Percy's Progress

In many ways, watching "Percy's Progress" is a depressing experience.

Not only because it was a failure as a comedy, but that the quality cast it assembled and capable director/producer team had seen much better days and illustrated how much of a rut the UK film industry was in the mid-1970s

The film's humour, a predictably endless series of double-entendres, is generally tedious.

Having said that, it could've been worse and is a slight improvement on the original 1971 film, "Percy".

This is because "Percy" tried to have it's cake and eat it too; be both a low-brow sex comedy and a serious analysis of the central character's predicament (and unsuccessful on both counts). This resulted in star Hywel Bennett's sad sack performance which belonged in another film.

At least "Percy's Progress" doesn't pretend it's anything other than a bawdy sex comedy and is a bit livelier than it's predecessor. It's farcical elements aren't particularly funny, but at least it's trying.

And there are minor pleasures in the performances. As the central character (although actually playing a different person from the first film technically), Leigh Lawson is an improvement on Bennett and is a fairly amiable rogue of a character.

And there are inevitable minor pleasures from a strong cast, including Corbett in an enjoyable performance as a Harold Wilson- type PM. And any film that has Vincent Price in it is always raised a level or two.

But overall, apart from being curio of 1970s UK cinema, this is a film not worth seeking out.

The mating season continues with Miss Conception et al. This movie unfortunately suffered severe competition from French Connection 2 and Godfather 2 when it was released. Or did it? Still being WAY better than Porky's (1981), it fits right in with any Troma-movie. There is excessive lavatorial humor and even a toxic disaster. Then some more lavatorial humor. The music is stoopid too. Some might like the looks of Percy, who is probably casted to look like Alain Delon. Or something. My opinion is that Percy has turned into a fascist: doing it for England with carefully selected women ... Sounds like Dr. Strangelove, doesn't it? Rather see part one if you must.

Have we seen percy's last stand? I certainly hope so. You'll regret seeing this, even if you're an Elke Sommer completist. Personally, I watched this because I'm a Denholm Elliot (Trading Places, 1983) and Vincent Price (Roger Corman collaborator) completist. Really.

I haven't seen the original Percy, but the cast that consists of the likes of Denholm Elliot, Vincent Price(my main reason as I am a big fan and completist of his) and Barry Humphries promised much. Sadly, the cast that looked so great on paper are largely wasted in this awful movie, an all-time low for all involved. The biggest problem was the script, which had no fun or wit whatsoever. You'd be hard pressed to find any jokes, and when there are any glimpses of anything resembling one it was the kind that is better flushed down the toilet. The story is thinly structured and so poorly focused that it is very difficult to find anything interesting or easy to comprehend, while the characters have no likability or any sense of development, the direction from Ralph Thomas lacks life and has the feel that he didn't know what he was doing, the soundtrack feels misplaced and too much and it even looks amateurish. Leigh Lawson, in an attempt to give him greater exposure, is also rather bland in the lead role.

Overall, the cast were promising but are (grossly) poorly utilised in a frankly infantile waste of time. 1/10 Bethany Cox

If you like British humor, then this movie is just plain fun. Check it out on a rainy Sunday afternoon. If you like, "Carry on" movies or "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machine's, then it might be for you. It's a typical British cheeky,sexy farce.OK it does't have the production values of the great 60's flicks, but it's still great fun. Check out the cast, Vincent Price, Barry Humphries (aka Dame Edna), Judy Greeson. A guy goes to sea and drinks nothing but champaign for a year, meanwhile the entire earths water supply is contaminated.Every guy on the planet can't, ya know. Except this guy, and off we go from there. Kinda reminds me of "The Cave Gap" in Dr.Strangelove

This sequel to Percy is a blot on the careers of all who appeared in or were involved in the production. This shows to what depths the British film industry had sunk at the time this film was made. What a waste of a fine cast.