Guest House Paradiso Reviews

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from this flick but since there was some interesting actors involved, I thought I might as well give it a try. Indeed, even though I was mostly attracted by the supporting cast (Vincent Cassel, Bill Nighy, Simon Pegg, Sophia Myles), apparently, the big attraction were the two leads (Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson) who were supposedly really famous in England but I have never heard of them before. Basically, it was one of those really surrealist and over-the-top comedies where crazy stuff happen every 30 seconds. At the end of the day, you're either a fan of the genre or you're not and, to be honest, I can’t say I’m. Indeed, the issue with this kind of humor, in my opinion, is that it works fine for a short sketch but, usually, with a full feature film format, it is just way too random, it goes absolutely nowhere and it tends to get on my nerves at some point. Anyway, to conclude, all in all, I thought it was still not bad at all and even though it was nothing really amazing, it is still definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

"As we always say at the Guest House Paradiso: Have fun, don't go in the water if you know what's good for you and try not to get shit on the sheets."

Guest House Paradiso is a comedy filled to the brim with nothing but non-stop laughter, physical gags and sexual innuendo. The creative team behind this film also created two popular TV shows: The Young Ones and Bottoms. The whole film is beguilingly tempting comedy - each scene being nothing more than a myriad of hilarious gags and little plot emerging.

Richie (Mayall) and Eddie (Edmondson) run the worst hotel in the entire British Isles: thieving manager, drunken immigrant chef and a former mental patient for a waiter. This is a hotel that makes Fawlty Towers look like attractive 5-star accommodation. The two bumbling nitwits, Richie and Eddie, have their establishment right next to a nuclear power plant. The only regulars at the hotel are a bunch of power plant workers who drop by to get drunk, as well as an elderly woman named Mrs. Foxfur (Fielding) who appears to be conned quite frequently. After an opening that clearly shows the kind of stupidity the two protagonists continually exhibit, the hotel is cleared of many residents. Things begin looking up when a small family voluntarily checks in for a stay. They are then overshadowed when beautiful famed actress Gina Carbonara (Mahieu) checks in with the intent of escaping her Italian playboy fiancé that she doesn't want to marry. What follows is a night of complete disaster. Radioactive fish, crazed Italian, vomiting house guests...everything imaginable as the central characters move from one disaster to the other.

Guest House Paradiso focuses solely on the laughs as opposed to a plot. It's a difficult task to justifiably outline the plot in any great detail because everything would then be spoiled. As an alternative to a plot we just have a straightforward series of events. With the thought in mind of a night of plain disaster, we are treated to a repulsive (occasionally disturbing) series of events. By the end of it you will want to vomit as strongly as some of the guests. During the film's final 40 minutes of non-stop hilarity and gags I was both choking with laughter and feeling mighty queasy from the disgusting events that unfold.

The two main characters are a talented duo that will be familiar to fans of the creative team. Both Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson have their moments of utter hilarity. It's the clichéd odd couple: one of them has brains (using those words loosely), the other does not. Those of you familiar with the film will agree when I say that the opening kitchen brawl shows the agility and talent of the two leading performers. It's a hilarious combination of slapstick gags with some overwhelming violence (surprisingly enough). This string of nothing but gags and laughter is very memorable as well. You will either be quoting the dialogue, re-enacting scenes or discussing these scenes in detail with another who has seen it.

From the front cover and trailer, Guest House Paradiso promised to be nothing more than a bit of light-hearted entertainment that isn't at all tasteful. This assumption is extremely correct - it's nothing but funny mindless gags that make a fun way to spend 85 minutes of your time. Not classic comedy in any sense, but if you're easily entertained and enjoy puerile, disgusting humour then this is the one to rent (or buy).