Guest House Paradiso [1999]

To watch this movie and not become utterly bored or disgusted you first need to like the humour. Some would say that only hardcore fans really enjoy watching it. But overall it's a great movie.


It's thwait!   July 18, 2005
Mr. Nicholas Pearson (warwickshire United Kingdom)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

this is the bottom film that came out of comedy writing and performing duo; Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson. This film starts where the bottom characters Eddie Hitler and Richard Richard, although Richard's surname is now Tw*t pronounced Thwait apparently,left off. running Britains cheapest hotel is no easy task especially when it is next door to a nuclear power station, you have no bookings and can't go five minutes without a serious, cartoon style punch up with your buisness partner. the film also has cameos by Simon Pegg and Bill Nighy, this is a must for any bottom fan, there is violence in this that will not just make you wince but actually make your eyes water, especially the men and did I tell you it is also very funny.
IMPORTANT- if your DVD player is set to '4x3 pan and scan mode' the menu highlight is not shown making it impossible to select anything, change your players setup to '4x3 letterbox mode' this will not affect the picture quality or the size very much but is essential to watch the film, subtitles or special features. this dvd's extras are: 3 trailers, game for PC, 'ar*e ups', subtiles and a making of documentry.


It's thwaite!!!!!!   August 3, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

well I thought that having a Italian film star coming to a dreary hotel where you have thong removals with a oxyacetelyne torch and meat hooks up your nose would be very unlikely but it happened to Richie and Eddie.
its the hotel that everyone knows that's next to a nuclear power plant, the hotel that everyone eats contaminated fish, the hotel where Gino Guiseppe is violently sick.
It sounds disgusting and vile but if you watch it, it's the funniest thing you can think of.


"Candle in the eye !".   January 23, 2001
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

...This hilarious line comes from, in my opinion, the funniest scene in the film. -There are a handful of really grotesque scenes, like the opening bike scene with Ade which is brilliantly executed, but the "candle" scene is so insanely simple it's my favourite. (-Watch poor Rik rehearse the painful trick in the "making-of" !.) The sorry guests at the hotel are all played straight, which actually adds to the madness of our two crazy heroes. Unfortunately there aren't a whole lot more nice things to be said about this "Bottom" movie. It's a pretty good idea with a hotel, but wasn't it already done with superb class by John Cleese in the 70s ?. Sure it was. Rik and Ade (two of the finest comedians around) may not agree, but I think they've taken this "Bottom" thing as far as it can go now. Many of the jokes have been done to death, and I'm afraid it's about high time to kill off the characters once and for all. -Especially when a making-of featurette is close to being better than the movie it presents !. The fists or pots and pans in the head-routine worked perfectly in the past the first few times used ("gasman !"), but not when repeated endlessly. -Unless of course, they're trying to reduce their audience to include only children. Don't get me wrong, I love the first two series of "Bottom", they're among the most funny episodes of any British sitcom ever made, but they probably should've left it at the 12 episodes, taken the best jokes from series 3 with them and moved on to other things. Unlike "The Young Ones" and "Filthy, Rich & Catflap"; "Bottom" has almost thrown away its guaranteed status as a classic TV series because it was allowed to continue with a third series, tours and beyond. (Personally, at this point I'd much rather like to see a reunion of their underrated Heavy Metal parody "Bad News" - come on guys, let them try another pathetic comeback !.) Finally, shame on whoever decided to release "Guest House Paradiso" in full-screen. -As evident from clips shown in the documentary, it was filmed in the Scope format and should've been released on video in widescreen (2.35:1). Some "clever" person must have figured since the TV series is full-screen so should this video be, but that person couldn't be more wrong. The jokes on display here were designed for the big screen, and they simply lose much of their power when presented in a dreadful pan & scan version. This way the film looks like the complete mess it is, and it probably doesn't deserve to look any better, but the only way to view a Scope production is letterboxed.


Absolutely ridiculous !   December 3, 2004
J. Munro (UK)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

The idea for Guest House Paradiso came about when Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson were touring around the country with Bottom Live. Staying in so many hotels made them wonder how Richie and Eddie (their characters from Bottom) would cope having to run one. Near the end of the writing Rik Mayall had his quad bike incident, an accident that had all Rik and Ade fans extremely worried, leaving Adrian Edmonson to finish off writing and to take up the role of Director.

Rik and Ade's writing has always been about being ridiculous, from The Dangerous Brothers, The Comic Strip Presents ... Mr Jolly Lives Nextdoor, to Guest House Paradiso. They have simply extended that into a full length film. Complicated plots or quality of acting is not the priority for a film like this. Its the amount of stupidity, nob gags and violence that count.

As for the latter, Rik and Ade have excelled throughout the years for the realism in their comedy fight routines, either live or on tv. You will not be disappointed in the kitchen scene at the beginning of the film. If slapstick violence is your thing then this scene will have you in tears. No matter how many times you watch it.

Another extremely funny moment is when Simon Pegg, (from Big Train, Spaced, Shaun Of The Dead) is hoisted by his nipple up to the ceiling by Rich and Eddie using a fishing rod/hook. Very cringeworthy indeed.

To sum up. This film will appeal to any Bottom fans, or indeed anybody who appreciates the ridiculous. However to see Rik and Ade at their best I recommend Mr Jolly Lives Nextdoor. Which is asbsolute perfection. "Never ever ever bloody anything ever" !