Absolutely Anything

8.25 of 10. Amusing, alien-based soft-science fiction. Not as intricate as Douglas Adams' classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or its 2005 adaptation, but delivers in almost every other way. It's too bad it wasn't developed a little more and made into a longer film.

Besides Simon Pegg being the ideal pick for the lead character, Robin Williams doing another post-death cameo as the voice of a dog character - speaking, thinking animals being another favorite of Adams - adds a lot of fun and post-film credits enjoyment to a story about humans getting in the way of our alien overlords.

More than just comedy or sci-fi-light, there's some excellent satire, subtexts, and recursive comprehension built into the film, making it one of the rare alien, animal-speaking films that are almost believable.

What should I start with ? Oh, yes, I don't really get the mediocre score and reviews for this movie. Yeah, it's not another Holymollywood show (thank heavens!), it's not amazing in any way, but it does great at being a simple, enjoyable and funny movie to watch with your family. Both Simon Pegg and Kate are lovely to watch here.

You can just sit, relax and have a fun time. It clearly doesn't try to be smart or serious, people should understand this. There's also a tiny but nice message in it, that once understood, makes a better image of it all. If you enjoyed "Hector and the search for happiness", you should give this one a try. We need more movies like this!

When I first read about "Absolutely Anything" on IMDB, I was excited to see it. After all, it was directed by the late Terry Jones....and I adore almost all the post-Monty Python stuff he's done. His documentaries have been brilliant and I longed to see him direct yet again...plus he co-wrote the film. And, I was excited to see that five of the old Python actors were in the film. Ultimately, however, this all led to disappointment as most of the Pythoners were NOT physically in the film but just provided voices for some goofy aliens. And, while there is a quick cameo of Jones himself...it was just too quick. Plus, and I know this will sound awful, Jones turned out to be in horrible health when he made the film and he was suffering from rather severe Dementia. I have no idea how much this affected the movie...but surely it did.

The story itself is a silly thing where Neil (Simon Pegg) is suddenly given god-like powers in order for these aliens to test the human race. And, if he does poorly and acts selfishly, then the entire planet is slated for destruction. Naturally, Neil is dumb and does lots of dumb things with the powers but ultimately makes a great decision at the end.

In many ways, the film is like combining the old "Twilight Zone" episode "Mr. Dingle the Strong" (where Burgess Meredith is given Herculean physical power) and "Evan Almighty". The film IS enjoyable and it kept my interest...unfortunately, it also was nothing more than this and the Python reunion (of sorts...and without the deceased Graham Chapman) was a bust. Watchable and worth seeing...provided your expectations are not huge.

By the way, in a weird case of art NOT imitating life, there is one point where Neil's dog (voiced by Robin Williams) saves someone from committing suicide. Considering Williams himself committed suicide and the film came out well after this, it seem in questionable taste to have this scene.

The absolute power of wish fulfillment has been connected to many beings, genie and god among others, but now even aliens can make one's wish come true. Absolutely Anything is a simple film blessed with nifty premise and charming charismatic lead in Simon Pegg. It's a light casual watch that surprisingly heartwarming and incredibly witty beyond the occasional quirky display, even though the premise doesn't have much depth.

Neil (Simon Pegg) is an ordinary teacher who has been given ultimate power by a group of aliens for the purpose of judging the entire earth. The plot and cast are rather familiar, including the love interest by Kate Beckinsale along with the usual best friend and silly talking dog. It's pretty hard to fail on delivering a talking dog, especially voiced by Robin Williams.

First and foremost, the humor is fun and fairly amusing. The script offers some ridiculous situations, often presenting these scenes for Simon Pegg to shine, and that he does. His character is utterly identifiable, wishing assortments of petty stuffs and ending up with stupid mistakes by simple poor choice of words. Some of these might feel overdone and the movie just goes for the boundary of safe route.

Pegg also seems like able to crate chemistry with the cast, and everyone is quite likable, aside from a few over-the-top moments for a couple of them. The movie doesn't venture into deep thought about absolute power or the logic of bending reality, it merely a mild enjoyment with nice characters, most of whom work in platonic relationship. One extra credit for the presentation is how the visual looks sophisticated, it uses the scenery of England and the special effects fairly well.

Absolutely Anything is a much humbler film than the title suggests, it provides ample of light entertainment with a commendable performance by Simon Pegg even if the premise feels outdated towards the end. Plus, having Robin Williams again, even in doggy form is a nice treat.

Anyone who rated this less than a 5 has no sense of humor. I don't know what the heck they were expecting to see but whatever it was it was not ab out this funny flick.

Simon Pegg, a British staple in comedic endeavors, is perfectly cast as the poor shlub who is given the power to have anything he wishes just by saying it and waving his hand. The kicker is that he only has the power for 24 hours and that his wishes don't go exactly as planned.

The maxim, "Be careful what you wish for," could be the theme of this funny flick - especially if you are used to speaking literally. The power is granted to Pegg by a bunch of the weirdest assortment of aliens this side of the Bar Scene in Star Wars who travel from galaxy to galaxy looking for species worthy of joining their fraternity of planets.

I liked this film so much that I watched it a second time with my daughter. You'll love it.