A couple of Monty Python solo ventures:
Clockwise (1985) stars John Cleese in a slight variation of his Fawlty Towers character who is obsessed with punctuality. Needless to say, he needs to get somewhere by X o'clock and the world conspires to prevent him getting there.
It's classic farce with many laugh out loud moments and a glorious array of madcap characters, somewhat reminiscent of those race movies like Cannonball Run or Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
For all the famous faces that inevitably show up throughout (for their time), one of the standout performances is by the practically unknown Sharon Maiden who plays a schoolgirl dating the music teacher who Cleese's Headmaster commandeers to drive him to Norwich. She, of course, is still learning to drive and "only failed her test on one little thing"
She practically co-stars with Cleese and yet this was to be only her second movie, and her last. I can't think why, she has a wonderful screen prescence.
And that 80s nostalgia is strong in this one! :
Slightly slow in a couple of places and not all the jokes land, but on the whole a very enjoyable way to spend a an hour and a half in this delightfully bonkers universe
8/10.
The Missionary (1982) on the other hand is a Michael Palin vehicle that attempts a similar kind of madcap farcical romp but is much more hit and miss and not at all consistent in delivering either pacing or punchlines.
Even after having watched it only a few days ago, I've already forgotten the plot entirely and couldn't give you an accurate synopsis even if I wanted to. He gets sent on a mission to 'save' young prostitutes in London, hilarity ensues? That's kinda it, but it's more about the love quadrangle between his prospective wife, his prospective lover and all the young prostitutes.
Funnily enough, the part I found the funniest was a non-plot character, the butler of the husband of his prospective lover, masterfully played by the late legend Michael Hordern who has zero memory. The scene where Palin is led on a merry goose chase round a ridiculously large mansion by Hordern, who has no idea where he's going, is one of cinema's all time classic scenes IMO.
Maggie Smith is great as well, in fact all the acting is great, it's just that it feels too disjointed to come away with it feeling very satisfied that ones time wasn't necessarily wasted if you know what I mean. There's no real nostalgia factor either as it's set in the Victorian era.
6/10