There was only one reason that I watched this series: Victoria Wood. That it's her last performance before her death makes it all a bit poignant. I was pleasantly surprised to see other recognizable names in the film: Timothy Spall, Marc Warren, Keeley Hawes and Joanna Scanlon. They are all actors I've enjoyed in other productions. This one? It's just not my cup of tea.
Bogeyman are creatures that live underground and live lives somewhat opposite of their human counterparts. What humans detest, they love and what humans love, they detest. Primarily as applied to food, clothes and living conditions. Through a series of circumstances, Fungus (Spall), his wife (Scanlon) and son are forced to leave the land of the Bogeyman and set up housekeeping next to a human family (Hawes and Warren). (The Bogeyman have the ability to shapeshift into human form so they don't give themselves away). Hilarity ensues.
Hilarity assuming that you find farting, belching, references to rotting fish heads for dinner and used toilet water for soaking your feet (among many many many other gross out gags) as funny. It's not to say that it isn't amusing in places. Wood is always fun to watch no matter what she does. Warren and Hawes make a funny mismatched couple: her frustrated grumpiness an amusing counterpoint to her husband's unflappable oblivion. And Joanna Scanlon definitely gives it her all as a humanized Bogeywoman. Spall (the titular Fungus) is really almost the straight man here. So there's nothing wrong with the performances. But they're kind of overwhelmed by wave after wave of nausea-inducing hijinks.
I know that this is the whole point of the show but as I said before...it's just not my cup of tea. (Though that does remind me of one of the funnier lines. Warren is offering the Fungus family tea with the inquiry "milk anyone?" Spall's response is pretty hilarious.)
