Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise (2001)

2 Stars (out of 4)

Not Afraid to Suck

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

After his disappointing third and fourth films (A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach), Danny Boyle retreated to the relative safety of television and crafted this 75-minute comedy for the BBC. Pete (Michael Begley) plays a would-be DJ who gets a job selling vacuum cleaners. During his probation period, he winds up with aggressive lout Tommy Rag (Timothy Spall) as his trainer and, in a whirlwind couple of days, he finds his life turned upside-down. Boyle shoots fast and throws a hailstorm of mixed gags at us, seemingly unconcerned as to whether they work or not. Some scenes will have you laughing or smiling and others scratching your head or simply staring dumbfounded. It has the same kind of slipshod, kitchen-sink feel of A Life Less Ordinary, and in the end it just doesn't come together. In addition, Vacuuming looks dreadful, shot on shaky, bleary video by Dogme 95 veteran Anthony Dod Mantle (The Celebration, julien donkey-boy), and even with two audio mixes, it's difficult to understand some of the dialogue (helpful English subtitles are nowhere to be found). Koch Vision's new DVD does come with lots of trailers, a photo gallery and other extras.