Bula Quo! (2013)

Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt from legendary English rock group Status Quo witness a gang murder in Fiji. They flee with crucial evidence; have they played their last gig?

Director:

Stuart St. Paul

Writers:

Jean Heard, Stuart St. Paul

Stars:

Jon Lovitz, Craig Fairbrass, Laura Aikman

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jon Lovitz	...	Wilson
Craig Fairbrass	...	Simon
Laura Aikman	...	Caroline
Francis Rossi	...	Francis
Rick Parfitt	...	Rick
Matt Kennard	...	Dave
Jean Heard	...	Reiko Best
Andrew Bown	...	Andy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ronnie Ali	...	Taxi Driver
Gerrard Barr	...	Boatyard Guard
Anna Bovoro	...	Biker Girl 1
Steve Chand	...	Jone
Albert Nathaniel Eastgate	...	DJ (as Albi Nitro)
Paul King-Brown	...	Choir Master
Adi Litia	...	Biker Girl 2

Storyline

Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt from legendary English rock group Status Quo witness a gang murder in Fiji. They flee with crucial evidence; have they played their last gig?

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Plot Keywords:

status quo | 

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Taglines:

It started with guitars and ended with guns!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Made as a tax deductible write-off for the band. The budget of the film was part of what was owed to the UK taxman. However at the time there was a scheme, set up by the previous Labour Government of Gordon Brown, to allow taxpayers to invest a certain amount of money in low to medium budget UK films as an incentive to expand it and keep people in the industry in work. Although this film was made primarily in Fiji it was classed as a UK production because it utilized a primarily British cast and crew. Several other (technically) British films were made using the same tax incentives such as HITCHCOCK (2012) with Anthony Hopkins & Helen Mirren, CLEANSKIN (2012) starring Sean Bean, THE SWEENEY (2012) starring Ray Winstone and AGE OF HEROES (2011) starring Danny Dyer.

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Connections

Featured in Status Quo: Looking Out for Caroline (2013)

User Reviews

Not great, not terrible. Just a bit bland

I like Status Quo. I'm not a big fan, but I enjoy their amiable, fun rock music. In many ways, they don't get the respect they're due, perhaps because they never managed to break into the American market.

Bula Quo isn't a good film. It's not even bold enough to be terrible. Everything about it is just a bit bland and lacking.

Stuart St. Paul is a great stunt coordinator with a long history of good work. But as a director, he's awful. His films remind me of Willy Bogner, the ski film maker: Bogner's great with the ski films, but when he tries to make actual films, it all falls flat. And so it is with St. Paul.

The story is weak and predictable, but that isn't necessarily the kiss of death. If the acting was stronger, it could have been okay. Parfitt and Rossi aren't terrible, but they are terribly directed. There's some nice banter and back and forth between them, but it just doesn't come across well. With some acting lessons and a lot of rehearsal, there could have been a good performance there.

Craig Fairbrass does what he always does, but he's wasted and he's not a strong enough actor to deal with a poor script. Jean Heard isn't much good either - she's not convincing and has this funny habit of pausing after each line, which just drains the life out of her performance. The only good performance comes from Laura Aikman, who just happens to be St. Paul's daughter.

Most of the audience for Bula Quo are going to be Quo fans and they can probably overlook the shortcomings of the film just to enjoy see the band on-screen. And that's fine. It's just a shame that with a bit (well, a lot) of work on the acting and an actual film director, this could have been a decent little film - nothing that would set the box office on fire, but something mildly fun for a rainy day.

(PS The music is fine and they even play Pictures of Matchstick Men - their first hit from the 1960s)

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK Fiji

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Guitars, Guns and Paradise!

Filming Locations:

Fiji

Box Office

Budget:

$3,750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

INDY UK Films Limited, Status Quo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1