Blame it on the Bellboy *** (1992, Dudley Moore, Bryan Brown, Richard Griffiths, Patsy Kensit) – Classic Movie Review 5914

Debut writer-director Mark Herman’s fast and funny 1992 screwball comedy is amusingly written, briskly directed and feistily performed.

Dudley Moore stars in this farcical comedy about three guests with similar names staying at a Venice hotel, waiting for letters. Bronson Pinchot plays an inept bellboy, talking in broken English.

At 78 minutes, this is a very short feature, but even so it slightly runs out of invention and breath. However, the frenzied playing and the many laugh-out-loud moments keep it going over the bumpy patches.

Moore is appealing as a meek property agent and there are reliable turns from Richard Griffiths, Andreas Katsulas, Patsy Kensit, Alison Steadman and Penelope Wilton, Jim Carter, Alex Norton, John Grillo and Ronnie Stevens as Man on Plane. But, surprisingly, Bryan Brown is the hit turn as an assassin, though more surprising is the participation of Lindsay Anderson as the voice of Mr Marshall.

Brown plays the hitman Mike Lawton, Griffiths plays philanderer sex-seeker Maurice Horton and Moore plays junior manager Melvyn Orton checking out properties for his boss. The three check in to the Hotel Gabrielli in Venice and the chaos starts when all three end up with the puzzled, wrong contacts.

The movie’s exteriors were shot entirely on location in Venice. It was shot at the Hotel Gabrielli – Riva degli Schiavoni, 4110, Venice, and Lee International Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England.

Mark Herman went on to make Brassed Off, Little Voice, Purely Belter, Hope Springs and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5914

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