Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door
- Episode aired Mar 5, 1988
- 50m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
568
YOUR RATING
A couple of bored escorts find themselves suddenly involved with a hit-gang and an ax-murderer - Mr. Jolly. Gratuitous violence, rivers of blood and maximum hilarity, all rolled into one.A couple of bored escorts find themselves suddenly involved with a hit-gang and an ax-murderer - Mr. Jolly. Gratuitous violence, rivers of blood and maximum hilarity, all rolled into one.A couple of bored escorts find themselves suddenly involved with a hit-gang and an ax-murderer - Mr. Jolly. Gratuitous violence, rivers of blood and maximum hilarity, all rolled into one.
Bazil Otoin
- Norman
- (as Basil Otoin)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough it was made for television, it was briefly screened theatrically in late 1987 before it was broadcast on Channel 4 in March 1988.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule (2014)
Featured review
A hliarious vomit drenched tale of comic misunderstandings and mistaken identities
I must confess that I'm something of a fan of some of Ade Edmonson and Rik Mayall's work. It's fair to say that their brand of anarchic humour that has become more identifiable with such television sitcoms as 'Bottom', and the earlier and even more anarchic 80's comedy series that was 'The Young Ones. So it comes as little or no surprise that 'Mr. Jolly Lives Next door', one of the few scripts they worked together on for The Comic Strip Presents... series of short films Isn't that far removed from those other televisual works.
Co-written with Roland Rivron (One-half of the spoof lounge act Raw Sex who regularly featured with French and Saunders back in the late 80s and early 90s) Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door probably stands alone among most of the cult series short movies. Not because of Its anarchic humour which was 'The Comic Strip team's most notable hallmark. But that while these series of condensed movies were by turns subtle and not so subtle and usually tried to make some comment on society, politics, or the media in general. Mayal, Edmondson, and Rivron just try to create a ball's out, gross-out comedy with no pretensions whatsoever. And oddly enough It's one of Its greatest strengths. It's your average tale of comedic misunderstandings and mistaken identities that can only be told in Mayall and Edmondson's own vomit-drenched style. Anyone looking for subtlety and something more high-brow would do best to stay clear. I personally like nothing more than a good intelligent comedy, but every now and again It's great to watch something that just tries to be funny and you can just sit back and laugh at it without having to engage your brain. And Mayall, Edmondson, and Rivron accomplish this magnificently.
'The plot revolves around two delinquent, drunken, lay-about losers (played by both Mayall and Edmondson) who run their own little escort agency from their little office in a grimy, flea-ridden apartment building. The very fact that when the movie opens the pair of them happen to be visiting a Morgue where a previous client now lies deceased, gives you some indication of how good the pair of reprobates are at their job. Right next door to where the two dregs of society run their business (and presumably live) is Mr. Jolly portrayed here by veteran comedy actor Peter Cook, a vile sociopathic hit-man who likes to batter his client's victims to death while a record of Tom Jones's performing It's Not Unusual plays throughout his office. Black isn't it! Unfortunately for the two escorts (the names of which we never learn) a telegram intended for the cold-blooded killer is sent to them by mistake and upon reading that they've to "take out" actor Nicolas Parsons (who actually features as himself quite prominently). The pair take the message out of context, believing that they've to take the poor, unsuspecting sod out for a good time.
What follows is one hilarious scene after another as the duo drives poor Parsons around the bend, while eventually being found by the dangerously unbalanced Mr. Lovebucket(played with wonderful silky-voiced menace by Comic Strip founder Peter Richardson}, the man responsible for wanting Parsons dead. Finally realising they've both been mistaken for other people. The two fools then make a complete pig's ear of attempting to kill Parsons, as they potentially share the same fate as their intended target if they don't complete their objective.
There's actually more to the film than I'm letting on and to give away more would be to spoil much of what makes, Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door; a complete riot from start to finish. Edmondson and Mayall are endlessly hilarious, throwing themselves into their roles with the crazed enthusiasm you'd have come to expect from the comedy duo. You can see that they're thoroughly enjoying themselves here as was the same with, Bottom for instance. And while their characters are similar to both Richie Richard and Eddie Hitler they still stand on their own as individual creations. They in fact make the anti-heroes of the later sitcom look positively refined by comparison, if you had ever thought that even possible. Some of the comical scenarios although possibly not entirely original are still never the less gut-achingly funny, while there's the odd moment of an inspired bit of lunacy that you can't help but applaud. A moment that stands out is the pair attemptting to grab a case of alcoholic beer from outside a beer van that's pulled outside their apartment. Doesn't sound that interesting? I can only recommend that you watch and see how they try to accomplish it, and do so with some considerable panache.
But like I previously pointed out, 'Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door' won't be to everyone's taste. Those more accustomed to the more subtle, satirical comedy of the Comic Strip team may not warm to it. However, if you like your comedy to occasionally be low brow then you might like this, and while it does verge on the teetering edge of descending into inanity on occasion there are still enough gut-aching moments to compensate for it. All in all for those who might appreciate its vile, gallows humour, Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door is an excrement-encrusted gem and one not to be missed if the chance presents itself!
Co-written with Roland Rivron (One-half of the spoof lounge act Raw Sex who regularly featured with French and Saunders back in the late 80s and early 90s) Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door probably stands alone among most of the cult series short movies. Not because of Its anarchic humour which was 'The Comic Strip team's most notable hallmark. But that while these series of condensed movies were by turns subtle and not so subtle and usually tried to make some comment on society, politics, or the media in general. Mayal, Edmondson, and Rivron just try to create a ball's out, gross-out comedy with no pretensions whatsoever. And oddly enough It's one of Its greatest strengths. It's your average tale of comedic misunderstandings and mistaken identities that can only be told in Mayall and Edmondson's own vomit-drenched style. Anyone looking for subtlety and something more high-brow would do best to stay clear. I personally like nothing more than a good intelligent comedy, but every now and again It's great to watch something that just tries to be funny and you can just sit back and laugh at it without having to engage your brain. And Mayall, Edmondson, and Rivron accomplish this magnificently.
'The plot revolves around two delinquent, drunken, lay-about losers (played by both Mayall and Edmondson) who run their own little escort agency from their little office in a grimy, flea-ridden apartment building. The very fact that when the movie opens the pair of them happen to be visiting a Morgue where a previous client now lies deceased, gives you some indication of how good the pair of reprobates are at their job. Right next door to where the two dregs of society run their business (and presumably live) is Mr. Jolly portrayed here by veteran comedy actor Peter Cook, a vile sociopathic hit-man who likes to batter his client's victims to death while a record of Tom Jones's performing It's Not Unusual plays throughout his office. Black isn't it! Unfortunately for the two escorts (the names of which we never learn) a telegram intended for the cold-blooded killer is sent to them by mistake and upon reading that they've to "take out" actor Nicolas Parsons (who actually features as himself quite prominently). The pair take the message out of context, believing that they've to take the poor, unsuspecting sod out for a good time.
What follows is one hilarious scene after another as the duo drives poor Parsons around the bend, while eventually being found by the dangerously unbalanced Mr. Lovebucket(played with wonderful silky-voiced menace by Comic Strip founder Peter Richardson}, the man responsible for wanting Parsons dead. Finally realising they've both been mistaken for other people. The two fools then make a complete pig's ear of attempting to kill Parsons, as they potentially share the same fate as their intended target if they don't complete their objective.
There's actually more to the film than I'm letting on and to give away more would be to spoil much of what makes, Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door; a complete riot from start to finish. Edmondson and Mayall are endlessly hilarious, throwing themselves into their roles with the crazed enthusiasm you'd have come to expect from the comedy duo. You can see that they're thoroughly enjoying themselves here as was the same with, Bottom for instance. And while their characters are similar to both Richie Richard and Eddie Hitler they still stand on their own as individual creations. They in fact make the anti-heroes of the later sitcom look positively refined by comparison, if you had ever thought that even possible. Some of the comical scenarios although possibly not entirely original are still never the less gut-achingly funny, while there's the odd moment of an inspired bit of lunacy that you can't help but applaud. A moment that stands out is the pair attemptting to grab a case of alcoholic beer from outside a beer van that's pulled outside their apartment. Doesn't sound that interesting? I can only recommend that you watch and see how they try to accomplish it, and do so with some considerable panache.
But like I previously pointed out, 'Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door' won't be to everyone's taste. Those more accustomed to the more subtle, satirical comedy of the Comic Strip team may not warm to it. However, if you like your comedy to occasionally be low brow then you might like this, and while it does verge on the teetering edge of descending into inanity on occasion there are still enough gut-aching moments to compensate for it. All in all for those who might appreciate its vile, gallows humour, Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door is an excrement-encrusted gem and one not to be missed if the chance presents itself!
helpful•91
- The-Last-Prydonian
- Aug 19, 2009
Details
- Runtime50 minutes
- Color
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