Blame It on the Bellboy

Why did this receive such a low rating? This is a delightfully funny farce that had me on the floor. It's so hilarious! It goes through with its intention of being a fast-paced, old-fashioned farce mixed with the good ol' comedy of errors. The cast is superb. I only wish Dudley Moore could've been given a funnier part - this is definitely one of his more thankless roles. Unfortunately, this was one of his last roles, if not the last. But he was still an incredible comic actor and he will surely be missed. Richard Griffiths, who I remember as the cripple in "Naked Gun 2 1/2," is extremely funny. Bryan Brown plays it straight as a bewildered hitman, and does a fantastic job. I also liked that woman who played his eventual love interest - she has some very funny scenes. And man-oh-man is Patsy Kensit a hottie or what?!!!

The script is contrived and most of the gags are forced, but I give the writer/director an "E" for effort. It's hard to pull off a wacky farce like this with great precision. It was done excellently in "Ruthless People," but not every farce can be like "Ruthless People." I said it before and I'll say it again, the sense of humor don't lie. If I'm roaring with laughter, obviously the film did its job. And I was roaring all right!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Three men; Orton, Horton and Lawton find themselves in unorthodox situations due to the misunderstanding of a bellboy.

This farcical comedy is right on the mark. Clever misunderstandings arise and they're all well played out, with a willing cast who aim to please. Dudley Moore is especially appealing here in one of his last screen roles. Bronson Pinchot is also a riot as the world's worst bellboy.

The script is tight, I felt it could have been even longer, some plot holes but who cares? It's very funny all the way. Using beautiful scenery from lovely Venice, the film gets even more of an appeal. I can't see how one can dislike a film like this.

Low rent comedy, but still offered a few laughs. Pinchot seems to be typecast in this sort of role as the stupid, confused foreigner. The chief of the thugs is also another guy we see playing the insane killer a lot, but both players do their jobs well. Overall, I liked this one, it was better than I expected and offered some nice shots of Venice.

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

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.