From this month's DVD Review (by Henry Yates): RABBIT FEVER - Not the sequel to Watership Down...Brought to the nation's attention via an early episode of Sex And The City, the dual-action, bunny-shaped vibrator known as the Rabbit is now apparently a mainstay in the handbags of Britain's independent women (supposedly selling in greater quantities last year than appliances such as the washing machine and the tumble dryer). As a phenomenon, of course, this has "quirky-but-quickly-forgotten British comedy" written all over it, and writer Stephen Raphael has obliged with a straight-faced mockumentary investigating the Rabbit and its fallout.Rabbit Fever should be awful, really - it's a one-joke movie that polarises its audience (inevitably, men will laugh less than women) and is neither lewd enough for the hen parties nor subtle enough to take seriously. Yet there's something strangely endearing about director Ian Denyer's execution that not only keeps you loafing on the sofa for the duration but also prompts a handful of genuine chuckles.Over a light-footed two hours - and a handful of deleted scenes that should have stayed that way - we're introduced to the men who manufacture the colourful dildos, the women whose lives revolve around them, and the bruised egos behind the pleasuring. Indeed, the funniest moment comes when sidelined husband (played by Green Wing's ever-reliable Julian Rhind-Tutt ) reacts to his wife's new obsession by boiling her Rabbit on the stove, a la Fatal Attraction.The acting helps. Bar a typically wooden cameo appearance in which Richard Branson announces free Rabbits on all Virgin Atlantic flights, the cast are generally convincing enough to carry the scenarios and, at its best, this gives Rabbit Fever a feel that approaches vintage Brass Eye. It all adds up to a diverting effort that deserves to cause a certain amount of buzz. *** An endearing little comedy - get it in your handbag...

Rabbit Fever is a mockumentary collection of sketches, each one of them focussing on a female personal device that was made popular by a single 1998 episode of Sex and the City (the latter half of 1998, rather than the early episodes which were all directed by women). From opening statistics that make Rabbit Fever sound like a soft porn movie, we are treated to a sea of predictable sketches with real and imaginary characters in a world run amok with women's addiction to solitary pleasure.Men, as Germaine Greer rather arrogantly explains, have invented a gadget for women that makes men superfluous in the bedroom. The Rabbit Vibrator (which some statistics suggest accounts for about a quarter of all vibrator sales) is so called because of little rabbit-like long ears which vibrate to stimulate the clitoris, while rotating pearls inside the shaft stimulate the inside of the vagina. The film interviews characters that attend Rabbits Anonymous to help overcome their 'addiction', as well as known people such as Tom Conti posing as a professor or Richard Branson (amid scenes of rabbits being banned on aircraft) saying he would like to provide free rabbits to his first class air travel passengers and ultimately to all of them.The main weakness of the film is that the idea is not enough to sustain 85 minutes of cinema, the sketches don't have the writing skills of say a Charlotte Church or Ricky Gervais to make them funny enough and, while it might make desultory late night TV, doesn't have a hook to get people to queue up in public at multiplexes to watch masturbation jokes.Lines like, "It's been nearly a week since you used your rabbit - how are you coping?" wear rather thin after five minutes. The film is based on the idea that the mere mention of the word 'rabbit' will get a laugh . . . and another one, and another one. Frantic midnight drives to buy batteries might be amusing in real life, but here they look rather laborious, and the special emergency delivery service outstays its welcome.Strangely the BBFC gave it an 18 certificate in spite of zero violence, hardly any explicit sex, and sexual references that are less 'perverted' than any late night comedy show. The company protested the decision, but the BBFC didn't budge. At first sight this seems overkill on their part and their consumer advice now simply says, "Contains frequent strong sex references." One might think that youngsters would find masturbation jokes funnier than the most desperate of hen night parties, and the topic one worthy of debate; but Rabbit Fever does not even have the saving grace of a balanced approach to its subject matter.The best part is probably The Rabbit Song by Ruocco (who play a band called Thumper in the film). For those who have dozed off and woken up at the end credits, there is a bonus scene at the end of them to reassure them that they haven't missed anything.

Don't expect to go and find The Chef d'Oeuvre of the 21st century, but very efficient if you want to relax a bit and forget your daily worries. It's basically a good laugh, precisely what a lot of other so-called big budget movies can't manage to buy. The best is probably to go and watch it with a group of friends. One good point also is most of the action takes place in London and we've seen too little of the City recently apart from other films like Match Point. Not everything is perfect in it, like for instance the numerous blonde actresses you kind of struggle to differentiate at times but don't forget it's a small budget movie

This movie might not be good enough for some professional critics, however I promise you that after a long City week you'll enjoy Rabbit Fever immensely.As a matter of fact, in yesterday's premiere, I do not recall that anybody left the theatre before the end.... but I grant you that I was actually WATCHING the movie and enjoying it.The only thing cheap about this production is indeed the budget...and with that kind of money they did miracles !!! So take your friends with you and go watch Rabbit Fever, it's unpretentious but hilarious and wicked.Vince