Bert Rigby, You're a Fool

I was flipping through the channels on TV one night and stumbled onto this movie at the beginning. It looked kind of stupid, but I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. This movie is funny throughout. Robert Lindsay (Divorcing Jack) stars as Bert Rigby a man trying to get his big break in show business. He always seems to get an opportunity, but have it not work out. The movie is kind of a fantasy comedy, with a lot of musical numbers. It is funny, Lindsay is great in the lead. Anne Bancroft (Home for the Holidays) gives a very funny supporting performance. Corbin Berenson (Major League) gives a good performance as a big Hollywood star. I recommend it.

I absolutely love movies that take me on a zany comic adventure and this one definitely fits the bill. A thoroughly enjoyable journey full of song and dance with the charismatic Robert Lindsay as your tour guide. An irresistible treat from beginning to end. I'm shocked that it received such a lukewarm response when it first opened and am baffled at how it goes unnoticed today. More people need to be introduced to this delightful little flick.

You know a film is bad when even the star that the vehicle has been built around (Robert Lindsay of 'Citizen Smith' and 'My Family' fame) denounce it as being rubbish.

This was Carl Reiner trying to launch Lindsay to international stardom off the back of the stars lauded run in 'Me and My Girl' in the West End and Broadway, but it really misses the mark.

From the accent, to the character, to the musical numbers, it's actually more interesting to see Lindsay's friends (Mike Grady from 'Citizen Smith', Robbie Coltrane from 'Harry Potter' turn up) than much of what happens on screen occur.

Lindsay never did make it to Hollywood - with efforts like this I can see why.

In 1969, Carl Reiner released "The Comic", in which Dick Van Dyke played a silent-era entertainer whose career gets ruined by sound. Reiner puts a different spin on the idea in "Bert Rigby, You're a Fool". This one casts Robert Lindsay as the title character, a striking miner in a small town in England. The town isn't what it once was, but Rigby has always loved the old-time entertainers. When he gets the chance to be a Hollywood star, he naturally takes it, but things don't go quite as expected...or do they? It was very interesting how they mixed wry British humor with occasional musical numbers (and some straightforward slapstick). I would never expect that in a movie, but they pull it off perfectly. Also, in the scenes with Anne Bancroft, it was good to see how they didn't bleach people's teeth completely white back then. A very good movie. I guess that we can always trust Carl Reiner to turn out something good.

Also starring Robbie Coltrane (that's right: Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies!), Bruno Kirby and Corbin Berenson.

For those of us who saw Robert Lindsay on Broadway in "Me and My Girl," his dazzling turn in this film is no surprise. The only surprise is the failure to see his career as a song and dance man take off as it should have. Without Lindsay or with someone of lesser talents, "Bert Rigby" would be a rather thin piece of work, mildly amusing, pleasant, and forgettable. However, every moment that Lindsay is on the screen, which is fortunately most of the time, the film is captivating and is a loving tribute to classic Hollywood musicals. The star's highlight is a tour-de-force mini reprise of the film "Singin' in the Rain" with seltzer bottle and umbrella for the title tune. Lindsay's dancing and physical comedy throughout are outstanding and make this a must-see for his fans and for those who want to see a major musical comedy talent that somehow slipped away.