The Harry Hill Movie

Doctor Harry Hill brings his madcap humour to the big screen and he manages to rope in Matt Lucas, Julie Walters, Johnny Vegas, Sheridan Smith, Simon Bird and Jim Broadbent where he embarks on a road trip to Blackpool with his Nan when he discovers that his pet hamster, Abu Hamster who is oozing green stuff only has one week to live. However this is only a scheme hatched by his long lost twin and a pair of henchmen.

Trouble is Hill ends up in Blackpole where he spends a night in a guest house run by the Magic Numbers and takes a guided tour of a nuclear power plant by a cleaner (Oscar winner Jim Broadbent in drag!)

The film contains sniper chicken useful for a midweek dinner, radioactive hamsters, a dog Jackson 5 tribute, the Dachshund 5, shell people, a fox that is a master of disguise and Blackpool.

Its a madcap, surreal, silly mayhem. The film rather lulls in the middle when you feel its run out of steam and laughs. The humour is a bit hit and miss, however switch your brain off, watch it with the kids and it is mildly entertaining and amusing.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In this outlandish film version of himself, TV funny man Harry Hill is distraught to find his pet hamster Abu (voiced by Johnny Vegas) is ill, so he takes him to the vets, only to find himself getting chased to Blackpool with his nan (Julie Walters) and Abu, by henchmen of his brother Otto (Matt Lucas) who wants to make him pay for being abandoned with a family of dash hounds.

Although his silly, twisted humour is the kind of thing I tend to warm to, I've never really made much time for Harry Hill, although I was interested to see how he'd perform to a live audience when he toured earlier this year. And, on that same basis, I wondered what a film about him would be like. Lest we forget, he is actually a character as opposed to an actual celebrity, so with ideas running as dry as they are, why not make a 'Harry Hill Film?'

With a plot that's every bit as piecemeal and apathetic as I've made it sound, it falls on Hill's (or, rather, Michael Hall's) shoulders to inject the film with as much of his zany, off the wall antics that his very presence evokes as possible, but while there's maybe the odd little cackle here and there, generally it's an annoying, redundant mess that's really started to wear out it's welcome even after only an hour and a half.

With such as host of respected performers, including Walters, Jim Broadbent and Sheridan Smith, sending themselves up, you'd have thought there might at least be some out-takes at the end to take the edge off it all a little, but it's as if the film feels it's done it's stuff enough by the end and just rolls off with bland end credits. It's a naturally self indulgent piece that's very existence is enough to make the mind boggle, and leaves you in no doubt Hill's forte lies in TV and nowhere else. **

Went with wife and two kids. We left after 50 minutes having sat through the worst cinema experience ever.

Had the film been branded as a new venture or a change in Harrys' professional direction we could accept why it may not have been to our liking. However the film is called "The Harry Hill Movie" and we naturally expected a feast of his humour and the entertainment enjoyed from watching his performances on television.

A star studied cast only raised our expectations and veiled the dreadful reviews that we had chosen not to embrace. I am at a complete loss as to why such highly acclaimed actors would want to be associated with a potentially career damaging script.

Take a walk in the park, rake some leaves or consider a cold shower but do not go and spend money going to see this.

Harry and his team need to make an apology to those fans who have wasted hard earned money going to see this.

It would be best to let the story speak for this film.

An adult man who lives with his grandmother as well as a...teddy bear who is gravely ill and only has a week to live, allegedly and thus his housemates try to offer him a pleasant last week by taking him on a holiday.

If you are a parent of children in their pre teens, then take them and go see it. Otherwise, stay well away from the big screen.

On this note, I would have to acknowledge as remarkable the fact that the producers managed to cast the likes of Julie Walters and Jim Boradbent.

I went to see this film with my family of Harry Hill lovers, and I loved it! Harry Hill, Julie Walters, Matt Lucas, Simon Bird and Johnny Vegas were all fantastic. Saying this as a lifelong Harry Hill fan, I would recommend it if you've ever watched him. If you don't know or like his sense of humor then you will probably not like it. On IMDb, The Harry Hill Movie has too many bad reviews. This is because they do not like him. It should definitely be more popular!

There were loads of funny scenes, including a fight on top of Blackpool tower. The worst part was the end credits! He has a strange background in the film, because he has a twin brother brought up by Alsatians because his Nan couldn't look after them both because their parents went on holiday but ended up staying there.

Brilliant idea for a family afternoon if you need some comedy to liven up your day!