Arthur Harris is a happily married man who returns from his job to discover that his wife, Fiona, is leaving him. Devastated he gets really drunk and tries to commit suicide. After a few ...
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Title: The Odd Job (1978)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Graham Chapman | ... | ||
| David Jason | ... | ||
| Diana Quick | ... | ||
| Simon Williams | ... | ||
| Edward Hardwicke | ... |
Inspector Black
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| Bill Paterson | ... |
Sergeant Mull
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| Michael Elphick | ... |
Raymonde
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Stewart Harwood | ... |
Bernard
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| Carolyn Seymour | ... |
Angie
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| Joe Melia | ... |
Head Waiter
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| George Innes | ... | ||
| James Bree | ... |
Mr. Kemp
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| Zulema Dene | ... |
Mrs. Kemp
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| Richard O'Brien | ... |
Batch
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Carl Andrews | ... |
Taxi Driver
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Arthur Harris is a happily married man who returns from his job to discover that his wife, Fiona, is leaving him. Devastated he gets really drunk and tries to commit suicide. After a few setbacks and while he is trying to electrocute himself with a lamp, the door bell rings. An odd man in a leather coat asks if there are any odd jobs that he can perform. Arthur hires the man to kill him. The next day his wife returns, but the man he hired is still trying to kill him... Written by Mika Perl <mikap@ctrl-c.liu.se>
Plot Keywords:
seduction | brother brother relationship | spoof | friend | husband wife relationship |Taglines:
It is murder having the Odd Job man around!Genres:
ComedyCertificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
September 1978 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Små raske mord See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
Arthur Harris: When are you coming back?
Fiona Harris: I'm not. I'm going for good.
Arthur Harris: What? What for?
Fiona Harris: We're just not getting on.
Arthur Harris: Not getting on? We happen to be very happily married.
Fiona Harris: We're not.
Arthur Harris: I am.
Fiona Harris: I'm not!
Arthur Harris: Oh, I see, it's not a question of we're not happily married, it's you! Why not?
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Co-writer Bernard McKenna said that Graham Chapman was difficult to work with when he wrote the screenplay with him. He said that he thought David Jason's performance was good, but Graham Chapman's performance was awful. See more »Quotes
Fiona Harris: I'm leaving you.Arthur Harris: When are you coming back?
Fiona Harris: I'm not. I'm going for good.
Arthur Harris: What? What for?
Fiona Harris: We're just not getting on.
Arthur Harris: Not getting on? We happen to be very happily married.
Fiona Harris: We're not.
Arthur Harris: I am.
Fiona Harris: I'm not!
Arthur Harris: Oh, I see, it's not a question of we're not happily married, it's you! Why not?
[...]
See more »
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.