The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash

A fun but not fall down funny mockumentary of the Beatles um..that is…the Rutles. The first thing you'll notice about this movie is how frustrating it would be to watch if you knew nothing about the Beatles. I enjoyed the way the directors mixed Beatles/Rutles history and stepped through the discography simultaneously. Almost all of the scenes here mimic actual Beatles events including concerts TV appearances and scenes from the Beatles' movies. The biggest surprise was the amount of time spent showing entire songs performed (or faux performances) by the Rutles. With Eric Idle at the helm I expected a lot of mugging and face-making to occur but most of the time the actors simply copied the behavior and mannerisms of the Fab Four. And about those songs they are all slightly modified versions of Beatles hits impressive copped by Neil Innes. I could have used a little less of Eric Idle's reporting/narration which is odd as I've always enjoyed his wordy smarmy characterizations. Also this is a pretty comprehensive "who's who" of late-'70s "Saturday Night Live" alumni. There are many of them who make guest appearances.