Blame It on the Bellboy (1992)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I've just read about 5 reviews panning this movie, one went so far as to call it the worst movie ever. What? I guess maybe it was too fast for them, they only like snuff films, or their diploma from film school stipulated that they can only find enjoyment in movies of over 3 hours that explain, through obscure symbolism, the whole mystery of human existence. Whatever, they have lost or maybe never had the ability to enjoy entertainment for entertaining only, no deep characters, no profound message, just slapstick. Someone complained about no "character development" fer chrissake! What? You needed to know what made Brown a hit-man, What school Moore went to? I guess my last thought would be; what then possessed them to watch this movie and write a review? Just to show how "culturny" they are compared to all of the simpletons who enjoyed the film? Get over your snooty selves! It's a funny film that you don't have to think about, just titter for 80+ minutes, then forget it and go on with your life.

I've watched this movie 5 times and each time I find another slew of great jokes, subtle sight gags or unexpected comedic high points. Never mind Dudley Moore, the real stars of this movie are Richard Griffiths, who last year took home an Oscar and Tony for his wildly hilarious and touching performance in History Boys, and his co-star, Penelope Wilton who plays the incredible Patricia in this movie. She manages to be guileless, disarming, charming and willful in the same scene. (Wilton also won a Tony for History Boys, was nominated for an Oscar, but lost out.) Not to mention Bryan Brown who is marvelous as the conflicted hit-man who secretly longs for a quiet corner and a florists' shop in which to retire. Who knew, after two F/X films, that he was so great at comedy. The main stars and head writer are comedy veterans from the Monty Python-precursor, Beyond the Fringe, and their adeptness with comedy really shows. This movie has everything: A great plot worthy of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, or Tom Stoppard at his funniest (Think The Real Inspector Hound, or Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead.) If you like your comedy literate, with beautiful scenery, subtlety, a little dark humor around the edges, and a surprise ending, you will love this movie. The entire case of multiple mistaken identity is based on Bronson Pinchot's riotous inability (in his best acting job ever) to pronounce the English "H". The result spins out in an unpretentious and delightful romp around beauteous locations in Venice, with marvelous comedic touches. These include a mob hit man who delights in taking Polaroids of his victims in ever more distressing situations and sordid death scenes. The torture of Dudley Moore reminded me of the best plays of the Irishman, Martin McDonagh. Think the Lieutenant of Inishmore, and substitute a Venetian villa for the cat. It's here, it's gone, it's falling apart, no it's back again. You wonder, throughout the second half of the movie, how the good guys will extricate themselves with all limbs intact, and how the evil doers will be punished. They are, and they do, all with several surprising twists that keep you guessing until the end. But you have to pay attention to appreciate everything else that is going on. (Look for the wonderful gags about Euruopean hotel cable TV, and the rhinoceroses at play.) Literate viewers who like witty repartee tossed off the way the Brits do it best, you will love this movie. Guaranteed.

It is no reflection upon the sadly recently departed Dudley Moore, who did some fine work in his career, but this film really is the pits. It's been around a decade since I saw this, but I can still remember getting excited as an 11 year old boy who loved his movies (and still does!) when mum suggested we go to the cinema. I had my own ideas about what I wanted to watch, but the majority of our party voted to take in this. I can still remember all of us sat in a darkened cinema, exchanging looks with each other as the farrago on the screen went from bad to worse. The screen was near packed, but everybody sat in silence as this supposed 'comedy' painfully ran itself out. Everybody, that is, except one clearly insane woman who thought every gesture was hilarious and emitted a piercing shriek to prove it. It was singularly the most uncomfortable period of time I've spent in a cinema, before or since. Mum still owes me a decent film for insisting we see this tripe! Since 1992, of course, the British seem to have learnt to make comedies that have mass market appeal, drawing as they do on our distinctly dry sense of humour. This film, however, was made in the dark ages where it was still considered acceptable in a comedy to gather the most offensive set of stereotypes together, and laugh as they did things like fall over. Oh, my sides. The events of the film seem to take place in some kind of parallel universe where the laws of reality do not apply. Every contrivance is shoehorned into the script in a desperately pathetic attempt to get a laugh. Surely the whole point of comedy is imagining such a thing happening to yourself? There is no chance of that, this is just a movie; and thank God for that, because it means I never, ever have to watch it again. If possible, burn all tapes of this you can find. If somebody sits you down to watch this, gouge your own eyes out. Anything to avoid this steaming pile of dung masquerading as a funny movie.

Take 3 Englishmen -1. Michael Horton (a philanderer indulging in a surreptitious tryst) 2. Mike Lawton (a hit man assigned to rub out an Italian mob boss) 3. Melvin Orton (a mousey junior manager on a property-buying assignment for his overbearing boss)and put them all in the same Venetian hotel with a bellhop who has great difficulty with the English language, and you have what promises to be a raucously funny good time, and 'Blame it on the Bellboy' delivers on the promise. This rousing comedy of confused identities comes right out of the tradition of the great British Ealing Studios film comedies of the late 50's and 60's (the same tradition 'A Fish Called Wanda' purported to come from; I found this movie a LOT funnier).My only complaint is that some of the grim scenes of mob violence would be more at home in the 'Lethal Weapon' series; in a farce like this they seem jarringly out of place. However, beautiful Patsy Kensit's presence more than compensates for this minor complaint (she was the blonde secretary in Lethal Weapon 2, remember?).On the whole, an A++ recommendation