For three buddies desperate for a getaway, a boat trip down the Thames seems like the perfect holiday. The issue is that it's a row boat and their nightly stops involve roughing it. Still, they manage to have many amusing adventures that bring them back into society. Handsome Laurence Harvey, clumsy David Tomlinson and big mustached Jimmy Edwards are a complete mismatch of personalities which makes their situation all the more amusing. Each of them has a good reason for needing a holiday whether it's necessary time away from their spouse or a rest from a hideous employer.
A very funny sequence has Tomlinson and Edwards ending up as leaders in a maze made from shrubbery, going on for nearly 15 minutes and never running out of steam, and trying to build a tent on the banks during a windstorm. The law is also on their trail as word of their mishaps gets around, while issues with the young ladies they encounter creates all sorts of situations as well.
While this is very colorful and funny, the problem is that it goes from one situation to another like TV sketch shows so the structure seems very off as opposed to connecting events in a linear way. But it's directed by great flair by legendary British director Ken Annakin who directed many fast moving caper comedies and had a marvelous eye for making silly situations actually funny rather than obnoxious. The three men all seem to be having a lot of fun in acting like boys which makes this fun to watch in spite of the lack of a strong continuous story.
A very funny sequence has Tomlinson and Edwards ending up as leaders in a maze made from shrubbery, going on for nearly 15 minutes and never running out of steam, and trying to build a tent on the banks during a windstorm. The law is also on their trail as word of their mishaps gets around, while issues with the young ladies they encounter creates all sorts of situations as well.
While this is very colorful and funny, the problem is that it goes from one situation to another like TV sketch shows so the structure seems very off as opposed to connecting events in a linear way. But it's directed by great flair by legendary British director Ken Annakin who directed many fast moving caper comedies and had a marvelous eye for making silly situations actually funny rather than obnoxious. The three men all seem to be having a lot of fun in acting like boys which makes this fun to watch in spite of the lack of a strong continuous story.