Ah! Quel cottage!

In a loose follow-up to the excellent Fast Lady, Stanley Baxter and James Roberson Justice star in this rather lacklustre British comedy. Technically, it's alright, but somehow it never quite gets going like its predecessor. If you're playing British 1960s comedy film bingo, you'll fill your card up by the end of the film: domineering father-in-law, foot in paint bucket, getting stopped by the police, yokels, dodgy workmen, and lots more. Ronnie Barker is the standout performer as the dodgy local workman. But James Robertson-Justice just seems to be phoning it in on this one, and Stanley Baxter, who later went on to play so many diverse parts, just reprises his comically obstinate Scotsman persona for this film. All in all not a bad film, but not a great one, either.

Yet again a film from a lost era of charm and innocence. The cast act out their respective parts well, and again add warmth and charm to the film. Robertson-justice plays an excellent part (as usual) as the pompous over-bearing Sir Beverly Grant. And, as the newly weds a renovate their cottage, viewers to the film are probably yearning to own a cottage just like it, set in beautiful surroundings.

Newlyweds Stanley Baxter and Sally Smith have been staying her father's home. Unfortunately, he's James Robertson Justice playing another Great Man. This time he's a great actor, with pictures of him in costume scattered about the house, and busts, too. Baxter can't stand it any more, so he and Miss Smith purchase a rundown cottage and try to rehabilitate it. But Robertson keeps poking his nose in, and there are a lot of popular clowns of the era in this one, so the inevitable series of comic disasters take place. With Leslie Phillips a the estate agent, Ronnie Barker as the builder, and Raymond Huntley stealing his three scenes without speaking a word, it's the sort of movie about young people without enough money for their dream house.

Mostly, though, it's bright and funny for the first half, with Justice playing his supercilious character with his usual comic dash. The final crisis is all right, but with so many people fighting for screen time, it comes off a bit mechanical.

I think this might be described as a film that didn't quite realise the sum of it's parts. A strong British comedy line up, but a rather thin plot and comedy that bordered just a bit too much on slapstick for my liking. "Sally" (Julie Munro) and "Dexter" (Stanley Baxter) are newlyweds trying to - thriftily - do up their rather ramshackle cottage that they bought from "Chipfield" (Leslie Philips). Enter her father, the wealthy and somewhat domineering "Sir Beverley" who imposes himself on the young couple - and on their wily builders - with predictably disastrous results. It is probably half an hour too long this, the jokes are there but you can see the punchlines from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Characterful, though - there is some chemistry on screen and a host of well-known faces (many from history!) keep the film moving along OK from one set-piece to the next. You might not recall watching it shortly afterwards, but it's an amusing enough 90 minutes that reminds you of the old adage - "nobody over 50 ought ever to go up a ladder!"

For anyone who likes classic Brit sitcoms of the 'As Time Goes By' type, this movie will leave you with lots of laughs and a feeling of bonhomie.

The larger than life James Robertson Justice, better known to fans of the 'Doctor' series of Richard Gordon book-derived movies, is always worth watching. He is one actor whose presence can keep a movie afloat no mater how bad the supporting cast. In this movie, he is ably supported by an excellent cast of English comedians, including the great Hugh Lloyd, Leslie Phillips, Ronnie Barker and so on.

Beautifully photographed unlike many other Brit movies of the 1960s, it holds up well. I'm not aware of a DVD release, but the print screened on free-to-air Sydney TV today was stunning. Look out for it!