Eating Raoul - So bad... and yet so brilliant!

I can only think that whoever made 'Eating Raoul' knew that this piece was never destined for mainstream appeal and that if it was ever going to be successful, then it was going to be with a 'cult following.' I've only just watched it.  And I loved it.  And now I find myself reviewing it I actually find it quite a hard story to sell to people to explain just how good it really is.

It's about a couple of swingers.  Well, sort of.  They don't just 'share' each other, but instead lure unsuspecting victims to have their heads battered in with a well-placed blow from a frying pan and then relieving them of their wallets.  I guess you could say that, as viewers, it's probably a bit hard to 'relate' to such protagonists, but - trust me - just go with it.

Because it's such a cult-type film, there's no budget to speak of.  No special effects, no fancy editing or direction and definitely no actors who you'll ever heard of (unless you're a fan of TV's 'Star Trek: Voyager,' but we'll get to that later.  However, what it lacks in, well, pretty much everything you'd associate with a 'good' film, it more than makes up with simple (yet kind of clever, in a strange way) gags and a killer (sometimes literally!) script which contains lashings (again, pun intended) of black humour.

I'm guessing you won't have seen the main couple of actors in anything else (based on only the fact that I haven't - feel free to correct me if they've had any major roles that I've missed!). 'Paul' and 'Mary Bland' are played by the not entirely differently-named Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov.  Hopefully, I'm not being too cruel when I say that Paul Bartel is hardly the eighties equivalent of Brad Pitt.  He reminded me more of that council official from the original 'Ghostbusters' who was constantly trying to shut them down and then got drenched in white marshmallow.  He's definitely not what you'd think of when you're thinking of a 'leading' man, especially as he's married to quite an unconventionally (again, hope that's not too cruel!) attractive lady.  On first appearances you may describe them as the proverbial 'odd couple' and yet as you watch them interact, somehow they seem meant for each other.

The only notable actor you may stand a chance of knowing is 'Star Trek: Voyager's' Robert Beltran as the titular 'Raoul,' who learns of their plans and decides that he wants in on the scheme (in more ways that one).

While I was watching the film, all I could think of was the word 'farce.' I've always been a fan of those silly (and quite often sexy), bawdy British comedies such as the 'Carry On...' franchise and, slightly more recently, 'Fierce Creatures' (and I don't care what the majority thought of that one - I really liked it!).  It's not often (again, to my knowledge) that Hollywood goes in for that kind of genre, however 'Eating Raoul' felt to me like it belonged in some weird 'shared universe' with the 'Carry On...' films.

If you like your comedies dark and filled with sexual humour/reference, plus you don't mind something with a budget that's about on a par with the cost of your lunch, then you should definitely give this one a go.  It's attained its cult status for a reason.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one