Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Movie review - "Les Patterson Saves the World" (1987) **

Look, I know this is a bad movie. Les Patterson isn't a good figure for a lead in a movie - neither is Edna, really, the Barry McKenzie movies worked because of Barry. Les is a fun cameo but not fun to be around for over ninety minutes. But I did laugh at the Irish ambassador to the UN and Les causing a diplomatic incident by farting at the UN, and Bob Hawke, and Joan Rivers as the president saying "I want Herpes badly" and Thao Pengalis loving Dame Edna and Andrew Clarke in leather.

There is a good movie here struggling to get out - it really should have been a Barry McKenzie movie with Barry sent out to the Middle East. It definitely should not have cost this much money - though it looks gorgeous and I enjoyed the revolving restaurant.

Humphries takes on all sorts of targets, again though the aim is less sharp than in the McKenzie films - fame and money dulled his edge a little.  It lacks Bruce Beresford - I'm not sure it was ideal of Humphries to collaborate with his wife instead of an experienced screenwriter.

It's fun to see Graham Kennedy but I wish there had been more of him - ditto Pamela Stephenson (a brilliant comic talent whose film roles mostly just had her showing her cleavage). I'm surprised there were no big musical numbers.

It's not good. But I did laugh. And it is 10BA at its most 10BA-ness.

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