The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash | 
| Directors: Eric Idle, Gary Weis
Actors: Dan Aykroyd, Terence Bayler, John Belushi, Jeannette Charles, Ricky Fataar
Studio: Rhino Theatrical
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $11.22
You Save: $8.76 (44%)
New (23) Used (8) from $9.08
Rating:  105 reviews
Sales Rank: 12688
Format: Black & White, Color, Dolby, Dvd, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 76 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.6
MPN: 976641
UPC: 603497664122
EAN: 0603497664122
ASIN: B00004ZEU2
Theatrical Release Date: March 22, 1978
Publication Date: 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Originally hatched in 1978 as a short film parody for Saturday Night Live, this expanded, 70-minute mockumentary on a trend-setting quartet of British mop-tops bloomed into one of Eric Idle's better projects outside Monty Python. Taking the career (and hagiography) of the Beatles and inverting them quite nicely, Idle conjures up four doppelgangers who offer the familiar mannerisms but practically none of the intelligence of their models. If that sounds like the same gag that powered This Is Spinal Tap (which emerged six years later), it is, with the crucial difference that Idle's lampoon is precise where Tap was consciously generic. In telling the saga of the Rutles, Idle (who doubles as earnest narrator and McCartney-esque Rutle Dirk McQuigley) works from a rich and immediately familiar trove of pop lore, and he has a ball revisiting and reinventing milestones from the Fab Four's fabled history. The attention to period detail helps elevate the gags further, but Idle's real secret weapon is Neil Innes, standing in as Ron Nasty, the Rutles' answer to John Lennon: it's Innes who serves as the musical architect for the wonderful Beatles parodies that give All You Need Is Cash a delicious kick, and Innes, a one-time principal in the legendary Bonzo Dog Band, is gifted enough to capture the band's lyricism and energy as well as their shifting sense of style. With the blessing and on-camera participation of George Harrison, and wry cameos from Mick Jagger and Paul Simon, All You Need Is Cash is a perfect companion to the Beatles' own glorious screen comedies and a great antidote to sanctimonious pop documentaries. --Sam Sutherland
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| Customer Reviews: Read 100 more reviews...
 this one starts out with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax July 3, 2009
Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service)
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash is a hilarious spoof of The Beatles, Beatlemania and the documentaries that have been made about The Beatles. Beginning with the formation of The Rutles and following the fictional group all the way to their eventual breakup, we get scenes very similar to those so well known by Beatles fans--only here, with The Rutles practically impersonating The Beatles, there's a huge comic twist in every moment. The plot moves along at a good pace--you won't get bored and you won't feel any resentment at the fun being poked at The Beatles' real life story. This will be very funny for just about anyone; but if you're a Beatles fan who knows their history well you'll laugh out loud every step of the way! In this review I give you lots of information and it may seem as if I've given all the laughs away. Trust me--I didn't! You'll know when you watch this.
We meet, of course, a documentary style interviewer (Eric Idle) who also plays Dirk McQuickly, a member of The Rutles. He's the perfect candidate for the sloppy interviewer: a loser who never gets his story straight before reporting on it; and this leads to countless screwball comedy scenes including his interview with Ruttling Orange Peel (Bob Gibson), a man in New Orleans who claims to have "invented" The Rutles' sound. When Ruttling Orange Peel's wife jumps into the conversation, things heat up fast and it's extremely funny--and very well acted, too. It may be a short scene but it's incredibly funny.
Then, of course, there are The Rutles themselves. There's Dirk McQuickly (Eric Idle) who plays The Rutles' Paul McCartney, Barry Wom (John Halsey) who represents Ringo, Stig O'Hara (Ricky Fataar) who is their comic version of George Harrison and Ron Nasty (Neil Innes) who is their spoof of John Lennon. Their personalities--and even their voices--are remarkably like those of The Beatles, except for Stig, who plays "the quiet Rutle);" he has no lines in the film! This is clearly a reference to how George Harrison was always the one Beatle who preferred to remain relatively quiet and in the background. In addition, there's their "discoverer" Leggy Mountbatten (Terence Bayler) who got them their record deal and put them in suits; and look for a great performance by Henry Woolf as Arthur Sultan, The Surrey Mystic who tries to help them in the latter half of the 1960s.
The film uses archival footage of fans waiting for The Beatles at a New York City airport in February, 1964 and even a clip of Ed Sullivan as he announces "The Rutles" will be on his show that night. There's excellent brief cameo interviews with Mick Jagger, Paul Simon and Gilda Radner who plays the role of a woman stopped on the street to answer the interviewer's question about The Rutles. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bianca Jagger and George Harrison himself also have cameo appearances. Excellent!
The DVD comes with deleted scenes and an optional commentary by director Eric Idle. There's a small feature of notes entitled "Eric's Memoir" and a still photo gallery.
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash is excellent comedy for anyone--anyone--but if you know about The Beatles it's even funnier. Practically everything about their real life histories is spoofed and it's all done rather well. I highly recommend this DVD.
 Still holds up after all these years March 25, 2009
Molly Peacock Jones (New Hampshire)
A very funny combination of SNL (when it was at it's peak) and Monty Python. Some bits are funnier than others, but there's enough in here that's really fun (some laugh-out-loud funny!). It holds up very well all these years later-- in the 2000s-- not feeling like dated comedy. Some of the best touches are the interviews with Paul Simon and Mick Jagger (who knew Mick was such a comedian?), playing it out like they're taking the whole thing very seriously. The short bits with George Harrison and a punked-out biker Ron Wood (also playing it completely straight) add further touches of brilliance. Wish that SNL was still at this level.
Watch out....here come the Rutles! March 15, 2009
Dr. W.O'Boogie
What a great spoof of Beatlemania! This dvd is a must for any serious Beatles fan. Done in the style of monty Python, Eric Idle ,(who incidently plays Rutle Dirk McQuickly and the narrator), brilliantly captures the Beatle's story with a twist. The personalities of McCartney,(Dirk McQuickly), Lennon,(Ron Nasty), Harrison,(Stig O'Hara), and Starr, (Barrymore Womble...who changes his name to just Barry Wom...to save time), are perfectly mached. The music is first rate as well. They sound as if the pre-Fab Four could've written them. My favorite, Piggy In The Middle,is a spoof on I Am The Walrus, and is awesome. The film goes over every aspect of the Beatle's history including their infamous legal battles and the down spiral of their company Apple Corps. Beatle George makes a cameo appearance in the film as a reporter asking Python's Michael Palin about the thefts that happen daily at "Rutle Corps". They even cover the 5th Rutle, Lepo and their manager Leggy Mountbatten (Epstein) and his antics concerning his associations with bull fighters. Interviews with Mick Jagger and Paul Simon about the Rutles is a nice touch giving the idea that the Rutles were an actual band.
All You Need Is Cash is hallarious. A well made spoof of the greatest band in music history.
Monty Beatles December 22, 2008
J. Saxe (Saint Louis)
This movie is very well done. If you're a Beatles fan and you can appreciate the dry and subtle humor of Monty Python, then this movie is definitely for you.
the music is good..damn good December 2, 2008
Mike Watson (crippletown usa)
just a quick note the music is my favorite part of this
its really great music and could easily have been hits on its own but people thought it to much of a joke and didnt take it seriously enough
go buy the song get up and go its a great song
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