Ooh...You Are Awful

John Chard

The cheek of it! Ooh... You Are Awful, but I like you! This was the catchphrase of the comedian Dick Emery. Emery became a household name in 1960s/70s British light entertainment. There was a time when the likes of Emery and Mike Yarwood seemed to constantly be on the radio or television, doing their thing. Chances are that if you were watching, listening and enjoying back then, then there's a good chance you will like this film outing for Emery. Plot involves a con-man caper scenario where Emery plays Charlie Tully, who along with his side-kick Reggie Peek (Ronald Fraser), manages to con half a million pounds out of two Italians. But circumstances lead to Charlie doing a short stint in jail and after Reggie is killed, Charlie has to locate the bank account number where Reggie stashed the cash. The number, as it transpires, has been tattooed over the derrières of four beauties once involved with Reggie. Cue Charlie having to use his cunning number of disguises to reveal the special code. But others are on his tail as well... It's as corny as it sounds, a little bit of innuendo here and there, some nudity and cheeky asides, while Emery gets to run through his various characters in search of the golden bottoms! It's a hard sell to anyone not familiar with the work of Emery and the era of British film it was made in, but it's a fun enough romp, even if it's instantly forgettable once over. 6/10