This embraceable comedy celebrates various icons of comedy while bidding farewell to a legend.
I don’t care how shabby the film may be, when the Monty Python boys get together, the result is certainly worth everyone’s time. Although it’s hard to argue it at times, the same can be said for the Simon Pegg vehicle Absolutely Anything, a fantasy tale that’s energetic, brisk, and bursting with lots of golden talent, including Robin Williams in his final theatrical role. In watching the film, it becomes easy to imagine Absolutely Anything having its share of detractors who will claim the film is beneath everyone involved, especially those responsible for it. Yet for those not holding the movie up to Holy Grail standards, the result is a genuinely fun romp that’s every bit as timeless as it is pure of heart.
Directed by Terry Jones, from a script by him and Gavin Scott, Absolutely Anything centers on Neil (Pegg), a mild-mannered London schoolteacher whose life is lacking in almost every regard. He’s bullied by his boss (Eddie Izzard), can’t get respect from his students, and doesn’t know how to profess his love for his neighbor Catherine (Kate Beckinsale). When a group of aliens (Jones, Eric Idle, John Cleese, and Terry Gilliam) decide to bestow powers onto a random human being in order to determine if the species is worth preserving, Neil is the subject chosen. Before long, the confused teacher finds himself with the ability to make anything happen, from giving his dog Dennis (Williams) the ability to speak to causing catastrophic disasters.
Yes, there are funnier, more clever comedies out there in today’s movie market. But there’s no disputing Absolutely Anything’s existence as a highly amusing little romp. This is the kind of film which would have been prime movie comedy fodder in the ‘90s and early ‘00s (yet rarely exists anymore), with a plot built on pure fantasy and reckless abandon rather than timeliness and topical humor. Admittedly, the plot goes in different directions like a true rollercoaster, but films such as this depend on that kind of frenetic rhythm in order to operate and save itself from becoming stale. Adding to this are the number of throwback effects that populate the film, none of which could be called state-of-the-art, but are rather lovingly made, fun, and frankly rather beautiful to look at. Best of all is the fact that Absolutely Anything is the sort of comedy which carries no baggage, weight, or expectations with it. Everyone attached to it has made his or her name in the genre, so that there’s nothing left for them to do here but have good old-fashioned fun.
At the risk of sounding more complimentary than the film deserves, it should be noted that Absolutely Anything does have a number of drawbacks. To begin with, while the majority of the film’s humor knocks it out of the park (as expected), it’s both sad and a little bit glaring when some of the jokes flat out crash and burn. For example, how many laughs is an audience expected to deliver at the prolonged sight of watching feces come to life and start prancing around? Secondly, there’s so much fun with all the endless possibilities the premise gives way for, yet at well under a 90-minute runtime, Absolutely Anything feels curiously abrupt, as if its makers suddenly lost interest in Neil and the many, many, MANY hilarious places to take both him and his newfound gift. Despite this, moments such as the one where an excited Neil shouts out, “Let everyone who died be alive again!” results in the bodies in the local morgue suddenly rising up from the dead, much to the frightened bewilderment of the pathologist, remain simple, yet effective.
As Neil, Pegg has found another role which allows him to maintain his likability. The actor is probably one of the most relatable movie stars of the day in both his everyman quality and his willingness to do anything for a laugh, no matter how ridiculous it may make him look. His gusto goes pretty far in making Absolutely Anything work. As for the film’s leading lady, there doesn’t seem to be much of a character for her to play, but I suppose Beckinsale was just looking for something fun to do in between Underworld gigs. While all of the supporting players are clearly having fun in their roles, the real joy (albeit a bittersweet one) is in soaking up Williams and his irreplaceable talent, which is given proper acknowledgment through the inclusion of the actor’s recording footage over the movie’s end credits.
Absolutely Anything may well be remembered less as a Monty Python offering and more of a Simon Pegg movie. Despite all of the seasoned pros around him, the film belongs entirely to Pegg, who with every passing performance continues to carve out one of the most interesting and exciting careers of any leading man working today. It isn’t so much the level of talent that the actor brings to the screen which makes him memorable, but rather the characters and the projects he chooses to lend his name to. Stark Treks aside, most films bearing Pegg’s name represent a boldness most other actors’ choices lack. Only Pegg could take the annoying protagonist of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People and make him endearing, mix slapstick and pathos without venturing into sentimentality with Hector and the Search for Happiness, or be scared for the entire length of a film in what is essentially a one-man show with A Fantastic Fear of Everything. I won’t pretend for a moment that Absolutely Anything is on par with those films, but there’s no denying it’s pure Pegg, and very much appreciated.
Absolutely Anything is now available on DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
