The Tall Guy

This tall tale concerns Dexter (the excellent Goldblum), an actor unlucky in love, life, hay fever, and job as fall guy to obnoxious, egocentric comedian Ron Anderson (Atkinson). Falling for nurse Kate Lemon (Thompson), he subjects himself to a course of injections, ostensibly to cure his sneezing. Close encounters with the needle pay off in an unbridled close encounter with Kate, but also get him the push for missing a show. Richard (Blackadder) Curtis' script then leads Dexter through a series of failed auditions (including a fine Berkoff take-off) before he lands the title role in the musical of The Elephant Man (which features the memorable lyrics of 'I'm Packing My Trunk') and settles accounts with Ron. Mel Smith's directorial debut is uninhibited by finesse, but it has its laughs.