The Odd Job

This is Graham Chapman's first solo film outside of his work with Monty Python. He stars, produces, and co-wrote the script with his only other frequent collaborator aside from John Cleese, Bernard McKenna (who co-wrote several of TV's "Doctor in the House" and "Yellowbeard" with Graham). It, unfortunately, became a rather doomed project and the end result is pleasant if not hilarious. The Odd Job man was originally to be played by Who drummer Keith Moon, who had to drop out due to commitments to the Who and because his drinking was quite out-of-control at that point. The original director was injured before shotting began and had to be replaced at the last moment. But, Chapman pushed forward. Moon was replaced by comic David Jason, who had appeared previously with Eric Idle, Terry Jones, & Michael Palin on the pre-Python TV show "Do Not Adjust Your Set." The film certainly not bad, but it's one-joke premise is stretched a little thin: Arthur Harris (Chapman) is jilted by his wife and, being too timid for suicide, hires an Odd Job man to kill him.

The wife, of course, returns and patches things up while Harris finds himself unable to reach the Odd job man out to kill him. Chapman's performance is suitably loony and energetic and the cast across the board is pretty good. But, somehow, it all seems lackluster. The film was never even given a theatrical release in the U.S. Too bad, because the film has it's moments and Graham, as all Python fans know, was a very funny, bizarre, intense performer and writer.