Day 21: The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (1978, Dir. Eric Idle, Gary Weis)
Before there was Spinal Tap there were The Rutles in All You Need is Cash; these Liverpool Pre-fab Four are shown conquering the music world in the 60’s a bit like that other band, what’re they called again…
The film is a very charming parody, and indeed is very funny but relies on you to be up on your Beatles trivia to get half of the references. Sequences and tales hold a mirror up to the real life events of band but know how to turn them into amusing spoofs. Eric Idle clearly has a great passion for The Beatles when so much care has been taken in replicating key events from their past but he also knows how to do it whilst capturing the comedy of The Monty Python team and the fun and humour of The Beatle too. And indeed a great deal is tackled from The Beatles history from their film career and appearances on the Ed Sullivan show to quite a scathingly funny take on Yoko Ono. This affection for the subject matter can also be seen in the music of The Rutles, whilst they are pretty close Beatles parodies they are clearly crafted from fondness.
There is also a great cast of cameos in this film from Bill Murray and Mick Jagger to John Belushi and George Harrison himself! They’re all funny in their own right adding a unique twist to the film. It is Mick Jagger in particular who provides some of the best scenes, utilising some fantastic dead pan humour.
The Rutles is a really fun watch, a must for all Beatles and Monty Python fans alike, a good humoured and loving tribute film that is a bit fuzzy and nostalgic but also knows how to be a very funny mockumentary too.
7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077147/
Extra: Anyone for Tea?
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