A pleasant if unremarkable comedy, That Riviera Touch was the second of three attempts by Morecambe and Wise to make it as big screen stars in the 1960s.
The pair play a couple of London traffic wardens, forced to take an impromptu holiday in the south of France after Eric nearly gives the Queen a parking ticket. Once there, they become unwittingly involved in a jewel theft caper when the robber decides to use them to smuggle some stolen cargo out of the country. Along there's a sinister villa, disappearing bodies and a beautiful girl for Eric and Ernie to fight over.
The main problem with That Riviera Touch is that it doesn't feel like a Morecambe and Wise vehicle. If anything, it feels more like an Abbott and Costello film, with Eric as the bumbling, prat-falling, wisecracking Lou Costello and Eric as the smooth lady chasing straight man Bud Abbott. This is noticeably different to their TV personas, where Eric is more self-assured and quick-witted, and Ernie is the bumbler.
Nevertheless, the pair do the best with what they are given and breath some much needed life into the script. It's no classic, but there's enough entertaining silliness to make it worth a look, especially for fans of the duo.
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