Coogans Run starring Steve Coogan (Steve Coogan in ... Coogan's Run (DVD))

Member Name: BBTHREE

Product:	Steve Coogan in ... Coogan's Run (DVD)
Date:	13/02/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some geniunely hilarious episodes

Disadvantages: Also includes some episodes that just don't work

Steve Coogan wrote and stared in this series, which was originally shown on BBC2 in 1995. This contains six thirty minute episodes, containing six different characters stories which occasionally cross over as they appear briefly in the other episodes as all the characters live in the town of Ottle.

The first episode "Get Calf" is all about my favorite character Paul Calf, but as he is at home for some of the episode, it also includes Pauline Calf, Fat Bob (John Thompson), his Mum, and now a new character of his Gran as well. This is a stand out episode and makes me laugh out loud, as Paul goes to live with the "blue people" and adopts "an alternative lifestyle" but all is not as it seems.

"Dearth of a Salesman" is a story about the Gareth Cheeseman, an arrogant overbearing sales rep, who attends a trade show in a hotel and it all goes very wrong. Gareth Cheeseman also shows us his motivational technique, which is looking into the mirror and saying "You're a Tiger". Another great episode

"Handyman for all seasons" has Steve Coogan playing handyman Ernest Moss, whom you may know from Steve Coogans stand up live show.

"Thursday Night Fever" features downtrodden nightclub singer Mike Crystal who finds empowerment acting as a cocky alter ego.

"Natural Born Quizzers" features Steve Coogan and Patrick Marber as a psychotic quiz team who are out for revenge.

"The Curator" where Steve Coogan plays museum curator Tim Fleck heads towards the spoof-horror market, and it doesn't really make a lot of sense.

I am very torn about how good this DVD actually is. I am a massive Steve Coogan fan, and the episodes that are good are REALLY good!, which are "Get Calf", "Dearth of a salesman" and "Thursday Night Fever".

But the other three episodes I feel were more of a miss than a hit. They were OK, but just didn't quite work and I didn't find them particularly funny.

I do think that for this sort of format, where many different characters are introducted it is the norm that some of the characters just won't feel right. I am thinking more recently of the series "That Peter Kay thing". some of the characters and episodes werent good at all, but the Brian Potter club owner character spawned two series of the fantastic "Phoenix Nights".

So... if you buy Coogans Run to watch the whole of the DVD and laugh yourself silly then be prepared that its a bit hit and miss. But who knows... Maybe it's just my sense of humour and they will appeal to others.

I am giving this 4 out of 5 which may seem a bit high considering my comments but the good episodes are of such a high standard that it justifies it.

Summary: Buy it just to see the stand out episodes