PipAndSqueak

Given the date when this first aired, I see why I didn't see it first time. Twenty years later I have a far greater appreciation of where this comedy sits and the acting strengths of the actors. Bob Mortimer is a genuinely "nice bloke", as it's said and that comes over in his contributions to the script. Vic Reeves (Jim Muir) is more surrealist oddball but the two have always worked very effectively together. Catterick....perhaps Catholic is what is referenced - despite the actual military camp at Catterick where "Paul" and his mother appear to live. We do get to see a vengeful mother, a male who's 'bit' goes missing and a psycho child. Very much the Pagan Ishtar story barely hidden in Catholic Church worship. Interesting! Mark Benton plays his character adorably, with polite good boy vibes all along. Meanwhile, the comic acting range of Matt Lucas is absolutely showcased by his many guises throughout this series. He is a legend. There is dead-panning galore, understatement worthy of an Oscar and outright slam-dunk slapstick humour sprinkled liberally. A really lovely series which satisfies whilst also leaving us on a tenterhook.

Well, what depths of bs so-called entertainment are you folks accustomed to these days? I suspect, the majority of you are not noticing how bad the stuff you pay to see is. I'm not saying this film is completely bad, its just that it could have been so much better. There was a nice set up, some good location, filmset and costume choices. However, some of the casting selections really do irritate even when we can see there is a purpose to making certain characters 'villains' - I note specifically Tim Keys in his role as Commissioner and Harris Dickinson as a rather too limp-wristed, soft-effeminite-speaking Richard Attenborough. The first of these conveys no sense of pompous self-importance nor gravitas of the self-important as the character clearly warrants & the 2nd, really, I don't know where to start. Let's just say, wallflowers don't make very good actors - real or fictionalized. Given the dire tripe on offer in cinemas these days, if you really do have a couple of hours to waste, no harm will come to you whilst watching this mildly engaging fantasy trip.

The more I think about this film the less I rate it. If you bother to watch it, your heart string might be twanged a couple of times but, other than that, it will leave you cold. Or, as happened in the cinema I attended, a group of very disgruntled people (at least a dozen) will leave, noisily, half way through. There is just a scintilla of truth to the story, i.e. Goya's portrait was taken from the gallery & Kempton Bunton was associated with the story. Everything else. Rubbish. For your information, if you are not old enough to know, streets in England were very very clean in the 1960's, there were even spittoons as it was illegal to spit on the pavement. Metal dustbins contained ashes (from coal fires) were collected by very efficient and cleanliness aware dustmen from the back alleys of the terraced houses. The fronts of the houses were kept very neat and clean, women scrubbing and polishing their front step was a common sight. Paper was valued as a it had multiple uses. Rags were collected by rag and bone men for the purpose of making brown paper (also much valued). Foods - ie fruit and veg were not wrapped. Take out food was fish and chips in yesterday's newspaper. There is much more that is misrepresented in this presentation. I cant be bothered telling you any more.