Absolutely Anything

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.

8.25 of 10. Amusing, alien-based soft-science fiction. Not as intricate as Douglas Adams' classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or its 2005 adaptation, but delivers in almost every other way. It's too bad it wasn't developed a little more and made into a longer film.

Besides Simon Pegg being the ideal pick for the lead character, Robin Williams doing another post-death cameo as the voice of a dog character - speaking, thinking animals being another favorite of Adams - adds a lot of fun and post-film credits enjoyment to a story about humans getting in the way of our alien overlords.

More than just comedy or sci-fi-light, there's some excellent satire, subtexts, and recursive comprehension built into the film, making it one of the rare alien, animal-speaking films that are almost believable.

While I don't think it's "One of the worst movies ever made", or "appalling", as some critics have said. But I must say that I was really disappointed with Absolutely Anything, because I had such high hopes for this movie to be great just by the cast behind the movie and the director, but it didn't reach my expectations has I wanted. What's more sad is that this is the very last Robin Williams performance (He voices the dog in the movie).

Not once did I laugh or even smile. It was very predictable and not that original when it comes to the story. Simon Pegg dose make a likable main character and Robin Williams dose a great job voicing the dog named "Dennis". But what's more crushing is that The Monty Python crew were involved in making this movie, because they wrote it, stared in it and one of them directed it.

Overall Absolutely Anything isn't awful, but nowhere near great or good.

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.

A group of aliens decide to put the fate of the world in the hands of one random guy by giving him the power to make anything happen as a test towards predicting the values of humanity.

British writer/director Terry Jones, known for his work with the hilarious Monty Python comedy group, returns with his first feature film in 19 years for Absolutely Anything, and it's absolutely perfect absurdity. From a hilarious talking dog to a series of unpredictable gags ranging from walking turds to the accidental annihilation of an entire classroom of kids, the film's unpredictable humor is completely nuts. But like a fine mix of chocolate-covered nuts, Jones makes sure none of the jokes ever become mean-spirited, ensuring the film maintains some refined substance through its mostly lighthearted antics. Just don't expect the same style of humor seen in his '70s comedic masterpiece Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Now I won't try and bring your hopes up with empty promises, considering this flick is far from being award-worthy. Any forms of deep character development or profound script elements are instead replaced with an extra dose of silly gags, but at least they're funny enough to justify their existence. Full of unexpected wit that cleverly mixes its comedic styles, Absolutely Anything had me laughing from start to finish. Obviously Simon Pegg deserves some recognition for this, considering he's the one that allowed the far-fetched situations come to life with impeccable comedic timing. The best parts are, of course, the trial and error associated with Pegg trying to figure out how to properly use his powers without having them hilariously backfire in his face. What will surprise audiences the most, however, is the fantastic voice work brought to Pegg's lovably annoying pet dog by none other than the late legend himself, Robin Williams. It's a little bittersweet considering it's his final roll, but it certainly comes with great pleasure to say it's a memorable one.

Thankfully I never bothered checking out the film's Rotten Tomatoes rating before watching it, because it's exceptionally low 8% critic approval might have persuaded me not to give it a chance. How the undeniably pointless Stan-Helsing or Kevin Smith's unfunny detective comedy Cop Out managed to get higher critic approval scores is beyond me. Maybe it's time people adjust the tracking on their VCRs and take the time to actually watch things clearly. Wait… People don't watch VHS tapes anymore? Oh… Well I guess we can't really blame the picture quality now can we? Hum… Perhaps my taste in movies has just relinquished in quality over the years? Or maybe my sense of humor just belongs in a Saturday morning cartoon? Either way, I'd like to think I'm not the crazy one.