(TV Series)

(2007)

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So-so comedy that falls way short of the Father Ted ideal that it aspires to
bob the moo16 November 2007
Morris and Gerard are light entertainers playing easy listening favourites under the moniker "E-Z Feelin". However their plans to do a charity show over the border are thrown into confusion as they find themselves borrowing equipment from a former U2 roadie who believes that his former employers are out to silence him. On top of that Morris has to agree to run some "gear" over the border to Northern Ireland to placate importer/exporter Garvey.

Channel 4's Comedy Showcase has produced some amusing comedies but also some weak ones and in some ways this film is one of the weaker ones. At times The Eejits is funny but too often it just falls flat with plain silliness where one would have hoped for inspired silliness. The feeling I got was of something attempted to replicate the off-the-wall humour of Father Ted but failing to get to that standard. This can be seen in the characters as well, with Gerard being very much a Father Dougal and Morris the more sensible Father Ted type. Trying to hit that model though is not easy and mostly the "zany" material is just "zany" in an annoying way and not in a good way.

Gallager and McDonnell are too obviously trying for the Father Ted mould themselves and mostly I felt they were giving so-so impressions rather than trying to make the material work for them in its own right. A so-so comedy then but not as good as it is aspiring to be and certainly not as good as the Father Ted ideal that it aims for but falls way short of.
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4/10
Comedy Showcase: The Eejits
jboothmillard4 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
To celebrate 25 years of Channel 4, the channel decided to start this new series showing off the talents of some of Britain's fine actors and their skills in a popular genre. This one-off comedy episode of the series, written by one of the creators of Father Ted, sees Maurice (Dessie Gallagher) and Gerard (Patrick McDonnell), two Irish would-be musicians with ambitions to hit the big time. As the band E-Z Feelin they tour dubious venues, and assisted by their roadie Tom Grace (Paul McGlinchey), who lives alone with dog Himmler, and believes he is visited by the Virgin Mary. When ex-U2 roadie Bob Salmon (Ned Dennehy) gives Maurice some old gear - smoke machine and strobe light - that used to belong to U2, Maurice sees this as a way to get more attention. But soon enough Maurice and Gerard find themselves being hunted by representatives of U2 because they have the equipment, and some kind of debt they need to pay. At the end, probably one of the main reasons I wanted to see it, Kathy Burke appears as The Virgin Mary. A good comedy series for a good terrestrial television channel, but it was only okay because I thought it was trying to be like a Father Ted episode. Okay!
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