One of two anthology films on my list for reviewing, With Friends like These was donated by a man who said 'It looked too rubbish to even watch'. It's also the 'b-side' of one those two-for-one double disc thingys which also does not bode well.
But I've got the flu and was too weak after re-watching House of Lost Souls last night to put too much thought into films that I'll have to make an effort reviewing (Bronx Warriors, Entity Force), so I put this one on instead.
It's kind of like the other anthology film I've got, Freaky Fairy tales, in that it's quirky and funny and filmed in that dodgy late-eighties/early nineties way, but it ain't got any nudity or gore, which Freaky Fairy tales has (I'll review it soon once I've studied the err Goldielocks shower bit a few more times) So this one starts off showing modern life and people getting on a bus while some chugnut spews out all kinds of cod-philosophy about relationships when we finally get to our first story - the one with the talking car.
Alex's missus is one of them types who reckons that the old house/kids/dowhatyou'refeckintold routine is the way to go in life, but after Alex finds himself using their savings to buy a wisecracking MG, things take a turn for the worst. This MG promises a lot, but...ah you know the drill with talking cars. This segment was OK in that the lead actor was pretty into acting like the henpecked boyfriend, but there was no real conclusion.
The next part is the highlight of the film (read: the only good bit). Frank is a dirty slob who lives in a minging apartment and is harassed by his landlord. After leaving a tuna casserole in the fridge for six months, he finds some sort of weird substance at the bottom of the fridge and touches it. Next thing you know there a mutated tuna/human in the fridge who is kind of neurotic and is always nagging Frank. This segment is as stupid as you'd think but plays out pretty well. Still, no gore, no paps, nothing.
The last segment is a let down on the other two. It's got no redeeming features whatsoever. A chick who works for a designer firm gets set up with her perfect date who is not quite what he seems. You know the drill with this stuff as well. What got me about this was that about five minutes after hooking up with this guy, she constantly started nagging him for just about everything he did! Don't you know you gorra get him in the sack first missus before you try that crap out? Anyways this is all cheaply done, and I suppose is trying for the old Twilight Zone feel, but stories one and three don't have much imagination at all, and it's only the middle piece that's worth a look. Get Freaky Fairytailes instead.
