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 | teacher | whiskey bottle | whiskey | big ears | 

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Taglines:

With great power comes total irresponsibility.

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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 the Rolodex of random humans to be chosen, Oprah's, Justin Bieber, and Sarah Palin's photographs can be spotted.

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Goofs

As Pioneer 11 passes Saturn, its route clearly intersects the shadow which the planet is casting on its rings, yet the probe remains illuminated by the sun.

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Quotes

Neil: Absolute power doesn't corrupt. It just drives you bloody mad.

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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

References Some Like It Hot (1959)

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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

A story you'd expect from Douglas Adams

8.25 of 10. Amusing, alien-based soft-science fiction. Not as intricate as Douglas Adams' classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or its 2005 adaptation, but delivers in almost every other way. It's too bad it wasn't developed a little more and made into a longer film.

Besides Simon Pegg being the ideal pick for the lead character, Robin Williams doing another post-death cameo as the voice of a dog character - speaking, thinking animals being another favorite of Adams - adds a lot of fun and post-film credits enjoyment to a story about humans getting in the way of our alien overlords.

More than just comedy or sci-fi-light, there's some excellent satire, subtexts, and recursive comprehension built into the film, making it one of the rare alien, animal-speaking films that are almost believable.

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