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Very bad sex British sex comedy from the 1970's. The film has reasonable amounts of nudity, but it is most remarkable for the truly appalling attempts at comedy. Did people find this sort of thing funny then? Or would they not show films in the cinema if they were just 90 minutes of nudity? But worst of all is the films title song - it must rank as one of the worst of any film, any time.

We enjoy watching British sex comedies - there is great enjoyment to be had watching the comparatively innocent antics of hapless male protagonists trying desperately to get their end away.

The Ups and Downs of a Handyman barely stands up as entertainment even on the undemanding terms of British sex comedies. It is as boring as hell and has production values (and we use the term loosely) that make the Confessions series look like something from the Golden Era of the Hollywood studio system.

Barry Stokes makes for an objectionable protagonist - the arrogant theme song "wouldn't you like to be me" (not, really) gets the viewer off on the wrong foot. Instead of wanting to see Stokes f**k, you just wish he would f**k off. Robin Asquith at least had charm and a likable quality that endeared him to male and female viewers alike, come to think of it, even Jeremy Bulloch as Gil Masters in Can You Keep it up for a Week? was a more sympathetic character than Barry Stokes' Bob.

This was released on video with the cash-in title of Confessions of an Odd-Job Man, but the title fooled few people, as this catchpenny knock-off is quite simply appalling.

Avoid it in the same way that you would avoid and aggressive, hydrophobic dog foaming at the mouth.

I`ve seen this film a few times ,and it seems quite similar to the Carry On films ,even poaching some of the same actors,but it`s good fun and harmless enough,although the house featured ,and definitely the bathroom ,I have also seen in a much more explicit short film entitled Big Boobed Lady (all in the course of research obviously). The storyline is quite weak ,but then that isn`t the point of the film.There`s some nice scenery and its definitely a village I wouldn`t mind living in ! There were a lot of saucy British comedy films like this in the 1970`s ,and this is a long way from being the worst of them.Check it out and have a good laugh !

Let's just say that this one is pretty ugly. The sex scenes are terrible, the ladies won't cause even the likes of Christina "The Alien" Aguilera to lose any sleep in the beauty department, there are scenes that were stolen from "Benny Hill" (including the famous speed running scenes), and yes, the theme song is awful. Still, it's wicked fun to watch Barry Stokes (as The Handyman) find sex everywhere he goes. At least that's what you'll find in the "real world". You'd be lucky to spend an afternoon with Christina "The Alien" Aguilera.

It never ceases to amaze me why people are so sanctimonious about this genre of film (the Radio Times is just the same). I loved it! It's packed with all the classic seaside postcard humour that made Carry On and Benny Hill (yes, the late comic genius Benny Hill - Charlie Chaplin thought so) that makes films like this so watchable time and again. Yes, it's lightweight, but that's its triumph: it's just a story about a jack-the-lad having a good time with the girls. I'd swap with him!!

By the way, any film featuing Valerie Leon is worth watching for her alone. Her beauty is simply out of this world.

Mind you, the theme tune is absolutely awful........