Bula Quo!

It’s the film you’ve all been waiting for: a Status Quo comedy. Yes, those three-chord wonders, Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, star in a Fiji-set farce that has a ‘so-bad-its-good’ quality about it. Think Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night, just without The Beatles, as the Quo get caught up with local gangsters amid their sell-out tour on the island paradise.

While they might not be troubling Sean Penn come awards season, Rossi and Parfitt are integral to the story, which sees the Quo stumble upon a deadly game of Russian Roulette organised by Jon Lovitz’s shady businessman. Capturing the deed on camera-phone, the boys must get the footage into the hands of the law, before they – along with their long-suffering manager/minder (Craig Fairbrass) and cynical intern (Laura Aikman) – fall foul of the criminals.

Directed and co-written by Stuart St Paul, a former stuntman and second unit director, the plot is more disposable than an airplane wet-wipe, descending into a series of chases on just about every mode of transport you can think of (mini-trains, golf-carts, jet-skis – only a pogo-stick seems missing). There are also some ridiculously bad scenes – not least when the boys come close to being chomped by sharks – yet fuelled by their energetic tunes, including the annoyingly catchy title track, the story chugs along amiably enough.

Fair play to Rossi and Parfitt, they’re not afraid of lampooning themselves or their music – including a comical ukulele rendition of ‘Down Down’. And while St Paul takes the questionable decision of blowing the band’s most famous hit, ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’ on the opening credits, you’ll be left realising just how many of their songs you know. Obviously, if you hate the sound of Status Quo, this is to be avoided at all costs – though fans, even casual ones, should lap up this tongue-in-cheek tribute to dinosaur rock.

Limited release from Fri 5 Jul.

Bula Quo trailer

Status Quo frontmen Rossi and Parfitt get mixed up with local gangsters on Fiji. What's not to like? With a plot more disposable than an airplane wetwipe, it's unlikely to appeal to non-Quo fans but it's amiable enough and the leading duo are unafraid to lampoon themselves.