Around the World in Eighty Ways

This bouncy and silly comedy from Australia has as its basic plot an old man in a nursing home, put there while his younger wife goes on a round-the-world trip. They decide to give him his trip abroad without leaving the house - using inventive settings, props and imitations to give him a taste of Hawaii, Las Vegas, Rome, and Tokyo.

Top billed is the lovely Philip Quast (these days I'm glad to say mainly working on stage in the UK, where he's recently been Emile in South Pacific and Miles Glorioso in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum), as black sheep son Wally, who really carries this film with his attempts at being an Hawaiian dancer, Elvis, a Vegas cutie, an airline pilot, and a Geisha girl. He's worth the price of renting this movie alone.

Kelly Dingwall plays the horny younger brother, Eddy, lusting after the nurse Ophelia (played with a spark by Gosia Dobrowolska), giving a boost to their flirty attempts to hijack 'the trip'. Allan Penney, as dad Roly, does well in a complex role where he 'sees the light'; while we follow mum Mavis (Diana Davidson) and wig-wearing neighbour Moffatt (Rob Steele) on their real world tour. Guess who has the better time?