That was an excellent one.

Simply A Masterpiece

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It's a shame Barry Humphries' infamous Sir Les Patterson character had his film debut in this under-cooked spy/comedy. This film reminded me of the Beatty/Hoffman stinker, Ishtar (1987). Humphries should have learned from the mistakes that film made - if you're going to change gears on a concept - DON'T USE SPIES! Bad spies like Archer or Maxwell Smart work because they you think of secret agents of being highly skilled professions (not incompetent boobs). But they ARE actually secret agents and that subverts your expectations. It would have been great to see the anachronistic and boorish Patterson sleazing around in the world of Australian politics (one of the characters even point out that Patterson is out-of-date with the times). Humphires could of had a field day making commentary on the Hawke Government (I can just picture a scene with Patterson and Hawkie in a drinking contest) and few scenes where he is being an incompetent diplomat are very funny. But instead of a film continuing the character's satire of loutish Australian politicians; we get run-of-the-mill, fish-out-of-water farce with Patterson running around the world as James Bond trying to save the world from bio-chemical weapons (hooray for us).Even the gross-out humour that Humphires pioneered in the Barry McKenzie films, isn't as wild or as funny as it could have been. Disappointing.

NOT "great art" by ANY means, but for belly laughs and a good time this is a movie worth picking up - Barry Humphries is hysterical anyway, and his Dame Edna character is just the icing on the cake.... politically incorrect? You betcha! Rude and sophomoric? Yes and yes again. Completely worth the time it takes to see it and (then) the bucks it costs to get a copy of your own for keeps? Absolutely! Australians have had Humphries in ALL his different guises to enjoy forever, but the Dame is the only one that got any serious exposure over here.... which I believe is fortuitous. This movie probably could've been made WITHOUT the scenes where folks covered in boils explode and all but dissolve, but then it'd just have been a "pleasure", and not a "guilty pleasure" (the very best kind). Omar Shariff did more than sit through it, he STARRED in it!

Jeez. Where do you begin? Stupid overblown(i.e. not funny) plot, appalling garish 1980s-at-its-worst set design and general art direction, a script that needs major surgery and too much Dame Edna Everage. In its favour there is so little of the wonderful Sir Les Patterson on DVD that you have to take your pleasures where you can. He is up there with Ali G as one of the most un-PC comic characters ever created. To see him say, what so much of want to actually say - but have too much common sense to say, is a non-stop treat. If you do not like Sir Les Patterson then you will be better off sticking to a bumper edition of Friends.

This is the rare merciful Australian comedy that doesn't star Paul Hogan or Yahoo Serious. Instead, it stars Barry Humphries, who was wonderful as Bert the game show host in the overlooked classic "Shock Treatment". This movie, however, is not a classic. As Australian comedies go, it's pretty embarrassing, and that's saying a lot (as anyone who's seen "Young Einstein" can attest).Humphries plays the titular character, a repugnant, leathery, big toothed, eternally horny drunkard who starts off the movie by farting, which causes a man standing behind him to burst into flames. Usually I'm a big fan of flaming flatulence humor, like The Eternal Flame character in "Freaked", but here it left me cold. Don't get me wrong, the director was obviously passionate about the material, but here it falls flat.Anyhoo, Patterson gets wrapped up in some obscure Middle Eastern plot to spread a virus by planting it on poisoned toilet seats. The virus causes it's victims to mutate into horrible, lumpy-faced monstrosities oozing puss.Speaking of which, it should be noted that Joan Rivers is in this movie. She is one of the most horrifying actresses in show business. From her pointy voice to her hateful fashion views to her plastic face, she frightens me more than an army of Freddy Kreugers. Thank goodness her film credits are small and after her creepy cameo at the end of "Look Who's Talking" the producers had the good sense to replace her with Roseanne in the sequel (actually, that's kind of a lateral move).Anyway, back to this movie. For some reason Dame Edna Everage (also played by Humphries) shows up, and compared to Rivers he/she's a Goddess. This movie has a lot of things going for it- exploding koalas, some animation, a character called Dr. Herpes- but unfortunately it's all tied into Patterson, a revolting character who at no time approached anything even remotely resembling likability. By the time you get to the finale at a revolving restaurant in which another man in drag shows up, you'll be longing for the quiet subtlety of "Reckless Kelly" (a movie I actually like- it's Yahoo Serious' "Laurence of Arabia).