The Misadventures of Mr. Wilt

Griff Rhys Jones plays the part of poor Henry Wilt perfectly for me, in a film that stays closer to the book than most do.

The rest of the performers are well cast too, especially the characters of Sally and Eva, who are exactly as I imagined them. I guess you can't go wrong with Alison Steadman though, and Diana Quick was just as believable. Their relentless attempts to undermine and, basically, destroy Wilt add pathos to what would otherwise be a straightforward comedy in a most effective way.

My favourite parts though have to be Wilt's interactions with the 'students' and especially with Inspector Flint and the psychiatrist. His intellectual superiority shines through, and to me is absolutely hilarious.

There is some wonderfully hammy melodrama in the church/churchyard scene later in the film, just to round things off nicely. What more could you ask for?

Wonderful entertainment.

Really masterpiece , never forgot this film and very funny

I remember looking forward to this just before it came out at the cinema. Great book, great comedy duo and the ever reliable Alison Steadman - what could possibly go wrong! Sadly, an hilarious book doesn't automatically make an hilarious film. As the film is quite faithful to the book its hard to spot it's failings - I wonder if it would have worked better if Mel Smith & Griff Rhys Jones' roles had been reversed? Like the early Morecambe & Wise films, this film demonstrates that without the right material, great comic talent can be left floundering. Toss in the bland 80s soundtrack, very lack lustre direction and adult humour which comes across more Harrison Marks skin-flick than slapstick and this is the result.

Attempts to launch TV comedians on the big screen are usually about as appetising as cold sago, but this adaptation of Tom Sharpe's novel generally manages to buck that trend.

Gryff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith both play characters who have professionally reached an impasse: Jones plays a grade 2 humanities lecturer whose been reduced to teaching Liberal Studies to football hooligans at the University of Mid Anglia, while Smith plays a frustrated detective who yearns to nail Jones as the Swaffham Stranger.

Like countless British comedies of yore the film affords the pleasure of plenty of familiar faces (including a strikingly young and slim Roger Allam), although the four-letter words are rather out of place (and I don't recall Charles Hawtrey ever sharing the screen with an inflatable doll).

Okay, so 'classic' may be a little overstating 'Wilt,' but, whenever British comedy films are mentioned, it never even gets a look in, which I feel is a little unfair. Yes, there are no real 'stars' in the film to broaden its appeal. Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones may be easily recognisable faces on UK TV, but it's unlikely anyone will be too familiar with their work overseas.

Perhaps that's 'Wilt's' major charm – it's a very British film. And I don't mean the weird portrayal of British life that Richard Curtis seems to want to sell the worldwide audiences. The plot is simple: Jones plays the titular character, Mr Wilt, who, after years of living with his overbearing wife, finds she's disappeared. He doesn't seem that bothered, whereas dopey local detective, played by Mel Smith, feels the need to prove that Wilt is more murderer than he seems.

There may be only a few 'laugh out loud' moments in the film, but that doesn't mean that you won't smile. The humour is, largely, subtle and understated, as are the performances. Perhaps the best way to enjoy the film is to lower your expectations slightly. Don't go thinking it's going to be a massively laugh-a-minute ride. Its charm is its poignancy and the feeling of overall sadness about a group of people who, by and large, aren't really happy with their lives, no matter how hard they pretend to be.

If you want something with plenty of poignant, subtle black humour, you may want to give this a try. I'm guessing it'll only appeal to us Brits, but I'm hoping it'll also strike a chord with other nationalities, too.

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