Review by Leofwine_draca

NOT NOW, COMRADE is a Cold War-themed British farce adapted from his own play by Ray Cooney, who also co-directs alongside TV veteran Harold Snoad (the guy later behind KEEPING UP APPEARANCES). Most of it is set inside a household where various characters are trying to evade the authorities and some are planning to defect to Britain and back to Russia again. It all gets rather complicated, as you'd expect, so it's best to think of this as a film about a bunch of oddballs and their high-energy interactions.

I think the film works well because it has a clear CARRY ON influence in its lightness of touch and slapstick jokes. I particularly enjoyed the endless innuendos which are mild enough to remain clean and yet humorous at the same time. Plus, there's a who's who British cast to enjoy. Leslie Phillips plays an older variation of his usual characters while Ian Lavender is a toffish buffoon. Roy Kinnear has some of the funniest moments as the exasperated gardener. Windsor Davies and Don Estelle have good cameos and the latter sings the title song. Carol Hawkins has little to do other than show her charms but she does that well enough and Michele Dotrice has some of Betty's exasperation about her. Lewis Fiander (DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE) is all camp as the ballet dancer and June Whitfield has a bit part. Richard Marner's goofy Russian seems to be a dry run for Colonel Von Strohm. It's good clean fun, and sorely underrated.