Verdict:
Maybe sometimes you do need to throw all intricacies out of the window and just make an unpretentiously silly movie. Absolutely Anything makes a good case for this. You’ll find yourself wondering what the heck you’re watching but you may still enjoy yourself.
As far as stories for romantic comedies go, this one must have been fished out of the very bottom of the barrel. The plot exists only as base for the movie’s situational comedy. Simon Pegg finds himself armed with magic wishes and half the jokes are about his wishes being taken too literally. The rest of the humour comes from how ridiculous the effects of each wish are. The humour is therefore not highbrow, but the movie is bolstered by good comedic timing and Simon Pegg’s charm.
Absolutely Anything feels less like a movie and more like a comedy sketch that has been stretched to movie length and given a bigger budget. That budget is not huge, judging from the level of the CGI effects, but big enough to get a few high-profile names. Simon Pegg does his Simon Pegg thing with relative ease. Kate Beckinsale is alright, but her character is underdeveloped. With both leads being bland, the most interesting additions to the film are Rob Riggle and Sanjeev Bhaskar. They are not funny, but their performances add colour to the movie. Robin Williams plays only a minor role, isn’t given anything funny to say and does not appear to have been given room to improvise. But considering that this was his last movie, there is sentimental value in his presence. Terry Jones, of the Montey Python fame, directed this and it was also his last movie.
This movie is harmless. It’s not very funny, and as I am writing these lines, I am already starting to forget it, but it is just stupid fun. The upsetting part is that this TV film is occupying a lot of talent, which could’ve been better used elsewhere.