Bottom Live (Video 1993)
8KBottom Live (Video 1993). 1h 41m
“I thought Iu0026#39;d put in a comment as one of the few Yanks who, with the aid of a region-code-free DVD player, has seen the videos of the `Bottomu0026#39; shows.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe original TV series has been unavailable to me, so all I know of the two `Bottomu0026#39; characters is from the taped stage shows (there are three of them). They seem essentially the same as the two characters Rik and Ade played in `The Young Ones,u0026#39; so if you found them amusing, you might like them in the `Bottomu0026#39; shows. However, as this is a live stage show, the elaborate sight gags and editing tricks used in `The Young Onesu0026#39; are out of the question. Also, while they attack their roles with extreme gusto, they are noticeably older. Rik, in particular, looks likely to expire in a pool of perspiration as the show goes on. Sure, he looks a bit grotesque as heu0026#39;s gradually drenched in sweat, but since he appears on stage from the start in ill-fitting blue jeans with his underpants visibly pulled about six inches above his belt, Iu0026#39;d say some additional grotesqueness was not out of place. This is augmented in spades when the blue jeans disappear. At one point in `Bottom 2,u0026#39; after a prolonged bout of violence, Rik ad-libs loudly that they are `getting too old for this,u0026#39; a comment heu0026#39;d no doubt heard and read in numerous reviews of the shows. I canu0026#39;t help admiring his balls (well, not literally).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAdeu0026#39;s whiplash violence is as ridiculously extreme as a Roadrunner cartoon. For me itu0026#39;s a hilarious release of lifeu0026#39;s pent-up frustrations, and kind of a rebuke for having wished I could do it to the numerous jackasses encountered in an average day. I would contend that doing that sort of thing safely on stage takes a high degree of accuracy and skill. Besides which, he just makes me laugh.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eExperiencing it on video, you get the best seat in the house without having to contend with an unruly or annoying audience, and I found the sheer exuberance of Rik and Adeu0026#39;s performances enjoyable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs an American, I couldnu0026#39;t appreciate quite all the references to British celebrities, etc., but complete idiocy is a universal thing, and itu0026#39;s depicted here with extreme enthusiasm. To me, these guys are the Three Stooges for the u0026#39;90s, a mantle I donu0026#39;t confer lightly. It may well be that Rik or Ade would advise me to f**k off. Well, so what? I am one of those who hold the opinion that you shouldnu0026#39;t necessarily meet people you admire, as it sometimes spoils your appreciation of them.”
