Comedy Showcase: The Eejits (2007) (TV)

User Rating:

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Director:

Steve Connelly

Writers:

Arthur Mathews (writer)
Paul Woodfull (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Cast

Kathy Burke	...	The Virgin Mary
P.J. Gallagher	...	Maurice
Mark Huberman	...	Rory McWilliams
Patrick McDonnell	...	Gerard
Paul McGlinchey	...	Tom Grace

Runtime:

UK:24 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Objective Productions

So-so comedy that falls way short of the Father Ted ideal that it aspires to

Morris and Gerard are light entertainers playing easy listening favourites under the moniker "E-Z Feelin". However their plans to do a charity show over the border are thrown into confusion as they find themselves borrowing equipment from a former U2 roadie who believes that his former employers are out to silence him. On top of that Morris has to agree to run some "gear" over the border to Northern Ireland to placate importer/exporter Garvey.

Channel 4's Comedy Showcase has produced some amusing comedies but also some weak ones and in some ways this film is one of the weaker ones. At times The Eejits is funny but too often it just falls flat with plain silliness where one would have hoped for inspired silliness. The feeling I got was of something attempted to replicate the off-the-wall humour of Father Ted but failing to get to that standard. This can be seen in the characters as well, with Gerard being very much a Father Dougal and Morris the more sensible Father Ted type. Trying to hit that model though is not easy and mostly the "zany" material is just "zany" in an annoying way and not in a good way.

Gallager and McDonnell are too obviously trying for the Father Ted mould themselves and mostly I felt they were giving so-so impressions rather than trying to make the material work for them in its own right. A so-so comedy then but not as good as it is aspiring to be and certainly not as good as the Father Ted ideal that it aims for but falls way short of.