Bunny and the Bull

It looks like The Mighty Boosh, sounds like it, feels like it and even features the same actors and director, so is Bunny and the Bull the Boosh by another name? Or can it bring the Boosh aesthetic and humour to a wider audience? Angela Burton counts the floor tiles, puts on some protective rubber gloves, reorganises her pencil filings and prepares to find out.

Paul King, director of The Mighty Boosh ventures into unknown water, writing and directing his first feature film, Bunny and the Bull. Well, it’s unknown in as much as it’s a change of format. The content, however, is all quite familiar. Those who love the Boosh for its silly jokes and creative, makeshift sets but hanker after a bit of weight to the storyline will be delighted. Non-fans, on the other hand, are likely to be troubled by an intense feeling of déjà-vu.

Stephen Turnbull (Edward Hogg) is an obsessive-compulsive who can’t face the outside world and refuses to leave his flat. When mice eat his perfectly stacked food stock and ruin his daily routine, Stephen might just have to venture outside. Through his fear of anything beyond his four walls, we dip into his mind – discovering the reasons for his behaviour and watching him comes to terms with it all.

Stephen is a good person: he’s a vegetarian, cares for animal welfare and puts his friends before himself. Though he never complains about it, he is miserable that he can’t get a girlfriend. His best friend Bunny (Simon Farnaby) can. Bunny is the complete opposite to Stephen, infinitely happier, more carefree and addicted to gambling and risky behaviour. To cheer Stephen up, after the love of his life declares him to be just a friend, Bunny suggests they take a road trip.

Obviously, the film rests very heavily on the merits of its two ‘odd couple’ leads. Stephen and Bunny’s personalities are strikingly similar to The Mighty Boosh’s Vince Noir and Howard Moon. One loves to socialise, while the other is awkward, and although the duo’s looks are switched around (this time, it’s the tall, gangly one who is brimming with confidence), they have essentially the same make-up. This is where it begins to feel a bit incestuous. If King wanted Vince and Howard in a movie, why not just make a Mighty Boosh film? Instead we’re left with an upside down, inside out Boosh. It’s likeable but there’s no getting around the fact it’s incredibly derivative. Luckily, the performances of the two leads are very engaging. With such a small budget (£750,000) King relied heavily on animation and green screening to get his point across. It’s great for the look but tough on the actors. When you realise that Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby only had one another and a blank screen to work with, their achievement is all the greater.

The Mighty Boosh and Bunny and the Bull also share a very similar special effects and animated sequence style. And it’s this aesthetic that makes the film impressive on the big screen. Bunny and the Bull’s sets are amazing. Highlights include a restaurant scene filled with cut-out sketches of chairs in a style reminiscent of classic kids’ programme Mr Benn; origami racehorses; scenery made of photos stitched together; a carnival of clockwork cogs; and a green screen put to maximum use. The film is highly deserving of the British Independent Film Award for Best Achievement in Production that it won.

But if King wanted his first feature to stand alone, he made a mistake including The Boosh’s front men Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt in the supporting cast, as it feels like a big-screen outing for the gang. Fans will also recognise the voice of Rich Fulcher as the Captain Crab take-away phone voice (The Boosh’s Bob Fossil, and other miscellaneous characters), and Richard Ayoade pops up as a boring museum guide. We’re even treated to a silly song that evokes the random, rhyming content of the Boosh’s ‘crimping’.

So, is there too much Mighty Boosh in there to differentiate, or is that precisely what gives it its charm? The uninitiated should find much to enjoy, and Boosh fans will experience a warm glow (unless they are irritated at the alterations to familiar characters and situations), but those who tried the series and found it not to their taste will not be converted by this film.

Rating on a scale of 5 obsessive compulsive disorders: 3.5

Release date: 27 November 2009
Directed by: Paul King
Written by: Paul King
Cast: Edward Hogg, Simon Farnaby and Verónica Echegui
Rating: 15
Running time: 101 minutes