Can You Keep It Up for a Week?

The title is typical of the stream of unfunny double entendres by Robin Gough dignified with being called a script ("I like a man who keeps his tool where he can get at it..."), but aside from looking painfully cheap - apart from the Holiday Inn used at the conclusion - and the horrible clothes worn by most of the men it stands up remarkably well to today's rigorously PC standards.

The interview panel vetting hero Jeremy Bulloch are all women (and at least two are obviously of mature years), most of the women are good-humouredly unflappable (and several holding down responsible jobs) while actively enjoying sex; gay characters of both sexes are matter-of-factly introduced into the narrative and one of the women he ends up romping with is black.

It's usually women who in reality complain about mens' disinclination to commit; yet here despite the fact that the two of them are already enjoying a highly satisfactory love life it's the hero who wants to get married and his gorgeous big-haired girlfriend who makes it the subject of the bet that gives the film it's title before she's prepared to tie the knot.

No surprise that this review is from another country from the Commonwealth (Canada). This was shown on Cable T.V. from a channel that shows everything from Ben Hur to films like this one. I was surprised by two things: the plentiful nudity, which seemed excessive for 1974 and also the politically correct ending. Still, this was a good watch, for the cast is very attractive, the characters are all flawed but likeable, and it was well made. Indeed, Jill Damas is a knockout, and she can certainly slap people in the face with panache.

Typical sex comedy that I use mainly as pornography in which respect it works quite well. Better indeed than pornhub often.

It's not pornography though: it's ribaldry. It's amiable enough; it's unpretentious though the episodic nature, while fitting, does mean that there isn't a lot of push in the pacing.

Fascinatingly of its time; though at the same time I must admit that people don't seem to overcoming this complex about candour in front of the opposite sex.

It's creepy the relationship at its center. She's willing to sleep with him without needing to marry him, that much is admirable but 1) the way he is so attached to her even though she deliberately refuses to help with his employment even when she WANTS him to get work...that's messed up.

And 2) she abuses him physically.

Cute girls, including interracial stuff and good scenarios.

British sex comedy that doesn't have diana dors in it! ( shock) man needs to keep job for a week (hence the title) so that his girlfriend will agree to marry him. Plenty of beautiful females, a likeable performance from jeremy bulloch and a debut from the lovely jill damas who steals every scene that she is in (particulary in that short skirt). worthwhile if you have nothing else to do.

Despite the amusing title, CAN YOU KEEP IT UP FOR A WEEK? is an anything but amusing film. It's a dated British sex comedy of the 1970s that has much in common with the likes of the CONFESSIONS... and ADVENTURES... series, albeit with a much poorer script. A bride-to-be promises her future husband her hand in marriage if he can keep a job for a week. His job entails him working as a kind of handyman providing special 'services' for various clients.

I don't know who Robin Gough was but as a writer his work is very insubstantial. All of the usual situations are here - basically, the lead visiting various nubile women and getting into situations with them - and there's the potential for humour with disgruntled husbands and nymphos and the like, but it's all so lacklustre. Director Jim Atkinson was an editor and sound effects technician and this marks his sole directorial credit; you can see why he never went back behind the camera.

So why keep watching? Well, there's copious nudity from various voluptuous women, so if that's your bag then you might enjoy it. Valerie Leon has a cameo (and keeps her kit on, of course; she's the only one of the cast who does) and the lead is played by the wooden Jeremy Bulloch, best known to film fans for his role as Boba Fett in the STAR WARS franchise. Neil Hallett (KEEP IT UP DOWNSTAIRS) is better as his conniving boss, but best of all is the incredibly lovely Jill Damas, playing Bulloch's intended.