Guest House Paradiso (DVD)

Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson go Hollywood, in one of the most unlikely big-screen productions to come out of the UK for quite some time. Nurturing the characters that they've raised through twenty years of working together, Richard Richard and Eddie Hitler are cast as the seedy hotel masters of Guest House Paradiso. You've already guessed the plot, you've got a fair idea of the violence that follows, so how does it all add up? To be honest, this is a bridge too far for a comic duo who belong on the live stage together. Bereft of the energy that comes from a heckling audience, they try every trick in the book to drag out a ninety minute success story. Unfortunately, it's ...  Read the complete review

The first night of Channel 4 was a groundbreaking moment in the history of television. The long awaited fourth terrestrial channel (seems a long time ago now) promised a highbrow entertainment world, and something not quite in the mainstream. We certainly copped that with the first show by a little set up called The Comic Strip, who had grown out of the alternative comedy circuit. The show was probably that group's finest moment, Five Go Mad In Dorset, a masterful spoof on the old Enid Blyton kids' adventure series. It was also the first time I set eyes on Ade Edmondson. Of course, I'd already come across his partner in crime Rik Mayall, who ...  Read the complete review

Thirty years ago, the archetypal rock and roll guitar slinger, Dave Edmunds, blessed the world with a solo album stylishly titled 'Subtle As A Flying Mallet'. Now that would have been a pretty wonderful subtitle for 'Guest House Paradiso', the cinematic debut of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmundson's 'Bottom' wonderworld, except it wouldn't have been a flying mallet in the title, it would have been a flying toilet, because in truth the humour of the Mayall and Edmondson never wanders far away from the inside of the water closet. If you've never happened by the particular worldview of our fine, foul mouthed force (and there may ...  Read the complete review

If you are familiar with Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson's series 'Bottom', you will have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this film. ‘Guest House Paradiso’ is 'Bottom - The Movie' in all but name, and if you don't like the TV series, you won't stand a chance with the film. Just as with the TV series, Mayall and Edmonson co-write and co-star, with Edmonson directing. The home made feel of the film is kind of refreshing - a million miles from the polish of the average Hollywood production. However, I think it would have benefited no end had Edmonson and Mayall relinquished some of their creative control to script doctors ...  Read the complete review

The actual TV programme of bottom was great TV. The mish mash of comedy violence and genuine humour was a hit with me and no doubt many others. When i saw this film advertised on Sky Box Office i thought "great, lets watch this, a whole hour and a half of Bottom", so i plugged in my phone cable and the film was ordered. When the time came for the film to start me and about 5 of my mates were all sat there in anticipation of what was to come. The film starts and immeadiately its obvious that the film actually lacked any of the humour normally associated with Bottom. I probably laughed about 10 times during the whole duration of the film, a few ...  Read the complete review