Films Outside the Loop Jeanne Chappé

I think that if people just started singing and dancing in the middle of real life, there would be fewer drive-by shootings! For one thing, these people would be harder to hit. Even if you don't like musical films, give this one a try (for a number of reasons).

Bert Rigby is played by Robert Lindsey who is so talented that Carl Reiner wrote and directed this film in order to star him in this role! Jan de Bont (before directing "Speed") does the cinematography. If that isn't enough, Anne Bancroft gives an incredibly hysterical performance that will leave you gasping for air!

Bert lives in a dying coal mining town in England and is a coal miner (except on Fridays). On Fridays, he sings and dances. A travelling Amateur Talent Contest rolls into town hosted by Sid Trample (played by a creepy Robbie Coltrane). Bert decides to enter the amateur talent contest and a soccer injury to his nose helps him win! He beats the Elvis impersonator and becomes 'the greatest alltime permanent amateur in history'! Figure that one out. So, Bert leaves his home town to seek his dream...to raise enough money to restore the Ritz Theatre (which has now become a bingo parlor). This is the theatre where he saw Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

When Bert leaves his home town, he also leaves his girlfriend who has 'a little problem'. Bert and his girlfriend live next door to each other and share the common bomb shelter between the homes. This is where the 'little problem' came into being. Bert gets signed by the director of a condom commercial to do sneaker commercials in the United States for BIG bucks. Needless to say, things go askew and Bert is stuck in the U.S., working for Jesus and 'sucker snipping' or 'snipping suckers'. It goes on from there to Van Gogh.

In Hollywood, everything is larger than life...even cockroaches.

Runtime: 1:34

This film is available on VHS, cable or satellite.

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