Clockwise (1986)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

One of my all time favorites.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

John Cleese plays Brian Stimpson, an efficient headmaster at an English school who, while on his way to a conference where he is to deliver a speech, misses his train, which launches him into an escalating series of misadventures as he desperately tries to reach the conference, no matter what...John Cleese is quite funny as the clock watching schoolmaster, and features a good cast of familiar British actors, but film is not all that funny really, being a one-joke premise stretched out to feature-length. Also, unlike Cleese's more famous character(Basil Fawlty from "Fawlty Towers") Stimpson isn't really that bad, and doesn't deserve these calamities, which seem mean-spirited.

Before I start I just want to say that I'm a *massive* fan of Cleese and virtually all of his work, from his acting performances to his work behind the camera. I'm very fond of so much of his filmography, from the Python series and films, to A Fish Called Wanda to Fierce Creatures and of course, the near perfect Fawlty Towers.Because of this, I was recommended Clockwise.I was expecting a feature-length symphony of chaos and Cleese-humour; Fawlty Towers, but given a budget and a 100 minute run time to wreak havoc for Cleese's character.However, Clockwise is anything but.The biggest problem with the film is its pacing. It is almost unbelievably slow. Of course, a slow buildup is often a benefit in such comedies; the story and circumstances slowly burn towards a riotous explosion of comedy, like Fawlty Towers has so often done. But in those instances, the slowness worked because we were always aware of the threat, of the tension, of the promise of what trouble is bubbling below the surface. In the case of this film however, I was bored almost to the point of turning off the movie.Clockwise features entire scenes where characters do essentially nothing, or engage in so-called 'antics' that are virtually free of tension, suspense or humour. The scenes in the monastery, in the country fields, in the phone box or by the side of the road completely drain the film's energy. The very point of the movie is for us to feel the importance of every second tick by, to race against time, to be terrified of the prospect of being late--of missing the engagement. However, although Cleese's character is set up to be bordering on near obsession with these things, by the midway point he has seemingly abandoned these qualities and drifts through the film, even remarking that he doesn't care anymore. This character trait change is completely unprecedented, and makes no sense, to say nothing of how it drains the film of drama and comedy. I won't even touch on the bizarre and absurd sequence in which Cleese and his student take another man into the woods to steal his clothes by offering sex. It's barely usable in theory, and in execution, the scene is utterly groan-inducing.The second major problem refers to the characters themselves and the way the film handles them. An entire slew of supporting characters are introduced (badly and uninterestingly), each of them supposedly being set up to antagonise and confound Cleese when he finally arrives. After we spend the whole film slowly and numbingly reaching Cleese's engagement, these characters are virtually forgotten, merely wandering into his speech session to distract him for a moment before being seated. The explosion of comedy and awkward confrontation, as was done so marvelously in A Fish Called Wanda, Fierce Creatures and Fawlty Towers, never occurs at all. The film's climax barely even occurs, and when it does, it's merely signposted by Cleese giving a bizarrely disjointed speech; a scene which doesn't seem to know whether it's suggesting that Cleese has lost his mind, or is merely winging it. Frankly, at this point, I didn't care. The subplots and ultimate conclusion of the story are never resolved. The film simply stops. Having Cleese's character no longer caring is fine, but this fact is never properly established.Finally, the performances are either painful or boring. Everyone but Cleese seems to have turned their 'annoying-stereotype' meter up to eleven, screeching, whining and giggling in the most absurd ways. Meanwhile, Cleese himself plays the film surprisingly straight and subdued, barely every reaching his trademark levels of Basil Fawlty hysteria. This, despite the fact that he finds himself in situations that would make Fawlty collapse in agony. Naturally, I understand that we are dealing with different characters here, but since the film which to such arduous lengths in the first act to set up Cleese's neurosis, the fact that he sleepwalks through the rest of the film is genuinely bizarre.Ultimately, Clockwise is incredibly disappointing, and, despite the apparent love of it in certain circles, I feel should be avoided at all costs.It's begging for a remake to inject some tension, suspense and genuine comedy into this simple concept.

Headmaster Brian Stimpson has built his reputation on being organised and running his school on a tight schedule organised right down to the minute. Such is the success of this approach that he has been elected the chairman of the Headmaster's Association and is due to give a speech to the association in Norwich. A simple mix up over right and left sees him miss his train and also miss a lift from his wife. A chance encounter with one of his sixth form in a car sees him able to beg a lift from her but that only causes more panic and confusion with his wife and the girl's parents assuming that he is in a relationship with her. Meanwhile on the road how eventful can a simple drive of less than 200 miles be?With John Cleese playing the sort of character he is well known for you pretty much know what you're going to get here in this precursor to Planes, Trains & Automobiles. The narrative arch sees us establishing the strictly organised Stimpson before then spending the rest of the film gradually putting him through increasingly comic blunders and delays as he tries to get to his destination on time. It is nothing that special or clever and the events are never that unexpected or imaginative. Personally I rarely laughed out loud but was reasonably amused by it throughout. Morahan's direction is pretty by-the-numbers and his touch is too obvious to be of much help.Cleese is the whole show and it is down to his playing that the film is worth even looking at. Sure his performance is not a million miles from characters he has played before but he is still good. His timing and awareness of his own absurdity helps the material. The rest fall in behind him but mostly the film is all about him and he is rarely offscreen. Overall then an average comedy that is more or less what you expect but should do enough to amuse if not have you roaring with laughter. Cleese makes it worth the while so, if you like him you'll be OK but if not this isn't worth bothering with.

This came on TV whilst I was ill, and I found myself laughing uncontrollably at points. It's probably the best ever analysis of the finer points of the tight-arse institutionalised anxiety that so many of us grew up with in the UK in the 50's/60's. That makes it very subtle and complex: It may not travel well, but if you get one half of the richness of the references and cultural idioms being spoofed here, you'll appreciate what a glorious, authentic, intelligent, finely nuanced romp it is. Encapsulate all this in a "Monsieur Hulot's Greek Tragedy" high paced idiom, and it's a classic. Wanda is Chardonnay. This is fine burgundy. If you want a lot of fun getting to know why anybody would be silly enough to call a private school a public school, dive in, because this one is right on the button!