Arthur's Whisky

A movie with a strong Scottish connection turning out to be as bad as this......oh how that pains me. Let's put it this way......you have a scale for whisky related movies stretching from 0 to 100. The "100" spot is occupied by the original Whisky Galore. The "0" spot will now forever be occupied by Arthur's Whisky. Lord only knows what the makers wee aiming for, but if it wasn't a contender for the most vapid and banal movie of the 21st century, then they failed miserably.

A decent payday could be the only reason a small group of fairly accomplished actors would agree to put their names to this tripe. The one upside is that the "elixir of life" subject matter will never extend itself to this movie, and in a month or two, it will have hauled itself off into a corner to die peacefully (hopefully).

My review contains no spoilers, but this movie is almost guaranteed to spoil the day of anyone unfortunate enough to give it 90 minutes of their valuable time.

A truly appalling piece of rubbish.

I enjoyed this but it didn't flow. It's hard to say why. In parts it felt like a BBC kids tv show - the sort where they have a ripping adventure. Things happened with little preamble and a lot of jaunty music, then we were off to the next thing. The conversations often seemed brief and slightly stilted, as if the actors were simply conveying information. I think that was down to the script rather than the acting. "I hate you, mother. You don't know what it's like to be me." "When you were six, you had meningitis and I would have done anything to change places with you." "Righty-ho, mother. I don't hate you so much now. Cheerio." I'm exaggerating, of course, although it's not too far off the mark. However, the premise was good and there were some genuinely funny moments. I'd sum it up as entertaining but a little awkward.

As a Scot from Glasgow, watching Lulu, a Scot from Glasgow, trying to put on a Scottish accent and refer to Glasgow as Glasga was like a punch in the stomach.

The premise seemed funny but the film really didn't hit the mark.

The younger casting really was off too. Patricia Hodge and Diane Keaton are great actresses. Their younger counterparts not so much.

Lulu hasn't done a lot of acting, and it shows, again the accent was really painful.

The script was pretty dire, which is a shame because in the right hands this could have been quite a good little comedy film, however it was just a bit embarrassing.

First off, the title used the word "whisky", which implies Scotland. However it was filmed in smaller communities just outside London. (Whiteley Village, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, UK)

The story focuses on three old friends, now all in their 70s, experiencing all the things people that age normally do. One of the ladies is married to Arthur and when he dies the friends decide to venture into his small shack out back. Among the things they find, a few small bottles of his homemade whisky. Bravely, they decide to try it.

Magically, each of them wakes up to find that they are 20-ish versions of themselves. After suitable emotions of panic, they realize it must have been the whisky. But they also find out its effect is finite, after about 6 hours they revert to their 70-something selves.

(As a science nerd, I found myself wishing one of them would experiment, starting with very small doses, to see how much they really had to consume. Sadly, they did not do that.)

Anyway, after watching the trailer I expected very little from this movie. It is quite silly in places but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. Including their foray to visit a bucket list location, Las Vegas. I was entertained, maybe because I too am in my 70s.

If you want a "message" it is to accept and appreciate yourself, just the way you are.

It was also a bonus to see a couple of old singers in the cast. Lulu, of course, was a popular singer in the 1960s, known especially for "To Sir With Love." And we also are able to see Boy George, now in his 60s.

At home, streaming on Prime. A bit better than its rating would suggest.

I am a fan of Keaton, so when I read about Arthur's Whisky and also that it was a British Comedy I knew that I would have to give it a go.

Hodges, Keaton, and Lulu are fantastic in the older versions of themselves. Joan (played by Hodges) is married to an eccentric inventor of nothing very useful until one night he perfects a youth serum and, in the process of his celebrations gets killed in a freak accident. Joan's friends (Keaton and Lulu) gather around for moral support and upon cleaning out Arthur's shed discover what they think is a bottle of whisky. After downing nearly the whole bottle they wake up the next morning in their 20's.

The idea is fantastic. However, it was lacking something. The actresses playing the younger versions were barely tolerable in their roles. They were way over the top in their characterizations.

The story did however deliver a few good messages - we should live life to the full, not have any regrets, and don't be pressured by what we deem society expects us to be like.

The movie had a great cameo by Boy George, so that was a highlight.