As someone who has seen on-stage (West End and regional) productions of Ray Cooney's "Run for Your Wife" on a number of occasions, and certainly laughed his socks off, I do face the first hurdle of explaining why something well-acted at the theatre comes off as about 10 times as funny as this filmed version of what is basically the same story.
It is intriguing to ponder that.
However, those who attempt to pan this 2012 (also Ray Cooney) film version of "Run for Your Wife" out of existence are definitely too harsh I think. In the first place, this film places perfectly reasonably in the company of a great many other British comedies, and in fact wins out in relation to a number of them in being mainly free of cruelty, crudity or heavier innuendo. A clever story is being presented here (even an innovative one for those coming to it for the first time), it plays out in interesting and at times even beautiful London surroundings, and a number of funny lines are spoken and situations presented. For those who know British cinema and TV, there is also a truly-unprecedented "look for the famous face" aspect, given that tens of comedy stars past and present are in this film in cameo roles. Obviously this aspect will be almost entirely lost on non-Brits, but there is a quite amazing (and frenetic) farce to fall back on, and it lives up to Ray Cooney standards in ultimately being warm, innocent and basically kind in outlook.
Somehow this film does NOT quite work out as it should, but Danny Dyer and Neil Morrissey as John Smith and Gary Gardner do quite well enough, Denise Van Outen overacts a touch but is also acceptable as the more outraged wife, while an extremely attractive Sarah Harding as "the other Mrs Smith" gives a very sympathetic performance as a woman so basically well-meaning and nice that she is prepared to put up with a great deal for a man she clearly thinks a great deal of, no matter what.
Overall, then, while this film is neither crazily hilarious nor a brilliant piece of cinema, it is a pleasant enough watch, does reasonably well with an outrageous story line, and ... no real harm actually comes to anybody - an aspect which has its sweeter side.
It is intriguing to ponder that.
However, those who attempt to pan this 2012 (also Ray Cooney) film version of "Run for Your Wife" out of existence are definitely too harsh I think. In the first place, this film places perfectly reasonably in the company of a great many other British comedies, and in fact wins out in relation to a number of them in being mainly free of cruelty, crudity or heavier innuendo. A clever story is being presented here (even an innovative one for those coming to it for the first time), it plays out in interesting and at times even beautiful London surroundings, and a number of funny lines are spoken and situations presented. For those who know British cinema and TV, there is also a truly-unprecedented "look for the famous face" aspect, given that tens of comedy stars past and present are in this film in cameo roles. Obviously this aspect will be almost entirely lost on non-Brits, but there is a quite amazing (and frenetic) farce to fall back on, and it lives up to Ray Cooney standards in ultimately being warm, innocent and basically kind in outlook.
Somehow this film does NOT quite work out as it should, but Danny Dyer and Neil Morrissey as John Smith and Gary Gardner do quite well enough, Denise Van Outen overacts a touch but is also acceptable as the more outraged wife, while an extremely attractive Sarah Harding as "the other Mrs Smith" gives a very sympathetic performance as a woman so basically well-meaning and nice that she is prepared to put up with a great deal for a man she clearly thinks a great deal of, no matter what.
Overall, then, while this film is neither crazily hilarious nor a brilliant piece of cinema, it is a pleasant enough watch, does reasonably well with an outrageous story line, and ... no real harm actually comes to anybody - an aspect which has its sweeter side.