As a fan of Monty Python, I've watched every movie directed by either Gilliam or Jones, and one day I will manage to watch every single movie featuring them, John Cleese, Eric Idle, and the other guys. "Personal Services" was a bit hard to find, and although I've ranked it slightly below average, the experience of watching it was actually quite a pleasant one.
Since it's based on a real story, I won't waste any time mentioning the plot in my review. The storyline is indeed engaging, and as for the dialog, I believe a decent effort was made by both the writers and the cast. Altogether, Jones' comedic genius is visible and works in many scenes throughout the movie.
However, this was one of the first - if not the first - directing enterprise for Jones after his work with Monty Python, during which he shared directing duties with Gilliam. It's interesting to notice how the director attempts to forge his own style, specially in this case where he was a part of a big ensemble of extremely funny people.
Jones managed to mature his style over his next films, to the point I'd say his last one, "Absolutely Anything", is perfect almost in every way. This movie is the beginning of that and, although it's not brilliant, it's entertaining and worth your time. In some instances it almost looks experimental, like something out of film school. But even when it looks like that, it still feels better than many movies with terrible plots or solid directing. Sometimes a funny person doing a sloppy job directing a good story is enough to make a movie watchable. At least I think it beats renowned directors showing off their Cinema credentials, with an uninteresting plot.
If not anything else, this movie helped me solidify this notion: there is probably nothing more important in Cinema than a good storyline.
Since it's based on a real story, I won't waste any time mentioning the plot in my review. The storyline is indeed engaging, and as for the dialog, I believe a decent effort was made by both the writers and the cast. Altogether, Jones' comedic genius is visible and works in many scenes throughout the movie.
However, this was one of the first - if not the first - directing enterprise for Jones after his work with Monty Python, during which he shared directing duties with Gilliam. It's interesting to notice how the director attempts to forge his own style, specially in this case where he was a part of a big ensemble of extremely funny people.
Jones managed to mature his style over his next films, to the point I'd say his last one, "Absolutely Anything", is perfect almost in every way. This movie is the beginning of that and, although it's not brilliant, it's entertaining and worth your time. In some instances it almost looks experimental, like something out of film school. But even when it looks like that, it still feels better than many movies with terrible plots or solid directing. Sometimes a funny person doing a sloppy job directing a good story is enough to make a movie watchable. At least I think it beats renowned directors showing off their Cinema credentials, with an uninteresting plot.
If not anything else, this movie helped me solidify this notion: there is probably nothing more important in Cinema than a good storyline.