A farce to be reckoned with...

People don't often make movies like Around The World In 80 Days any more, and while some people might say that is a good thing, I enjoyed this light-hearted romp. A good farce, with plenty of slapstick and some clever dialogue (though not too much), it certainly filled the 120minutes of its run time admirably. Kind of a cinematic hamburger, 80 Days is quick, inoffensive and actually quite well made.

Do I need to tell anyone the story? *sigh* Okay, so Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) is an inventor and widely ridiculed scientist. There is a bet that he can't get around the world in 80 days. And there's a jade Buddha that Lau Xing (Jackie Chan) has to get back to his village in China. And there's Wong Fei Hung. And an evil Chinese General. And Jim Broadbent in a Victorian-era film (who'd'a thunk it?).

The fight/slapstick sequences are done very well, and Coogan's British-er-than-thou attitude is very funny. As are the scads of cameos, including Ah-nold, John Cleese and the Wilson brothers Owen and Luke.

This really was an enjoyable film that didn't overstay its welcome and took itself exactly as seriously, or unseriously, as it needed to.

Three and a half kung-fu valets.