Review of How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) by Sausages M — 19 Oct 2013

Hmm, it's a tricky one. It's a genuinely interesting idea about transformation of the soul taking on a physical form, being used as a satirical tool to say something about the evils of our commercial world.

Richard E Grant is very good but the other characters don't get a lot to do except react to him. The second half of the film oddly seems to drop the black comedy in favour of some sort of odd dramedy that's out of sync with the tone on the rest of it.

It's entertaining enough, but you can't really call it very funny. The message contained within, particularly the second half is far too serious for it to be that. However, black comedy is often a tricky genre and the overall idea is inventive and good.

My problem is that there's a bit too much of the manic. Withnail & I without the "I" it turns out, is a bit much. This was my second watch and I remembered it differently, I remembered a better film- I suppose because the idea is very good but the execution could have been better, and when I watched it for the first time in the 90s it was all fresh.

Conclusion? This film doesn't bear repeated viewings.