Film

Barry McKenzie Holds His Own

Name: Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1974
Cast: Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Donald Pleasence, Fiona Richmond, Ed Devereaux

Comedy
Light-hearted

A gloriously unhinged 1974 Australian comedy where Barry McKenzie and his mates trek to an Eastern European vampire's castle to rescue Aunt Edna, who's been kidnapped by mistake. Absurdist, scatological, cheerfully offensive, and utterly convinced of its own ridiculousness. Cult classic that swings wildly between inspired and cringe, depending entirely on your tolerance for anarchic 70s comedy nonsense.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy broad, bawdy Australian larrikin comedy where the jokes come thick and fast and the sight gags, cheeky vulgarity and cartoonish villains are the whole point.

Skip it if you want a tight, restrained comedy; this one is loud, crude and leans hard on slapstick and sexual innuendo, and its satire can feel more like nudging than sharpness.

What it asks of you: Ninety-three minutes of nonstop, unsubtle gags you can settle into without much thought, with a sprawling, episodic shape and a willingness to let the nonsense run on.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie1972

The original film that launched this character into Australian comedy legend. Barry Humphries' Aunt Edna is already hilarious, and the fish-out-of-water story of an Aussie abroad is anarchic fun that builds perfectly toward this sequel.

But The humour is very broad, very scatological, and very of its era. Some gags land only if you find bodily functions intrinsically funny, and several are genuinely dated in ways that sting.

The Pink Panther1963

Another gleefully silly film where plot barely matters and character comedy is everything. Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau has that same anarchic energy—bumbling through chaos with absolute conviction.

But Slower pacing than you might expect from a comedy, and the slapstick can feel draggy if you're not already charmed by the character and era.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail1975

British absurdist comedy that throws logic out the window in exactly the same spirit. A quest narrative that exists only as an excuse for ridiculous set pieces, performed with complete deadpan commitment.

But Python's humour is intellectual and referential; if you don't catch the rhythm early, it can feel wilfully obscure rather than funny.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Barry McKenzie Holds His Own

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Performance.1970

Both are proudly illogical 1970s films that tear apart conventional narrative in the name of pure cinematic mood and character. Both mistakes by conventional wisdom, both uncompromising about it.

A gangster and a rock star swap identities and sanity in a hallucinogenic London townhouse. Like Barry McKenzie, it's genuinely unhinged 70s British cinema that refuses narrative logic, but it commits to dread and sexuality instead of comedy. Same era, same anarchic spirit, completely opposite register.

But It's deliberately obscure, challenging, and sexual in ways that make it actively hostile to easy viewing. The incoherence is intentional and not everyone finds that rewarding rather than frustrating.

Eating Raoul1982

A truly anarchic American comedy where a couple murders swingers for profit. Same commitment to absurdist premise, same willingness to cross lines that most comedies politely avoid.

But It's grotesque and brutal in ways that overshadow the humour for some viewers. The comedy and the horror never quite balance.

What's Up, Doc?1972

Madcap screwball in the classic tradition, but made in the 70s with genuine weird energy. Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand in pure comic chaos—plot is decoration, anarchy is the point.

But Extremely silly in a way that requires you to surrender to the logic of the film immediately. Resistance makes it unbearable.

The Return of the Pink Panther1975

Sellers as Clouseau again, but with even more confidence in the bit. International settings, escalating disasters, the same fearless commitment to letting scenes play out absurdly.

But By the third film, you're watching variations on the same joke. If the premise didn't land the first time, repetition won't save it.

Phantom of the Paradise1974

A horror-comedy pastiche from the same year that also gleefully mixes genres and never winks at the audience. Brian De Palma's rock opera nightmare has that same feverish, anything-goes energy.

But The tone is genuinely uneven, lurching between horror and comedy without warning. It can feel like three different films arguing with each other.

Under Milk Wood1972

A Welsh village comedy ensemble piece with Richard Burton voicing a sprawling cast. Eccentric characters, absurdist dialogue, a willingness to prioritize weirdness over conventional narrative.

But Slow and digressive to the point of requiring patience. The whimsy can feel precious if you're not already surrendered to its world.

The Great Race1965

Blake Edwards' epic slapstick comedy with Jack Lemmon in multiple roles. Scope and ambition matched with genuine physical comedy invention—proof that 60s comedies could be this committed to the bit.

But Nearly three hours long and the pacing can feel glacial. Some of the gags go on long past their premise, testing patience severely.

Breakfast of Champions2024

Both refuse to explain themselves or apologize for their weirdness. Both trust the audience to find humour in pure disruption rather than plot. Both believe a film can be funny by simply being strange.

Adapted from Kurt Vonnegut's unfilmable novel, this animated film abandons all pretence of conventional plot for character vignettes, doodles, and non-sequiturs. Same commitment to absurdism and refusal of narrative sense, but through animation and meta-commentary instead of physical comedy and character work.

But It's genuinely frustrating to watch if you're waiting for a story. The material is deliberately fragmentary and requires you to find meaning in chaos rather than follow a through-line.

A Fish Called Wanda1988

Same anarchic ensemble energy as Barry McKenzie, but thirty years later and infinitely more disciplined. Shows what happens when you apply the same fearless weirdness to a film that actually bothers with plot. The shared proof that chaos can be funny AND structured.

A heist comedy where characters care desperately about things while everything collapses into chaos. Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and John Cleese in a film that's anarchic but actually functional—it proves you can have absurdism AND narrative momentum.

But The sexual violence and animal cruelty subplots are genuinely ugly. Comedy or not, they land wrong and date the film badly. The ensemble is so perfectly calibrated that any moment that lands poorly stands out painfully.