Crooks Anonymous

source: Crooks Anonymous

Crooks Anonymous

March 2022 British comedies coming out at this time all seemed to be so good, as this is no exception, yet another winner. It features many of the likeable stars from the period such as Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter as well as Julie Christie in her film debut. Good interesting story and funny with it its a winner 8.5 out of 10.

Comedy misfire whose only remnant of any entertainment value is spotting old stalwarts of British cinema and TV - but especially pleasurable is the sight of a very young and gorgeous Julie Christie in her very first appearance: A 'One' for that box-tick. The poor girl looks far too classy and intelligent throughout to be involved in these direly daft and unfunny proceedings. I suppose she had to accept any old rubbish to get on the ladder that led to super-stardom..

Baby (22) Julie Christie wrapped in a charming British Christmas comedy. Sweetheart of a movie.

CROOKS ANONYMOUS is a British comedy of 1962 that manages to waste the talents of a wide-ranging comic cast, many of whom are familiar from classics of the day. This one stars an amusing Leslie Phillips as a man addicted to theft; he joins the titular organisation in order to rid himself of his habit, but things don't go quite according to plan. This is a film whose original storyline is much better than the script, which is devoid of laughs and intelligence. Sure, it's fun watching a debuting Julie Christie and the likes of Norman Rossington, James Robertson Justice, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Michael Medwin doing their best, but the truth is that they're having more fun than the viewer is.

Crooks Anonymous is a film based on the notion that criminality is an addictive behavior like gambling or drinking and can be cured with the same methods. The organization Crooks Anonymous is founded by Wilfrid Hyde-White , but Leslie Phillips presents quite a challenge to the group. Watching this film I thought I was could have been watching one of those films that critique and not too gently gay conversion therapy.. Julie Christie is in this film which was three years before her breakout Oscar performance in Darling. Nothing Oscar worthy here though. It's a British comedy that wouldn't go over too well in America. Can you imagine the characters in a Martin Scorsese epic getting cured of their bad behavior in Crooks Anonymous? It does have a few amusing moments.

The first half of this film is very funny.Stanley Baxter is the real star.He said in a recent interview that his film career came to an end because the company to whom he was contracted went bust.As usual he pops up in a variety of disguises.The best part is the aversion therapy treatment to stop Leslie Phillips going back to his old ways.Alas the film runs out of steam in the last half.Stealing the money from the department store then putting it back is typical of the farciCal devices used to end films ,utilised by many British comedies of the period.Julie Christie is clearly on her way up the ladder and Leslie Phillips would outlive most of his contemporaries and have a long and distinguished career.

This is an old black and white comedy that has not had a high recognition factor tied to it. A basic comedy that is easy to follow, a delight for all ages. Very amusing in parts, especially of Leslie Phillips as Captain Pierrs Oban Forsdyke and Stanley Baxter in a memorable performance as Brother Widdows. Classic!

This has got to be one of the most least reviewed films of the century. It deserves far more praise than it actually gets. The cast is excellently cast for the roles because they all look so convincing as criminals, especially Stanley Baxter as Brother Widdows. Definitely one of Leslie Phillips most finest films, definitely the one to watch for good old black and white comedy.