Pretty much a disaster, the kind of film that knocked the director's status down a number of pegs. He has no feel and can't set the right tone for this comedy.
The way is was sold it was hard to even understand it was supposed to be a comedy, maybe they tried to sell it that way because it's not funny.
This really reminds me of that series of Carry On films from England--you can look those up to see what I'm talking about. And don't get me wrong I don't find most of those funny either, but they are funnier than this.
I was frankly shocked that this is really what much of this film's script is about. A bedroom comedy of manners farce is how it's played anyway complete with one really distasteful scene with an African woman running around bugging out her eyes like Mantan Moreland was her acting coach.
Friels and Lithgow are bad, Friels has no real comic timing and Lithgow with his fake accent and slightly over the top--but not enough to be funny-style ruin any chance of this low brow quasi sex comedy could have had. And does a guy running around "comically" thinking he's got VD and having to turn down hot women really belong in what could be a social commentary comedy in Africa anyway?
Connery and Rigg come off better than the rest of the cast, perhaps in part because they aren't around for much of it. Connery must have wanted to go play golf and be well paid to do so. He easily has some of the few, or only, good dialogue in the film. I watched it, in part, because I thought how bad could this possibly be? Well the answer is pretty damn bad. Gossett makes no impression and isn't convincing, Whaley Kilmer has little to do and does it blandly. Some attractive supporting female actors at least look attractive but exist for no other reason.
Awful attempts a slapstick humor pop up including an extended running around in a ridiculous Santa suit. The word desperate comes to mind.
Anything the book or script might have to say about Africa and political corruption are lost amid the failed comedy of saggy naked old lady and dead body in the street humor. Yup, that's what I said and I'm not making this up.
In the middle of a "comedic" golf playing montage a dreadful song with the lyrics "Good Man in Africa" plays. There is almost no end to the out of date not funny in the first place "gags" this movie will attempt and fail at. Almost a text book example of how not to do any or all of the above.
An actual comedian in the lead and an actual director who can do comedy would have helped, or maybe it all worked better as a book.
This is a Hollywood Turkey in Africa.
The way is was sold it was hard to even understand it was supposed to be a comedy, maybe they tried to sell it that way because it's not funny.
This really reminds me of that series of Carry On films from England--you can look those up to see what I'm talking about. And don't get me wrong I don't find most of those funny either, but they are funnier than this.
I was frankly shocked that this is really what much of this film's script is about. A bedroom comedy of manners farce is how it's played anyway complete with one really distasteful scene with an African woman running around bugging out her eyes like Mantan Moreland was her acting coach.
Friels and Lithgow are bad, Friels has no real comic timing and Lithgow with his fake accent and slightly over the top--but not enough to be funny-style ruin any chance of this low brow quasi sex comedy could have had. And does a guy running around "comically" thinking he's got VD and having to turn down hot women really belong in what could be a social commentary comedy in Africa anyway?
Connery and Rigg come off better than the rest of the cast, perhaps in part because they aren't around for much of it. Connery must have wanted to go play golf and be well paid to do so. He easily has some of the few, or only, good dialogue in the film. I watched it, in part, because I thought how bad could this possibly be? Well the answer is pretty damn bad. Gossett makes no impression and isn't convincing, Whaley Kilmer has little to do and does it blandly. Some attractive supporting female actors at least look attractive but exist for no other reason.
Awful attempts a slapstick humor pop up including an extended running around in a ridiculous Santa suit. The word desperate comes to mind.
Anything the book or script might have to say about Africa and political corruption are lost amid the failed comedy of saggy naked old lady and dead body in the street humor. Yup, that's what I said and I'm not making this up.
In the middle of a "comedic" golf playing montage a dreadful song with the lyrics "Good Man in Africa" plays. There is almost no end to the out of date not funny in the first place "gags" this movie will attempt and fail at. Almost a text book example of how not to do any or all of the above.
An actual comedian in the lead and an actual director who can do comedy would have helped, or maybe it all worked better as a book.
This is a Hollywood Turkey in Africa.