John Cleese, the 85-year-old Monty Python star, is the subject of a new documentary titled John Cleese Packs It In, which follows him on a European mini-tour while he grapples with a series of health issues. The film, directed by Andy Curd, reveals Cleese's struggles with partial deafness, bone spurs, and vertigo, which appear to be as prominent as his onstage material. When asked about his motivation for making the film, Cleese offers a blunt, wheezy response: “I need the money,” a line that serves as the closest thing to a running gag.
The documentary showcases Cleese's characteristic grumpiness, with near-relentless gripes about everything from repacking his luggage to being filmed at unflattering angles. Audiences also come under fire for failing to laugh at routines such as one where Cleese spends an extended period hacking up phlegm. Surprisingly, little of the actual stage show is featured; instead, the film is filled with B-roll footage of fish markets and cheese shops, along with an unlovely photomontage of Cleese's battered big toe, which he warns viewers about.
Despite the overall tone of discontent, moments of the old silliness and joy occasionally emerge. Cleese is delighted to have a lemur named after him, and his curiosity is rekindled by a visit to a Buddhist temple. The most illuminating segment is archival footage of Cleese's 1991 sit-down with the Dalai Lama. However, sustained inner peace seems elusive, and even his jocular asides have an ungenerous edge. A remark about Michael Palin sounds more sour than fond, and upon hearing of an ex-wife's death, Cleese quips, “it was the wrong one.”
The documentary inadvertently raises broader questions about the pressures faced by aging entertainers. Cleese, still front-facing but fragile and frazzled, inhabits a strange limbo, prompting viewers to wonder whether capitalism or show business compulsion is driving former stars to continue working into their twilight years, unable to afford a long, happy, and restful retirement.
