“Cobwebs!”
Last night I insisted to my
girlfriend that I wouldn’t take notes while watching this as I had no
particular intention of blogging it, as I often don’t bother blogging comedies-
sometimes it’s nice to just watch a film. Then, today, it occurred to me that
any film featuring both Rik Mayall and Carrie Fisher just had to be done. So
here I am, blogging, with no notes.
It’s weird seeing Rik Mayall in a
Hollywood movie; he just doesn’t seem to belong. Especially at this point in
time, just pre-Bottom. And, yes, this
film suffers a bit from the old-fashioned Hollywood disease of comedies having
to be about characters learning some kind of emotional lesson and growing as a
person rather than just being funny. But it works, and Mayall is outstanding,
which is sort of the point.
Also outstanding is Phoebe Cates
as Elizabeth, and Carrie Fisher is also good as, well, herself. The concept is deliciously
silly, too, and it’s nice to see some cartoon-esque special effects achieved in
live action rather than CGI. But there’s a serious subtext about emotional
abuse, too; Elizabeth has been constantly bullied, first by her scary mother
and later by her slimy husband, and Fred is a representation of the side of her
personality that needs to be unleashed.
Perhaps the script is a little
ho-hum at times, but Mayall’s performance elevates the film to something
special. Well worth a watch.
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