RISING DAMP is another big screen adaptation of a popular British TV series from the 1970s. Inevitably this makes it feel like an extended version of a random episode from the show, or perhaps like watching three back-to-back. There are two main problems with this film: the first is that the best jokes have been copied from the TV series, and the second is that Richard Beckinsale had died, and Christopher Strauli is a poor imitator by comparison.
That RISING DAMP is still funny lies in the talent of Leonard Rossiter to make his Rigsby such an engaging character, even though you'd hate him if any other actor played him. Rossiter's quick wits keep him a lively and entertaining presence, and his repartee with a spirited Don Warrington, although a little politically incorrect these days, is still highly amusing. Frances De La Tour carries on her tradition of being amusingly scatty, and Denholm Elliott appears in a sub-plot to draw in audiences. The end result is middling, but watchable for fans of British comedy.
That RISING DAMP is still funny lies in the talent of Leonard Rossiter to make his Rigsby such an engaging character, even though you'd hate him if any other actor played him. Rossiter's quick wits keep him a lively and entertaining presence, and his repartee with a spirited Don Warrington, although a little politically incorrect these days, is still highly amusing. Frances De La Tour carries on her tradition of being amusingly scatty, and Denholm Elliott appears in a sub-plot to draw in audiences. The end result is middling, but watchable for fans of British comedy.