The Harry Hill Movie

Harry Hill The Movie , the title says it all. You are going to get Harry hill humour in bucket loads and nothing else.

If you were expecting Oscar winning performances, high quality scripts and plot then more fool you for going to watch this film. My son loves Harry Hill and his wacky humour and that is exactly what you get and unlike many British TV stuff that gets transferred to big screen there was less (in time) rubbish on screen.

The jokes are sometimes predictable and on other occasions not, they run throughout the film and you can't help but smile and yes god forbid all those people that foolishly expected more laugh out loud at some parts.

I think we can all honestly say that no British TV transferred to big screen has been a big success. Look at Keith Lemon , brilliant on TV yet the film was utter dross and had far more dull parts than this movie.

Go and see it for what it is relax and enjoy.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In this outlandish film version of himself, TV funny man Harry Hill is distraught to find his pet hamster Abu (voiced by Johnny Vegas) is ill, so he takes him to the vets, only to find himself getting chased to Blackpool with his nan (Julie Walters) and Abu, by henchmen of his brother Otto (Matt Lucas) who wants to make him pay for being abandoned with a family of dash hounds.

Although his silly, twisted humour is the kind of thing I tend to warm to, I've never really made much time for Harry Hill, although I was interested to see how he'd perform to a live audience when he toured earlier this year. And, on that same basis, I wondered what a film about him would be like. Lest we forget, he is actually a character as opposed to an actual celebrity, so with ideas running as dry as they are, why not make a 'Harry Hill Film?'

With a plot that's every bit as piecemeal and apathetic as I've made it sound, it falls on Hill's (or, rather, Michael Hall's) shoulders to inject the film with as much of his zany, off the wall antics that his very presence evokes as possible, but while there's maybe the odd little cackle here and there, generally it's an annoying, redundant mess that's really started to wear out it's welcome even after only an hour and a half.

With such as host of respected performers, including Walters, Jim Broadbent and Sheridan Smith, sending themselves up, you'd have thought there might at least be some out-takes at the end to take the edge off it all a little, but it's as if the film feels it's done it's stuff enough by the end and just rolls off with bland end credits. It's a naturally self indulgent piece that's very existence is enough to make the mind boggle, and leaves you in no doubt Hill's forte lies in TV and nowhere else. **

I was quite looking forward to this film and I was very surprised to see how low it is rated on IMDb. On one hand I want to say that Hill's comedy can be quite niche so maybe people just didn't like him when he is on form, but then on the other, it is hard to call him an acquired taste when his brand of absurdity held court on Saturday night television for so many years. Anyway, the film has a typically silly plot as Harry believes his hamster has mere days to live and decides to give him his heart's desire – a trip to Blackpool (Harry cannot speak hamster, Abu actually wanted to meet Rihanna). Anyway, while Harry, Abu and his Nan sets off on their trip, they are pursued by two henchmen trying to kidnap Abu for the sinister motives of Otto, Harry's long lost brother (yes, it's an evil twin thing).

I should really be target audience for this film – or at least I should have many more positive words for it than I have seen from others here. In some ways I do because I did like some of the absurd stuff and some of the set pieces that made me chuckle, but unfortunately they are hard to remember in the sea of those that did not. It is a problem with Hill's style of comedy, you really need to be in the mood for it and from his side it needs to be bang on the money or else it just seems silly and stupid rather than wonderfully absurd and imaginative. Rewatching his old Channel 4 show recently, he did manage to consistently hit the right side of that line but with this film too much of it is silly. Some of it might have worked were it not just so apropos of nothing – so bits that just get thrown in for almost no reason. Some of it is badly misjudged and "rapping nan" in particular is something that just should have been thrown out in the writers' room.

The musical numbers have some energy but strangely no laughs at all; the carwash song with the woman from the Noisettes is fun but then other songs just seem to come from nowhere and go nowhere. I enjoy the Les Mis one but the more the film just piles on with references later on, the less it seems to work. Children will still like it and if you are a total fan of Hill's humor no matter whether it is good or not so good, then you may enjoy this, but otherwise it must be said that there is really too much silliness for the fewer actually good bits to overcome.

I think it goes without saying that you have to enjoy Harry Hill's unique brand of humour to find this film entertaining.

If you do you'll have a great time watching this film - it's full on silly and surreal goofy humour for the 80+ mins, with lots of bigger name stars (sorry Harry) clearly having a ball.

If you don't find Harry Hill's humour funny, and cheered when he stopped making 'TV Burp' then you'll find nothing here to alter your impression.

I enjoyed it, though admittedly after repeated viewings.

I've never been moved to post a review on IMDb but considering the number of Adam Sandler films that rank in the 6s something had to be done to make a case for this little gem. And a gem it is if, like me, you're a fan of the puerile as long as it's accompanied with a healthy pinch of sardonic humour.

There is something of the genius about this movie. Something refreshingly honest about the performances, the colour palettes, the lame jokes, the physical humour, the songs, the locations, the props. To get some of the references it may help if you've grown up in the UK during the 70s and 80s or currently have children under 16 however the appeal is somewhat broader and the performances from all of the cast are nuanced, tongue firmly in cheek and the pacing and story is gentle and above all it's just fun. Consider the fact that you've got Harry Potter alumni in the cast - Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent - stars of UK screen - then you know you've got a solid British backbone to play off. Harry Hill is unphased, effortlessly gooning about in front of the camera and then you've also got great performances by Simon Bird, a bewildered Johnny Vegas as the voice of Abu and also (pop band) the Magic Numbers singing a lovely song about running a Bed and Breakfast on the British seaside.

Yes it's silly, yes it's obvious, yes it's simple but it's also evocative of the past triumphs of niche British cinema. It nods to our failings and to our weaknesses and to our guilty pleasures - and even the obviously filled in bits (Brains on legs, random shell people) don't detract from the fact that's it's just fun. Like an updated an detitillated Carry On movie - it's the best of British and I hope they make a follow up.

Try it out, suspend your disbelief, have a giggle.