For some reason, good – in the strict sense that it makes you laugh – comedy has been in short supply of late.Moonwalkers breaks the fast.
Moonwalkers is the 1st feature film directed by illustrious unknown Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, the googling of whom produces surprisingly little more than vague indications of a background in TV commercial directing in France; on the basis of available evidence, his ability seem to rely mostly on the quality of the script he is handed, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Moonwalkers tells the story of PTSDd Viet vet turned CIA op Kidman (Ron Perlman, in full blossom) sent by brass to the UK back in '69 to hire Stanley Kubrick to film a fake moon landing to be broadcast in case the Apollo XI landing would fail. Ensuing quid pro quos result in money for the operation being mistakenly handed over to wannabe rock band agent Jonny (Rupert Gint), subsequently repossessed by loan sharks, while concurrently Jonny and assorted pothead chums persuade Kinsman to trust the cinematic project to crap psychedelic avant-auteur cum drama queen Kozinsky (Andrew Blumenthal, appropriately over the top) with hilarious slapstick and splatter action consequences.
Moonwalkers is a lot of laughs, due to (1) the cheerful exaggeration of every stereotype involved (Viet vet tough guy, Swinging London mods and teds, North London cockney gangsters, 60s art scene groupies) and (2) the epic stupidity of Jonny and his associates, a sort of hippie version of the Stooges, in waaay over their heads. It's like Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964) meets Blow Up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1967) meets the Austin Powersfranchise meets Iron Ski (Timo Vuorensola, 2012), sort of.
Moonwalkers had poor reviews, maybe undeservedly. Ill admit a bias for low brow comedy, and concedeMoonwalkers ain't no Seventh Seal, but neither is it supposed to be neither does everything need to (be, that is;Seventh Seal, I mean). Moonwalkers is crazy without being stupid and riotously hilarious, which is the least you could ask from a comedy.