Film

Follow That Camel

A 1967 British comedy where an upper-class Englishman joins the Foreign Legion to restore his honour, only to find himself surrounded by incompetent soldiers and romantic complications. It's silly, theatrical, and unapologetically absurd—pure Carry On irreverence transplanted to the Sahara. For anyone who loves ensemble farce and doesn't mind broad humour landing at all angles.

TMDb rating2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love broad, rickety farce where the sight gags, double-talk and gleefully silly characters matter more than any plot, the sort of British comedy that plays like a stage revue dressed as a desert adventure.

Skip it if you want sharp modern pacing or a story that tightens as it goes, since this one wanders through its Foreign Legion setup and leans hard on the same kind of mugging for most of its running time.

What it asks of you: It runs a brisk ninety-five minutes and asks you to accept big, theatrical performances and a gentle, unhurried willingness to let the jokes arrive a little late and a little loud.

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

If you liked this

Carry On Up the Khyber1968

Same cast, same anarchic energy, equally determined to wring laughs from the British Empire. Kenneth Williams is magnificent; the plot barely matters because the comedy is in every reaction and double-take.

But If you don't find silly voices and slapstick funny, this will feel like being hit repeatedly. The satire is buried under layers of music-hall gags.

Carry On Up the Khyber poster

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World1963

Ensemble farce on an epic scale: chaos, car chases, and an enormous cast all colliding. Like Follow That Camel, it trusts that watching talented people behave ridiculously is its own reward.

But Three hours long and exhausting in its pursuit of the next gag. If you tire easily from constant noise and motion, it's relentless.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World poster

The Pink Panther1963

Physical comedy from a master, with a bumbling hero blundering through an intricate plot. Peter Sellers commands it the way Williams commands his scenes—comedy through character and precision.

But Subtler and more elegant than Follow That Camel; if you're craving that same theatrical mayhem, this might feel restrained.

The Pink Panther poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Follow That Camel

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Passport to Pimlico1949

Both centre on institutional absurdity and outsiders navigating impossible systems—but Pimlico finds humanity in it where Follow That Camel finds just noise.

A London borough accidentally becomes independent; bureaucratic chaos and community spirit collide in Ealing's sweetest comedy. Like Bo's predicament, it's about absurd rules meeting British resourcefulness—but where Follow That Camel is cartoonish, this is grounded and warm.

But The pace is gentler and the jokes are quieter. If you're hungry for Kenneth Williams' theatrical hysteria, you'll find this almost sedate.

Passport to Pimlico poster
More like this (8)

Singin' in the Rain1952

The gold standard of ensemble entertainment: charm, skill, and comedy that never stops moving. Every performer gets their moment, the energy never flags, and it's simply joyful to watch.

But It's so polished and confident it can feel remote. Nothing here is rough or chaotic; some people find that less fun than calculated mess.

Singin' in the Rain poster

The Great Race1965

Blake Edwards directing Peter Falk and Tony Curtis in an absurdist romp across continents. Scope and ambition in service of jokes—it's theatrical and generous and completely unafraid to be silly.

But It sprawls; the plot disappears for stretches. Some sequences don't land. It's dated in ways that matter if you're not already on its wavelength.

The Great Race poster

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum1966

Sondheim's farce adapted for film, crammed with sight gags and sex jokes and utter commitment to comedy chaos. Zero pretence, maximum entertainment, brilliant ensemble cast.

But The energy can feel frantic rather than fun, especially in the middle section. The satire of classical Rome gets lost under the mechanics of the jokes.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum poster

Barbarella1968

Jane Fonda in a camp sci-fi extravaganza that knows exactly how silly it is and leans in hard. It's theatrical, colourful, and wildly entertaining in the same anything-goes spirit.

But The satire is surface-level, and some of the comedy relies on nudity and innuendo that's awkward now. Style completely overwhelms substance.

Barbarella poster

The Poseidon Adventure1972

Disaster film with an enormous ensemble cast playing against type in ridiculous situations. It takes itself seriously, which makes the chaos funnier—a different flavour of farce.

But It's an adventure first and comedy second; if you're after pure gags, the dramatic beats will feel like padding. Some action sequences outstay their welcome.

The Poseidon Adventure poster

La Haine1995

Both are ultimately about outsiders trying to survive within systems designed to grind them down, and both suggest the system itself is the real joke.

Three young men in a Parisian banlieue, 24 hours, mounting tension. It's farcical only in the sense that absurd situations keep escalating—but it's deadly serious about the systems that produce them.

But It's in French, it's bleak, and it offers no comfort. The comedy is dark and situational, not performed; the distance from Follow That Camel is enormous.

La Haine poster

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen1988

Both trust that spectacle and audacity matter more than coherence, and both are essentially about a charming charlatan navigating worlds that operate on their own impossible rules.

Terry Gilliam's baroque fantasy: a lie-telling hero in a world where reality is as flexible as your imagination, stuffed with elaborate setpieces and theatrical excess. Like Follow That Camel's Foreign Legion, every scene is another outrageous situation demanding your complete attention.

But It's visually overwhelming and narratively chaotic. If you're not already surrendering to its logic, you'll find it exhausting rather than enchanting.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen poster

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