Staggered (1994)

You won't be disappointed!

So much average

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I saw this several times when it first came out and shortly afterwards on DVD (rental), then couldn't find it on DVD for years to rent or to buy. I have just purchased my first DVD for over ten years simply to own this classic film again. They don't make them like this any more, unfortunately. This movie is one of the very few out there that you can't find anywhere online, on the yohoho sites for example. I can't think why that is because there are many thousands of movies out there that i would definitely consider to be utter drek compared to this movie. Twilight and High school musical are prime examples, i had the misfortune to have these thrust upon me when spending time with an ex-girlfriend's kids - i wish i could remove the damaged portion of my brain that was exposed to that drivel. Anyway, Staggered is awesome.

When I recently checked the TV schedules and saw that this was on the menu I made sure that I programmed my video recorder, and I was not disappointed with the end product! Martin Clunes is the hapless groom who is spirited away to a remote Scottish island by his devious best mate, and has to find his way back to the church on time to tie the matrimonial knot. There are plenty of laughs along the way and Sylvia Syms is superb as Margaret, the domineering mother-in-law from hell, who detests the very sight of poor Neil (Clunes). Griff Rhys Jones is great as the pervy salesman, resplendent in leather/spiky bondage pants! The characterisation is spot-on throughout and the performances make for an entertaining romp, even though you have to suspend belief for some of the scenes (I'm sure a that a near-naked man would arouse more interest even at a remote Scottish airport, but that is a very minor point). Even Neil Morrissey, Clunes's sidekick from the hit comedy "Men Behaving Badly" gets in on the act as the wedding videographer. All in all, a very engaging British comedy which had me smiling and laughing out loud more than I could have previously imagined. (8/10)

This movie isn't half bad! It has a great cast including Martin Clunes, Michael Praed and Griff Rhys-Jones (!) There are plenty of funny scenes in this movie although at times they tend to clash with the more serious issues like death etc. Overall I think this is a top British film that has a lot going for it. There were some very funny moments throughout and if you're a fan of any of these actors, it's pretty doubtless that you'll enjoy this. 8/10

Definitely an under-rated comedy. But I also wonder if there's more going on than comedy? The whole structure - Neil's journey home with trials, tribulations and odd characters detaining him, ending with the confrontation with a rival suitor, seemed to allude strongly to the Odyssey. There were strange elements too: why the final flashback to the police station, with the pan back in 'tunnel vision' style from the dark fading scene, before we see another, unknown, man finding himself naked in Scotland (and presumably beginning a similar journey)? And there was the constant allusion to death: the old woman rowing Neil to the mainland; Carmen's speech about death being the natural state of things; Neil's confrontation with the gunman; and the autopsy dream sequence. I kept thinking of "Jacob's Ladder" (whose hero, like Neil, spent the film nursing a painful injury, had a hallucinatory sequence of being vivisected while denying he was dead, and ended up embracing death). Are the events in "Staggered" Neil's near-death fabulation?