Enormously funny and biting mockumentary that owes most of its success to the accuracy of its barbs. The Beatles phenomenon is exhaustively and comprehensively mocked by people who did their homework, and then some. The result is both recognizable and deeply, comically untrue, as in a funhouse mirror. The movie is further enriched by a series of godawful songs which, surely, must rank amidst the best pastiches ever written, both with regard to music and with regard to lyrics. The four Bea.. sorry, the four Rutles themselves give a priceless performance, by playing their parts absolutely straight. Still, the movie is not without its part of injustice, just as it is not without its part of ingratitude. From a musical point of view, the movie pretty much accuses the Fab Four a) of writing bland crap and b) of surfing along on an undeserved wave of public adulation. One may like or dislike the Beatles, individually or collectively, but there is no doubt that these were fine musicians with a genuine love for their craft. Consider the genesis, for instance, of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" : here you've got four young people meticulously, nay obsessively trying for a better, a newer sound. People who spend hours, days, weeks listening to recondite Indian instruments or random fairground noises are not clueless amateurs : such people are devoted perfectionists. Nobody ever left a severed horse's head in the bed of Eric Idle. This fact alone testifies to the high moral character of the Beatles and of their nearest and dearest.

To fully savor the wildly droll flavor of The Rutles it really helps to have some prior knowledge of The Beatles' career and an appreciation for Monty Python-esque Comedy. Yep. That's what's in order to get into the zany spirit of this one's story.This often-hilarious parody of The Beatles meticulously chronicles (in clever mockumentary style) the rags to riches story of the Prefab 4 (aka. The Rutles).Starting from their early, humble days of tight pants and mop-top hairdos in Liverpool, England to their "scream-o-mania" arrival in America on The Ed Sullivan Show, Nasty, Stig, Dirk & Barry are immediately crowned the undisputed conquerors of Rock'n'Roll and total world domination of Pop Music is the gleaming prize in their box of Cracker Jack.Uproariously written and co-directed by Eric Idle (of Monty Python's), The Rutles is a Musical/Comedy delight that's certain to put a big, happy smile on your face as it royally brings down The Beatles' legend with a resounding "THUD!".Showcasing 16 sound-a-like Beatles' songs that contain some of the funniest, and some of the most mocking and ridiculing lyrics that you're ever gonna hear, The Rutles also features amusing cameos by Mick Jagger, Paul Simon, Ron Wood, George Harrison, to name but a few celebrities.I think it's interesting to note that prior to The Rutles' official release back in 1978, it was first viewed individually by each one of The ex-Beatles for their hopeful approval. It seems that George, Ringo & John were all unanimously amused enough by the film's comic lampooning of their careers to give it an enthusiastic "thumbs up" OK.But, alas, on the other hand, Paul was not in the least bit amused. No, he was not.As the story goes - It was John Lennon who cautiously approached Eric Idle and Neil Innes (the musician/actor responsible for composing the sound-a-like Beatles' songs) and wisely warned them to omit certain tunes from the soundtrack (especially Get Up and Go, which was way too close to Get Back) or else face being sued by the humorless McCartney.And, sure enough, bristling with anger, McCartney did, in fact, make a number of threats to sue Idle over The Rutles' musical content. Eventually, though, he finally did back down when his then-wife, Linda (who thought the movie very funny), diplomatically intervened and convinced Paul to withdraw his charges and allow The Rutles to be released almost totally unscathed and unedited.(Phew! That was a close call!) All-in-all - THE RUTLES was 80 minutes of good, comic, musical fun-fun-fun.... (Goo-Goo-G'Joob!)

Hilarious! This is the very word to describe this absolutely delightful Beatles-parody movie, with excellent roles played by all people involved, with Neil Innes, Ricky Fataar and Eric Idles being all-time great! Heavy British accents, funny hapless manners, excellent humor, clever wordplay, smashing gags, funny skits and deliciously delightful songs all form a heavy stew which is tasty, smells excellent, breaks mightily and provides a sheer 90-minute joy for watchers. This is a highly recommended movie for all Beatles fans who will immediately recognize all the familiar hints and innuendos. Allusions are very smart and the jokes are sometimes a bit too heavy but still zany and hefty. Even if you are not a Beatles fan, you can deeply enjoy Monty Python humor here, too. Fresh, breezy, fast, funny, often risky - this is a tremendously satisfying film for all people

A very clever film, but watching it again all these years later it seems a bit strained. Many of the jokes are pretty poor and the Python influence is very noticeable, but it is saved by the music and Mick Jagger's extremely natural 'interview'. The music was written by Neil Innes of the Bonzos, and he has perfectly captured the Lennon/McCartney style, so much so that some of the songs sound more like the Beatles than the Beatles ever did! To get the most out of this film, it is necessary to have a knowledge of the real story of the Beatles - their rise from the Cavern and the Bier Kellars of Germany to international stardom, their conquest of America, the 'God' incident, the Apple fiasco etc, and then you can watch the film with a knowing grin while you enjoy the music. All in all great fun, but you'll have to wear your 1978 head while you watch it.