The Odd Job (1978)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Peter Medak

Writers:

Graham Chapman (screenplay)
Bernard McKenna (play)

Release Date:

September 1978 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Arthur Harris is a happily married man who returns from his job to discover that his wife, Fiona, is leaving him...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Based On Play | Independent Film

Cast

Graham Chapman	...	Arthur Harris
David Jason	...	The Odd Job Man
Diana Quick	...	Fiona Harris
Simon Williams	...	Tony Sloane
Edward Hardwicke	...	Inspector Black
Bill Paterson	...	Sergeant Mull
Michael Elphick	...	Raymonde
Stewart Harwood	...	Bernard
Carolyn Seymour	...	Angie
Joe Melia	...	Head Waiter
George Innes	...	Caretaker
James Bree	...	Mr. Kemp
Zulema Dene	...	Mrs. Kemp
Richard O'Brien	...	Batch
Carl Andrews	...	Taxi Driver

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Charisma Films

Trivia:

Originally made as an episode of the Ronnie Barker series _"6 Dates With Barker" (1971)_ with Ronnie Barker as Arthur Harris and 'David Jason' as the Odd Job Man. For this feature-length remake, Graham Chapman wanted 'Keith Moon' of the Who to play the Odd Job Man, but Keith's recording commitments wouldn't allow him to appear.

Quotes:

[The Caretaker spots Arthur's first suicide attempt]
Caretaker: What are you doing?
Arthur Harris: I'm minding my own sodding business, which is more than can be said for you, you snivelling little turd!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in What the Pythons Did Next... (2007) (TV)

the best solo Python venture

Very, very funny. Graham Chapman and David Jason are an inspired team, considering the problems hauling this movie into production. Chapman plays Arthur Harris, who gets depressed when his wife (Diana Quick) leaves him for slimy Simon Williams, and engages the bizarre odd job man to dispatch him into the next world. Then his wife returns, and Arthur changes his mind ... cue a sequence of situations featuring Arthur's attempts to evade being killed by Jason, being pursued by cynical policemen Edward Hardwicke and Bill Paterson, gangster Michael Elphick (brilliant), and flirty neighbour Carolyn Seymour. The scene in the restaurant is class, with Chapman in a feeble disguise to allay suspicion, and also the trip to the zoo is hilarious. Then, just as the odd job man finally gets the message (having killed several people by mistake), there is the oddest ending...

As a solo venture, this outstrips all the others various Pythons took on. Chapman was always the funniest and most inspired of the team anyway, and this is a natural extension of that. Excellent.