Absolutely Anything (2015)

A group of eccentric aliens confers a human being with the power to do absolutely anything, as an experiment.

Director:

Terry Jones

Writers:

Terry Jones (screenplay), Gavin Scott (screenplay)

Stars:

Simon Pegg, Kate Beckinsale, Sanjeev Bhaskar

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Simon Pegg	...	Neil
Kate Beckinsale	...	Catherine
Sanjeev Bhaskar	...	Ray
Rob Riggle	...	Grant
Robert Bathurst	...	James Cleverill
Eddie Izzard	...	Headmaster
Joanna Lumley	...	Fenella
Marianne Oldham	...	Rosie
Emma Pierson	...	Miss Pringle
Meera Syal	...	Fiona
Mojo	...	Dennis the Dog
Robin Williams	...	Dennis the Dog (voice)
John Cleese	...	Chief Alien (voice)
Terry Gilliam	...	Nasty Alien (voice)
Eric Idle	...	Salubrious Gat (voice)

Storyline

Some aliens, who travel from planet to planet to see what kind of species inhabit them, come to Earth. And if humans are, according to their standards, decent, they are welcomed to be their friend. And if not, the planet is destroyed. To find out, they choose one inhabitant and give that person the power to do whatever he or she wants. And they choose Neil Clarke (Simon Pegg), a teacher who teaches the special kids. He is constantly being berated by the headmaster and is attracted to his neighbor, Catherine (Kate Beckinsale), but doesn't have the guts to approach her. But now he can do anything he wants, but has to be careful.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | talking animal | body transformation | teacher | whiskey bottle | 

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Taglines:

Neil Clarke's life just got extraordinary.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references, and brief nudity.

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2009 interview, Robin Williams said that he always wanted to star in a movie with Simon Pegg.

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Goofs

In several scenes the audio is clearly dubbed. Dialogue spoken does not match mouth movements.

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Quotes

Neil Clarke: Give me a body that people find attractive!
[He turns into a topless woman]
Neil Clarke: No! A male body! Give me the body of a great man!
[Turns into Albert Einstein]
Neil Clarke: No! Give me the body of a man who people find attractive!
[Turns into a hunky guy]
Neil Clarke: Better.

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Crazy Credits

"DISCLAIMER: and yes we do know that the NASA footage of the Pioneer Rocket taking off is actually the Apollo Rockets, thank you"

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Alternate Versions

The British theatrical version reduced the uses of strong language in order to obtain a '12A' rating by the BBFC, and was also released on DVD. The Blu-ray release is uncut and has a '15' rating.

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Connections

Referenced in Evening Urgant: Egor Koreshkov (2015)

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Soundtracks

Absolutely Anything
Written and performed by Roger Taylor
Recorded and mixed by Joshua Macrae (as Joshua J Macrae)
Licensed courtesy of Nightjar Productions Limited
Published by EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING

User Reviews

Perfectly enjoyable film, just not outstanding or remarkable

Absolutely Anything is a funny enough light comedy that seems better thanks to its notorious cast but unfortunately is a bit subdued to 'wow'.

Simon Pegg plays Neil Clarke, an unassuming teacher who has a crush on his neighbor and hates his job and boss. Little does he know that aliens are circling the planet, ready to put it to the test. One lucky human gets the power to do absolutely anything, and if they use the power for good then great, if they use it for bad, well then the aliens blow up the planet. Seems fair enough.

For those Jim Carrey fans out there, the idea behind Absolutely Anything is strikingly similar to 2003's Bruce Almighty. But unlike the Americans, the Brits are far more restrained in their use of absolute power and complete command of the universe. Neil just wants the simple things, to mess with his friends and maybe improve his work and body sitch. In fact, the ways in which Neil uses his complete power is almost too restrained and basically ends up making the film feel like a missed opportunity.

There are several decisions the producers made that really optimized the film, like getting the Monty Python gang to voice the aliens and Robin Williams to voice Neil's pet dog Dennis. Between their comedy chops and Simon Pegg, it seems impossible for this film to be bland, but it is. It seems as though the film strictly follows the script, leaving very little improvisational wiggle room which is where all the aforementioned talents shine. The comedy of Absolutely Anything is fine, entertaining and delightful, but not memorable or laugh- out- loud funny either.

Ultimately, Absolutely Anything suffers from a lack of creativity and originality in its comedy. It is amusing but average, and in the sea of films released annually, you won't even give it a second thought.

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Details

Official Sites:

Absolutely Anything Official Site

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 May 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Absolutely Anything

Box Office

Gross USA:

$20,169

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,303,792

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bill and Ben Productions, GFM films, Premiere Picture

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color (ACES)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1