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Run for Your Wife (2012 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Run for Your Wife' is a 2012 British comedy film, based on the 1983 theatre farce 'Run for Your Wife', written by Ray Cooney, who along with John Luton also directed the film. Upon release, the film promptly received universally negative reviews from critics and has been referred to as one of the worst films of all time, after it grossed just 602 in its opening weekend.[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-02-20/danny-dyers-run-for-your-wife-takes-just-602-at-the-box-office Danny Dyer's Run For Your Wife takes just 602 at the box office] 'Radio Times', 20 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2014. It was released on 14 February 2013.
Plot
The story of London cab driver John Smith, with two wives, two lives, and a very precise schedule for juggling them both. With one wife, Michelle, at home in Stockwell and another, Stephanie, at home in Finsbury.
Trouble brews when Smith intervenes in a mugging. After being hit on the head, he ends up in hospital. This upsets his schedule and causes both wives to report him missing. Smith becomes hopelessly entangled in his attempts with Gary, his doltish ne'er-do-well neighbour downstairs in Stockwell, to explain himself to his wives and two suspicious police officers.
Cast
*Danny Dyer John Smith
*Neil Morrissey Gary Gardner
*Denise van Outen Michelle Smith
*Sarah Harding Stephanie Smith
*Kellie Shirley Susie Browning
*Christopher Biggins Bobby Franklin
*Lionel Blair Cyril
*Nicholas Le Prevost D. S. Porterhouse
*Ben Cartwright D. S. Troughton
*Derek Griffiths Stockwell Police Officer
*Nick Wilton Taxi Driver
*Jeffrey Holland Dick Holland
*Louise Michelle Frances
*Mike Smithies - Grumpy Oldman
*Paul Curran - The Liar
*Mark Foxwell - The Ghost
Cameo roles (alphabetical)
*Russ Abbot Hospital patient*Robin Askwith Bus driver
*Lynda Baron Nurse
*Richard Briers Newspaper seller
*Tony Britton Man on bus
*Jess Conrad Piano player
*Tom Conti Actor
*Wendy Craig Nanny
*Bernard Cribbins Hospital patient
*Barry Cryer Busker
*Ian Cullen Wrinkled Man
*Pamela Cundell War Widow
*Geoffrey Davies Man in theatre queue
*Judi Dench Bag lady
*Les Dennis - Man on street
*Noel Edmonds - Man in shop
*Jean Fergusson - Exercising woman
*Derek Fowlds Man in hat
*William Gaunt Man on bus
*Liza Goddard Exercising woman
*Rolf Harris Busker
*Nicky Henson Hospital patient
*Louise Jameson Doctors Receptionist
*Vernon Kay - Plate-spinning man
*Jeff Leach - Thief in shop
*Maureen Lipman Exercising woman
*Katy Manning - Exercising woman
*Vicki Michelle Tourist
*Brian Murphy Allotment man
*Derren Nesbitt Man on bus
*Geoffrey Palmer Man on toilet
*Bill Pertwee Man on bus
*Jacki Piper - Nurse
*Su Pollard Newsagent
*Linda Regan - Allotment woman
*Cliff Richard Busker
*Andrew Sachs Clumsy waiter
*Prunella Scales Woman at pub
*Jenny Seagrove Taxi passenger
*Donald Sinden Man on bus
*Pat Sharp - Man in flat
*Sylvia Syms Hip operation woman
*Frank Thornton Man getting off bus
*Wanda Ventham Lady on Bus
*Marcia Warren Woman on seat
*Dennis Waterman Minding Person
*Giles Watling Man in pub
*Moray Watson Man on bus
*Timothy West Man in pub
*June Whitfield Exercising woman
*Finty Williams - Woman on bus
*Simon Williams Caf customer
*Mark Wingett Man outside caf
Production
Over 80 celebrities agreed to make cameo appearances having all agreed to donate their fees to a theatrical charity.[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a333015/ray-winstone-cliff-richard-waive-cameo-fee-for-danny-dyer-film.html Ray Winstone, Cliff Richard waive cameo fee for Danny Dyer film] 'Digital Spy', 2 August 2011. The executive producer is Vicki Michelle.
According to the end credits, there was a sequel planned based on Cooneys later play 'Caught in the Net', but due to the disastrous box office returns the project was clearly scrapped. During filming Dyer was mistaken by onlookers for an actual taxi driver.
Reception
'Run for Your Wife' had so many overwhelmingly negative reviews upon release that the reviews themselves were widely reported in the UK media.[http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/-run-for-your-wife----is-this-the-worst-movie-ever-filmed--114048296.html 'Run for Your Wife' Is this the worst movie ever filmed?] 'Yahoo Movies UK & Ireland', 16 February 2013. The film was variously described as "a catastrophe", "as funny as leprosy" and "30 years past its sell-by date", with 'The Guardian' reviewer Peter Bradshaw saying that it "makes 'The Dick Emery Show' look edgy and contemporary".[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/14/run-for-your-wife-review Run for Your Wife review] 'The Guardian', 14 February 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
'The Independent's Anthony Quinn wrote, "The stage play ran for nine years it [the film] will be lucky to run for nine days. Perhaps never in the field of light entertainment have so many actors sacrificed so much dignity in the cause of so few jokes... From the look of it, Cooney hasn't been in a cinema for about 30 years".[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/film-review-run-for-your-wife-12a-8495806.html Film review: Run for Your Wife] 'The Independent (London)', 14 February 2013. The cameo-heavy cast was commented upon by several reviewers, with the Metro commenting that "no one emerges unscathed among the cameo-packed cast that reads largely like a roll-call for Brit TV legends you'd previously suspected deceased".[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/run-for-your-wife--as-funny-as-leprosy-8496873.html Run for Your Wife 'As funny as leprosy'] 'The Independent (London)', 15 February 2013.
The 'Daily Record' described the film as "an exasperating farce containing not one single, solitary laugh. people losing their trousers and falling over, the film looks like a pilot for a (mercifully) never-commissioned 70s sitcom".[http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/movies/movie-dvd-reviews/movie-review-run-your-wife-1711076 Movie Review: Run for your wife] 'Daily Record', 15 February 2013. An article in the 'Independent' described 'Run for Your Wife' (along with the similarly badly received 'Movie 43') as contenders for the title of the "worst film in history".[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/run-for-your-wife-is-this-movie-the-biggest-turkey-ever-filmed-8497478.html?origin=internalSearch Run For Your Wife: Is this movie the biggest turkey ever filmed?] 'The Independent'. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
'The Berkhamsted & Tring Gazette' reported "critics have being queuing up to batter recent release 'Run for Your Wife', with general agreement that it ranks among the worst British comedies of all time"."Run for Your Wife", 'Berkhamsted & Tring Gazette', 11 March 2013. The South African newspaper 'Daily News' stated that "'Run for Your Wife' could be the worst film in history","Movie may be the biggest Turkey ever", 'Daily News', South Africa, February 21, 2013. the 'Studio Briefing' website reported that "Some writers are making the case that the British comedy 'Run for Your Wife', written by and starring [sic] comedian Ray Cooney, may be the worst film ever",[http://www.studiobriefing.net/2013/02/the-worst-film-in-history/#sthash.xFKOr9e6.dpuf THE WORST FILM IN HISTORY?] 'Studio Briefing', February 21, 2013.Retrieved March 7, 2015. and 'The Daily Mirror' reported (a few months after its release) that 'Run For Your Wife' "was branded the worst British film ever."[https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/danny-dyers-film-company-old-2343670#.Ut2LvLRFDIU Danny Dyer's film company went bust with debt to taxpayer of 25,000] 'Daily Mirror', 6 October 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
'Run for Your Wife' currently has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/run_for_your_wife_2013/ 'Run for Your Wife']. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
See also
*List of films considered the worst
References
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