Arthur and Martha (Hill and McKenna) are struggling to make ends meet when they discover their pension has been squandered by greedy bankers. Arthur hatches a plan to steal it back, and accidentally succeeds. So Martha suggests they carry on. As they tour a series of English stately homes they also indulge in a bank robbing spree. Back home, their beloved bowling club goes up for auction, and they team with their pals (Callow, Stubbs and Davis) to steal the money to save it. But local detective Sid (Armstrong) is hot on their trail.

While the premise lends itself to a madcap-romp approach, the filmmakers take a less ambitious approach, failing to punch either the comedy or action elements, while never exploring the rather vital message that drives the plot. There's plenty of innuendo in the script, but the characters' sexuality is simplistic and juvenile. And the direction is basic, with overlit sets and clunky heists that resemble a sitcom rather than a feature film. Still, it's gently amusing all the way through, and the actors make it relatively enjoyable.

Hill anchors his scenes by offering some introspection to Arthur's decisions, and his scenes with McKenna have a warm affection to them. More interesting is the strained relationship between Armstrong's Sid and his wife, ahem, Nancy, who is given a bit of steeliness by Johnston. Callow is in blustering scene-stealer mode as easily the most entertaining character. But Moore struggles to make his swaggering, perma-tanned detective anything more than a cartoon.

Not that there's much more he could have done. The script is relentlessly superficial, never deepening any of the characters (no one seems to have children or grandchildren, for example). There's also no proper logic in the plot, which spirals through a year's worth of life and death in the span of a few days. And since it's all so relentlessly thin, it's difficult to emotionally connect on any level with anything that happens. That said, it's bright and goofy, and at least it has an important point to make.

themes, language, innuendo

22.Feb.16