty Python movie, Otto would be such an outragiously exaggerated character, that it would be at least a little bit funny. But Kline acts so naturally that you just hate the guy throughout the movie. It seems to me that the whole movie is made for American audiences rather than British, as the jokes are dumber and Kline and Cleese both mock the British culture all the time. It would´ve been fun to make the both mock each other´s cultures, but Cleese´s only comeback is the comment on Americans losing the Vietnam war. Sadly, a great scene, in which Cleese complains about Rambo, American football etc. was cut and even in the Special Edition DVD it´s a hidden extra.
Very little in Cleese´s script is the same comic brilliance, good timing and as funny as his material in Monty Python and Fawlty Towers (Like the Dead Parrot sketch, Ministry of Silly Walks and the Towers episode "Germans"). There are some of those moments, however. Michael Palin´s animal-loving stutterer Ken almost saves the movie for me. The only part that made me laugh is Ken trying to murder the witness, but each time accidentally kills one of her dogs. It´s like a Road Runner cartoon came to life, when the second dog is squashed like a pancake and very, very funny. It also gave me lots of pleasure, when Palin gets his revenge in the end and drives over Otto with a steam roller. It´s Palin alone who lifts this movie´s grade by two whole numbers.
6/10
The best part: The actual best part was for some idiotic reason deleted from the final movie and it was another part that reminded me of those good Python and Fawlty days. The scene can be seen on the DVD in one of the documents.
Cleese tries to get the stuttering Ken to tell him, where has Otto gone with the diamonds. Ken stutters too much, so Cleese can´t make anything out of his speech. ken tries to write it, the pen´s run out of ink and the pencil needs sharpening. The electric type writer hasn´t any paper, it´s no use trying to write with toothpaste on the window and so on. Finally, Palin succeeds on writing the place´s name on the wall with his own blood, with the cut he got from trying to sharpen the pencil with a pen knife.