Just for Fun (film)

Summary

Just for Fun is a 1963 British musical film directed by Gordon Flemyng and starriing Mark Wynter and Cherry Roland.[1] It was written by Amicus co-founder Milton Subotsky. Cinematography was by Nicolas Roeg.

Just for Fun
Original lobby card of Bobby Vee
Directed byGordon Flemyng
Written byMilton Subotsky
Produced byMax Rosenberg
Milton Subotsky
Starring
CinematographyNicolas Roeg
Edited byRaymond Poulton
Music byTony Hatch
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
February 1963
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot edit

When English teenagers win the right to vote, the established political parties compete for their support. However, when the Prime Minister cuts the amount of pop music allowed on TV, young Mark and Cherry start their own "Teenage Party" and use some of England's pop singers to help.

Cast edit

Critical reception edit

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "After a promising beginning, in which the two major political parties ruefully appraise their own vote-appeal, with the Right proclaiming "We Never Had It So Good" and the Left sadly echoing "I've Never Had It", the script – such as it is – gets bogged down in tiresomely juvenile antics as the Top People try to crush the budding teenage politicians. A few guest stars interrupt with their turns, allowing Dick Emery a mildly funny moment impersonating the entire panel of a "Juke Box Jury" show. For the rest, the script devotes itself faithfully to providing cues for music, of the calibre of "Hey, it's time for the Alan Freeman show" (switching on a TV set) or "Hey, look it's ..." (passing a convenient TV studio). The numbers themselves, all twenty-eight of them, follow the TV variety show formula, and are unimaginatively presented in cramped settings. Some of the singers – Joe Brown, Cloda Rogers and Kenny Lynch in particular – reveal pleasing personalities; but the film is strictly for incurable addicts."[2]

TCM wrote, "episodic in the extreme, Just for Fun plays like an evening of Vaudeville, with the various singing acts punctuated by broad comic bits that are more miss than hit but retain, at least at this distance, an undeniable vintage charm ... sweet relief comes in the form of the assembled musical talent, whose contributions are well-staged by director Gordon Flemyng."[3]

References edit

  1. ^ "Just for Fun". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Just for Fun". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 30 (348): 66. 1 January 1963 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ "Just for Fun (1963) - Home Video Reviews - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.

External links edit