Run for Your Wife (2012 film)

Last updated

Run for Your Wife
Run for Your Wife (2012 film).jpg
Film poster
Directed by Ray Cooney
John Luton
Written byRay Cooney
Based on Run for Your Wife
by Ray Cooney
Produced byGraham Fowler
James Simpson
Starring
CinematographyGraham Fowler
Edited byJohn Pegg
Music by Walter Mair
Production
company
Run for Your Wife Film
Distributed byBallpark Film Distributors
Release dates
  • 19 May 2012 (2012-05-19)(Cannes Film Festival)
  • 14 February 2013 (2013-02-14)(United Kingdom)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£900,000 ($1,144,260.04)

Run for Your Wife is a 2012 British comedy film, based on the 1983 theatre farce Run for Your Wife , written by Ray Cooney who, along with John Luton, also directed the film. The film made its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2012 before being theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2013. Upon release, the film promptly received universally negative reviews from critics and has been referred to as one of the worst films of all time, after it grossed just £602 ($765.38) in its opening weekend. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

John Smith is a London cab driver and also a bigamist. Not long after getting married, he met another woman and got engaged to her just hours after meeting. Then came the marriage despite already having a wife. He spends his time juggling the two parts of his life and keeps a schedule in his pocket. All of this ensures that Michelle in Stockwell never gets to know about Stephanie in Finsbury. It all goes wrong for him when while helping to rescue a bag lady who's being mugged he gets hit in the head. He's taken to hospital with concussion but worse of all, the overnight stay messes up his schedule. Both his wives report him missing and life is about to get very confusing.

His friend Gary tries to help him but usually just makes the whole situation worse. The strange plot also includes two very camp neighbours who have a major leak in their bathroom. Will the bigamist taxi-driver be able to keep his life together?

Cast

Cameo roles (alphabetical)

Production

Over 80 celebrities agreed to make cameo appearances, having all said they would donate their fees to a theatrical charity. [3] The executive producer was Vicki Michelle. [4] Most of the enjoyment in this movie comes from trying to spot all the celebrities. It's ironic that perhaps the best ever cast list for a British movie is also one of the worst.

During filming, Dyer was mistaken by onlookers for an actual taxi driver. According to the end credits, there was a sequel planned, based on Cooney's later play Caught in the Net. However, perhaps owing to this film's disastrous box office returns, the project did not materialise.

Reception

Run for Your Wife had so many overwhelmingly negative reviews upon release that the reviews themselves were widely reported in the UK media. [5] The film was variously described as "a catastrophe", "as funny as leprosy", and "30 years past its sell-by date", with The Guardian reviewer Peter Bradshaw saying that it "makes The Dick Emery Show look edgy and contemporary". [6]

The Independent 's Anthony Quinn wrote, "The stage play ran for nine years – it [the film] will be lucky to run for nine days. Perhaps never in the field of light entertainment have so many actors sacrificed so much dignity in the cause of so few jokes... From the look of it, Cooney hasn't been in a cinema for about 30 years." [7] The cameo-heavy cast was commented upon by several reviewers, with the Metro commenting that "no one emerges unscathed among the cameo-packed cast that reads largely like a roll-call for Brit TV legends you'd previously suspected deceased". [8]

The Daily Record described the film as "an exasperating farce containing not one single, solitary laugh. Comprised of people losing their trousers and falling over, the film looks like a pilot for a (mercifully) never-commissioned 70s sitcom." [9] An article in the Independent described Run for Your Wife (along with the similarly badly received Movie 43 ) as contenders for the title of the "worst film in history". [10]

The Berkhamsted & Tring Gazette reported "critics have being queuing up to batter recent release Run for Your Wife, with general agreement that it ranks among the worst British comedies of all time". [11] The South African newspaper Daily News stated that "Run for Your Wife could be the worst film in history", [12] the Studio Briefing website reported that "Some writers are making the case that the British comedy Run for Your Wife, written by and starring [sic] comedian Ray Cooney, may be “the worst film ever"”, [13] and The Daily Mirror reported (a few months after its release) that Run for Your Wife "was branded the worst British film ever". [14]

There are some comical moments in the movie. Most are supplied by the gay couple upstairs and their bathroom disasters. The collapsing keep-fit class has its moments too but laughs are few and far between. Like most Ray Cooney farces that are hits in the theatre, they just don't translate to the big screen very well.

Run for Your Wife currently has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Taxi Driver</i> 1976 film by Martin Scorsese

Taxi Driver is a 1976 American neo-noir psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a morally decaying New York City following the Vietnam War, the film follows Travis Bickle, a veteran and taxi driver, and his deteriorating mental state as he works nights in the city.

Funny Money is a farce written by Ray Cooney. It premièred at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley, London, England, in 1994, followed by a successful two-year run in the West End. Cooney directed his own play and also played the part of Henry Perkins. In 2006 the play was adapted into a movie starring Chevy Chase. The play has also been presented internationally in Singapore, in May 2005, by the British Theatre Playhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameo appearance</span> Brief appearance in performing art

A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo, is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly either appearances in a work in which they hold some special significance or renowned people making uncredited appearances. Short appearances by celebrities, film directors, politicians, athletes or musicians are common. A crew member of the movie or show playing a minor role can be referred to as a cameo role as well, such as director Alfred Hitchcock who made frequent cameo appearances in his films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Danza</span> American actor (born 1951)

Tony Danza is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series Taxi (1978–1983) and Who's the Boss? (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. In 1998, Danza won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for his work on the 1997 sitcom The Tony Danza Show. He has also appeared in films such as The Hollywood Knights (1980), Going Ape! (1981), She's Out of Control (1989), Angels in the Outfield (1994), Crash (2004), and Don Jon (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Dyer</span> English actor (born 1977)

Danny Dyer is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in Human Traffic (1999), with other notable roles Billy the Limpet in Mean Machine (2001) and as Tommy Johnson in The Football Factory (2004). Following the success of The Football Factory, Dyer was often typecast in "hard-man" roles, although it was this image that allowed him to present The Real Football Factories, its spin-off, The Real Football Factories International and Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men. Dyer has also worked in theatre, having appeared in three plays written by Harold Pinter, with whom he had a close friendship.

<i>Into the Night</i> (1985 film) 1985 film by John Landis

Into the Night is a 1985 American black comedy action thriller film directed by John Landis, starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film focuses on an insomniac aerospace engineer (Goldblum), who is approached by a jewel smuggler (Pfeiffer) whose life is in danger, on the run from several international foes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Michelle</span> British actress (born 1950)

Vicki Michelle is an English actress, radio presenter, businesswoman, film producer and former model. She is best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in the BBC television comedy series 'Allo 'Allo! and as recurring character Patricia Foster in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. In 2014, she appeared on the fourteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.

<i>Spice World</i> (film) 1997 film by Bob Spiers

Spice World is a 1997 British musical comedy film directed by Bob Spiers and written by Kim Fuller. The film stars pop girl group the Spice Girls, who all play themselves. The film—made in a similar vein to the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night (1964)—depicts a series of fictional events leading up to a major concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, liberally interspersed with dream sequences and flashbacks as well as surreal moments and humorous asides, whilst also including a subplot dealing with a smear campaign against the Spice Girls by an overzealous newspaper CEO in an attempt to destroy their reputation for his own benefit.

Raymond George Alfred Cooney OBE is an English playwright, actor, and director.

<i>A Guide for the Married Man</i> 1967 film by Gene Kelly

A Guide for the Married Man is a 1967 American bedroom-farce comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and starring Walter Matthau, Robert Morse and Inger Stevens. It features many cameos, including those by Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Terry-Thomas, Jayne Mansfield, Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Joey Bishop, Art Carney and Wally Cox. The title song, performed by the Turtles, was composed by John Williams with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse.

<i>A Change of Seasons</i> (film) 1980 film by Richard Lang

A Change of Seasons is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Lang. It stars Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLaine and Bo Derek. The film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing $7.2 million against its $6 million budget and receiving three nominations at the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Actor (Hopkins) and Worst Screenplay.

Run for Your Wife is a 1983 comedy play by Ray Cooney.

<i>Your Highness</i> 2011 US stoner comic fantasy film by David Gordon Green

Your Highness is a 2011 American stoner comic fantasy film directed by David Gordon Green. It stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, and Justin Theroux. Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film was released on April 8, 2011. It follows an arrogant prince and his brother on a quest to kill a sorcerer and save the bride and their father's kingdom. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $28 million worldwide against a $50 million budget.

Almost a Honeymoon is a 1930 play by Walter Ellis. It debuted at the Garrick Theatre in London and later enjoyed a successful run at the Apollo Theatre. A farce it concerns a young man who has secured a lucrative post in the colonial service. His problem is that the post requires him to be married, and he has just a day to find a woman to be his wife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Osmond</span> British actor (1903–1959)

Hal Osmond was a British stage, film and television actor. He played Anselm in The Adventures of Robin Hood episode "Errand of Mercy" (1956).

<i>Accident</i> (2012 film) 2012 Indian film

Accident is a 2012 Bengali film directed by Nandita Roy & Shiboprosad Mukherjee. The story of the film deals with road accident and its consequences in Kolkata. The director duo got motivated by Keshtopur road incident in April 2008 where at least 20 people were killed and nearly 40 were injured.

<i>Badges of Fury</i> 2013 China"`UNIQ--ref-0000000E-QINU`" film

Badges of Fury is a 2013 Chinese-Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Wong Tsz-ming in his directorial debut. The film stars Jet Li and Wen Zhang in their third collaboration after Ocean Heaven and The Sorcerer and the White Snake. The film was theatrically released on 21 June 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Griffiths (actor)</span> English actor (1912–1994)

Frederick David Griffiths was an English film and television actor. A former London cabbie and wartime fire fighter discovered by director Humphrey Jennings, and cast in his documentary film Fires Were Started in 1943; and over the next four decades played supporting roles and bit parts in 150 films, including various Ealing, Boulting Brothers and Carry On comedies, before eventually retiring in 1984.

Dani Dyer is an English television personality and actress. In 2018, she appeared on Survival of the Fittest, and later that year won the fourth series of Love Island alongside Jack Fincham. Since then, she has co-presented the MTV series True Love or True Lies alongside her father Danny Dyer, as well as co-hosting a podcast called Sorted with the Dyers with him.

References

  1. Danny Dyer's Run For Your Wife takes just £602 at the box office Radio Times , 20 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  2. "Danny Dyer's 'Run For Your Wife' flops with £747 at the box office". Digital Spy. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  3. Ray Winstone, Cliff Richard waive cameo fee for Danny Dyer film Digital Spy, 2 August 2011.
  4. "Run For Your Wife". Run For Your Wife. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  5. 'Run for Your Wife' – Is this the worst movie ever filmed? Yahoo Movies – UK & Ireland, 16 February 2013.
  6. Run for Your Wife – review The Guardian, 14 February 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  7. Film review: Run for Your Wife The Independent (London), 14 February 2013.
  8. Run for Your Wife – 'As funny as leprosy' The Independent (London), 15 February 2013.
  9. Movie Review: Run for your wife Daily Record, 15 February 2013.
  10. Run For Your Wife: Is this movie the biggest turkey ever filmed? The Independent. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  11. "Run for Your Wife", Berkhamsted & Tring Gazette, 11 March 2013.
  12. "Movie may be the biggest Turkey ever", Daily News, South Africa, February 21, 2013.
  13. THE WORST FILM IN HISTORY? Studio Briefing, February 21, 2013.Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  14. Danny Dyer's film company went bust with debt to taxpayer of £25,000 Daily Mirror, 6 October 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  15. Run for Your Wife. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 January 2015.