School headmaster Brian Stimpson is obsessed with timeliness, order, and discipline. Brian misses his train after meticulously preparing a speech for an education conference. With no one else to turn to, he asks young former student Laura Wisely for a ride. Laura, upset over a break-up, agrees to drive him in her parents' car - which alarms her mother and father, who worry that she has run away with a married man and subsequently alert the police.
Acting
Cleese's escalating panic — no one does mounting dread better.
Writing
Tight farce construction, every missed connection pays off.
Practical Effects
Pre-GPS road chaos filmed with glorious 80s car stunts.
Director
Christopher Morahan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cleese later called this his favorite film of his own work, preferring it to A Fish Called Wanda for its tighter farce structure.
The film satirizes Thatcher-era British institutionalism — Stimpson's obsession with punctuality mirrors national anxieties about efficiency and order.
GB
