How to Irritate People (1969)

Director: Ian Fordyce

Starring: John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Gillian Lind, Connie Booth, Dick Vosburgh

More info: IMDb

Plot: John Cleese narrates a series of sketches on irritation -- types and techniques. Included are parents irritating their children, old ladies irritating movie-goers in a theater, an overly subservient waiter, a car repairman denying obvious car trouble, a party guest hinting for a ride, airplane pilots playing practical jokes on their passengers, and a talk show host who doesn't stop talking.


My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again? Sadly, no.

I'm a HUGE Monty Python fan and of every one of those cats.  I will literally watch anything that any of them did regardless of how bad it might be.  This one's been in my collection for years and I finally got around to it.  Meh.  It's 68 minutes of sketch comedy with a common thread.  The airplane bit had its moments but the only bit that really had me laughing (and that I'd be willing to watch again) is the sketch with the drawn out introduction for the variety show host.  It took forever and with each extension of bullshit I laughed even harder.  Once the host (Cleese) comes onto the stage, front and center, he proceeds with a drawn out introduction for his guest (Chapman).  When Chapman comes out, his teeth had me in stitches.



Everything else wasn't all that funny.  It probably sounded funny on paper (or during rehearsals) but it's still worth a look for Python fans.  This came out the same year they started Python, for what it's worth.  And even the great Marty Feldman contributed to the writing.  It would have been REALLY funny if the show itself proved irritating (on purpose, mind you).  That would be meta.