NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

jimbo-53-186511 Brian Stimpson (John Cleese)is an uptight headmaster who likes everything and everyone to run like clockwork. He is due to attend a conference in Norwich, but unfortunately this seemingly straight forward trip proves to be anything but this and Stimpson finds himself facing setback after setback.Whilst watching Clockwise, I couldn't help but feel that I was basically watching a feature-length episode of Fawlty Towers. This, in part, is down to Cleese's portrayal of Stimpson which he plays in a very similar manner to Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. If you think about it the plot elements and scenarios that Stimpson faces aren't too dissimilar to Fawlty Towers - Stimpson, like Fawlty, is generally well-meaning, but ends up finding himself in fairly precarious situations more often not through basic misunderstandings. There's nothing wrong with any of this per se, but if you draw comparisons with Fawlty Towers (which it's almost impossible not to do if you've watched that series) then this film comes off as not being as well written or as funny. That's not to say that it isn't funny because it is, but it's only sporadically funny and isn't a laugh riot or ROFL funny.Cleese is excellent in this film - whether he's playing it straight as the uptight head master or resorting to blind panic in the latter parts of the film it generally works and I found him to be funny in both respects. I also thought that the late John Bardon was great fun in a minor role as a train station guard. There were other performances that weren't so great; I thought that Sharon Maiden was rather bland and wooden (It's no surprise that she didn't have a great career after this film was made). Steadman has become reliable in later years, but I didn't think she was great in this film (although in fairness she wasn't given much to work with).Clockwise is a film that I would recommend watching, but it isn't a laugh riot and is only sporadically funny. To be honest, I thought it started to run out of steam towards the end. As I've mentioned, Cleese is excellent and really carries the film and it's worth watching for his performance alone.

Leofwine_draca CLOCKWISE is an all-but-forgotten movie, a low budget and extremely British-feeling farce in which John Cleese, a man who's a stickler for being on time, struggles to get to an appointment. Set over the course of a single day, it has an extremely simplistic narrative, and yet it's still one of my favourite comedies ever.Whether you like this film or not really depends on your sense of humour, as this is very British-feeling throughout (unlike A FISH CALLED WANDA, which ably mixed American and British tastes). Given that he's virtually in every scene, whether you like this or not depends on whether you're a fan of Cleese. Personally, I think he's a comic genius, and his character here - a riff on Basil from FAWLTY TOWERS - is sheer brilliance.To say too much more would be to spoil things, suffice to say that the story is so well crafted that there's nary a slow moment and the laughs come thick and fast, mixing good old-fashioned slapstick comedy with character humour and repeated tropes which build up to a mantra come the climax. Great stuff.

Andrew Knevett If you're a fan of John Cleese and good old-fashioned British comedy then there's a good chance you will like Clockwise. It's an endearing film with a simple premise and witty script. I liked the fact it was filmed on location as it opens a little window into life in 1985. Check out the old red telephone boxes that were symbolic of Britain at the time! Cleese is excellent as is the supporting cast including three actors who starred in Fawlty Towers. I didn't enjoy Clockwise around the time it was released but now as I have got older and started to appreciate old British comedy more it ranks as one of my all time favourite comedies of all time.

The_Void Anything featuring the immense talents of John Cleese is automatically worth seeing, and this eighties comedy is certainly no exception. Aside from the great john Cleese, this film benefits from a great number of other positives, including a finely worked script; that manages to stay realistic and down to Earth despite the highly unlikely nature of much of the plot, and the highly farcical nature of many of the events; which bode extremely well with the lead star, as Cleese finds himself in his element in the role of the strict headmaster. Indeed, the major reason why this film works so well is down to the former Monty Python star, as he blunders his way through the film and somehow manages to retain and air of authority while doing so. The comedy styling is one of "it can't get any worse!", and it continually does; as constantly punctual headteacher, Brian Stimpson, finds himself in a world of trouble after missing the train to Norwich, where he is set to make a speech to a meeting of the best headmasters in the country. After acquiring the services of one of his sixth form pupils, he gets back on track to Norwich; but not without a number of problems.The comedy comes by way of both gags, and the plot itself, which always manages to garner a laugh or two due to its superbly silly nature. Cleese is joined by a number of British stars, who all do well in their respective roles. Sharon Maiden stands out as Cleese's travel companion for much of the film; and somehow manages to look cute despite a truly awful hairstyle. Smaller British stars such as Pete Walker's muse, Sheila Keith, Alison Steadman and Eastenders' John Bardon, who would go on to star as Jim Branning in said soap opera help to liven up the supporting cast. The film does feel typically eighties, but stays away from the more silly side of the decade's cinema and many of the jokes bend more towards the intellectual side. The film is in very good humour throughout, and therefore offers an enjoyable time for its audience. Seeing John Cleese deliver an assembly towards the start will no doubt remind anyone that was schooled in England of that time, and Clockwise does a very good job of presenting it's plot and setting. Overall, this film comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys fun films.