Run For Your Wife (review)

Anyone who has seen the news about Ray Cooney's return to the cinema (his first big screen writing/directing effort since Not Now Comrade in 1976), will know that Run For Wife has hardly broken the box office, and that it has only received a limited screening since its release.

I paid £3 for my 'Silver Screening' ticket & got free coffee and a biscuit included so the cinemas are hardly going to rake it in at this rate!

I'll start by being reasonably fair. The audience I saw the film with enjoyed it, and there were many laughs, gaffaws and an "Oooh" when the late Richard Briers appeared on screen.

However, as anyone would have guessed, the only real pleasure to be gained from Run For Your Wife is the cameo spotting. It's a shame then that too many of these appearances are so fleeting that you will need to watch the film on DVD so that you can pause and rewind it - For example, I saw Katy Manning's name at the end but didn't spot her face in the film.

Christopher Biggins has the best screen presence here, but needs more decent lines.

And there lies the major problem: the actors who really can do comedy don't actually get the opportunity. They're relegated to the role of 'extras' whilst the main parts are given to Danny Dyer and Denise Van Outen who are neither funny nor sympathetic.

Outen delivers the films worst line: "Did you tell that reporter I'd got sexually transmitted spots?! Grrrr you silly sod!!"

As for Dyer, let's say I did not relish the big close-ups of his doughy face with its puffy, unfocused eyes. (At first I thought this was because his character had received a knock to the head - which is the opening gambit of the plot - but, alas this appeared to be his permanent demeanour.

There is one of those credit-sequences at the end that rerun the whole film again in a potted version. It was only here that I noticed Geoffrey Palmer and I think Wanda Ventham (I may be mistaken about the latter).

There was also a post-credit scene, but the projectionist had already turned the house lights up!

When it finally ended some old dear at the back muttered "Has it done now?!"

Pic: Danny Dyer trying to hide the script...