Absolutely Anything

When I first read about "Absolutely Anything" on IMDB, I was excited to see it. After all, it was directed by the late Terry Jones....and I adore almost all the post-Monty Python stuff he's done. His documentaries have been brilliant and I longed to see him direct yet again...plus he co-wrote the film. And, I was excited to see that five of the old Python actors were in the film. Ultimately, however, this all led to disappointment as most of the Pythoners were NOT physically in the film but just provided voices for some goofy aliens. And, while there is a quick cameo of Jones himself...it was just too quick. Plus, and I know this will sound awful, Jones turned out to be in horrible health when he made the film and he was suffering from rather severe Dementia. I have no idea how much this affected the movie...but surely it did.

The story itself is a silly thing where Neil (Simon Pegg) is suddenly given god-like powers in order for these aliens to test the human race. And, if he does poorly and acts selfishly, then the entire planet is slated for destruction. Naturally, Neil is dumb and does lots of dumb things with the powers but ultimately makes a great decision at the end.

In many ways, the film is like combining the old "Twilight Zone" episode "Mr. Dingle the Strong" (where Burgess Meredith is given Herculean physical power) and "Evan Almighty". The film IS enjoyable and it kept my interest...unfortunately, it also was nothing more than this and the Python reunion (of sorts...and without the deceased Graham Chapman) was a bust. Watchable and worth seeing...provided your expectations are not huge.

By the way, in a weird case of art NOT imitating life, there is one point where Neil's dog (voiced by Robin Williams) saves someone from committing suicide. Considering Williams himself committed suicide and the film came out well after this, it seem in questionable taste to have this scene.

Anyone who rated this less than a 5 has no sense of humor. I don't know what the heck they were expecting to see but whatever it was it was not ab out this funny flick.

Simon Pegg, a British staple in comedic endeavors, is perfectly cast as the poor shlub who is given the power to have anything he wishes just by saying it and waving his hand. The kicker is that he only has the power for 24 hours and that his wishes don't go exactly as planned.

The maxim, "Be careful what you wish for," could be the theme of this funny flick - especially if you are used to speaking literally. The power is granted to Pegg by a bunch of the weirdest assortment of aliens this side of the Bar Scene in Star Wars who travel from galaxy to galaxy looking for species worthy of joining their fraternity of planets.

I liked this film so much that I watched it a second time with my daughter. You'll love it.

Absolutely Anything is a funny enough light comedy that seems better thanks to its notorious cast but unfortunately is a bit subdued to 'wow'.

Simon Pegg plays Neil Clarke, an unassuming teacher who has a crush on his neighbor and hates his job and boss. Little does he know that aliens are circling the planet, ready to put it to the test. One lucky human gets the power to do absolutely anything, and if they use the power for good then great, if they use it for bad, well then the aliens blow up the planet. Seems fair enough.

For those Jim Carrey fans out there, the idea behind Absolutely Anything is strikingly similar to 2003's Bruce Almighty. But unlike the Americans, the Brits are far more restrained in their use of absolute power and complete command of the universe. Neil just wants the simple things, to mess with his friends and maybe improve his work and body sitch. In fact, the ways in which Neil uses his complete power is almost too restrained and basically ends up making the film feel like a missed opportunity.

There are several decisions the producers made that really optimized the film, like getting the Monty Python gang to voice the aliens and Robin Williams to voice Neil's pet dog Dennis. Between their comedy chops and Simon Pegg, it seems impossible for this film to be bland, but it is. It seems as though the film strictly follows the script, leaving very little improvisational wiggle room which is where all the aforementioned talents shine. The comedy of Absolutely Anything is fine, entertaining and delightful, but not memorable or laugh- out- loud funny either.

Ultimately, Absolutely Anything suffers from a lack of creativity and originality in its comedy. It is amusing but average, and in the sea of films released annually, you won't even give it a second thought.

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This film tells the story of a teacher who suddenly finds himself having the power of making absolutely anything come true. He uses his power to make his life better, but it turns out that great powers come with great burden and responsibilities as well.

Simon Pegg's character unfortunately does not quite know how to use his new almighty power, and bumps into a lot of mistakes. The plot could have been entertaining, but I think the potential for a good comedy is not fully capitalised. The American soldier is quite funny, Kate Beckinsale as the love interest is engaging, but the alien subplot is quite ridiculous. I would rather the aliens have nothing to do with this plot! Otherwise, "Absolutely Anything" is a plain film with some laughs, but nothing very memorable.

This film follows a man named Neil Clarke (Simon Pegg) and his story after being granted the ability to get whatever he wishes for by a group of aliens as an experiment.

This film had some great advertisements that interested me to watch this film. Its plot line alone, the ability to grant any wish you have to come true, had me intrigued. The film does a good job at keeping the 'wonder' feel going throughout the film. The missing two stars are because i just feel so much more could of been done in this film and there were many opportunities to branch out and do different stuff, but most of the time they kept it simple. A few of his wishes were clever and mad me really wonder 'what would i wish for?' but some were far too simple.

I won't spoil it because this is spoiler free, but the ending to this film isn't as good as the first half of the film. That was probably the weakest part. You won't walk out of this movie thinking 'Oh my gosh Simon Pegg just delivered the best performance in his entire career' but, that does not mean it was bad. the acting was good, the editing was fine as well and overall, i recommend this film on a rainy day as entertainment to pass the time. I doubt it will be the best film you have ever seen but you will have a fun time with it. 8/10