Product Description

Dirk. Nasty. Stig. Barry. Perhaps you've forgotten how unforgettable they are. Well, forget that. Intrepid host/interviewer Melvin Hall is here to refresh the recall of all Rutlemaniacs! Eric Idle (Monty Python) portrays Hall plus writes, produces, directs and, rumor has it, prepares off camera some well-received bangers and mash for the crew in a sequel to "The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash." From concerts to backstage moments, from successes (A Hard Day's Rut) to misunderstood flops (Tragical History Tour), from familiar tunes to those that make you wonder if you left the kettle on, the whole great, hilarious tale is here. With Special Appearances by David Bowie, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Fallon, Mick Jagger, Jewel, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Conan O'Brien, Bonnie Raitt, Robin Williams, and many more.

DVD Features:
Alternate endings
Deleted Scenes
Easter Eggs
Interviews:Additional interviews from celebrities

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39208 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-03-01
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .30 pounds
• Running time: 84 minutes

Amazon.com
The Pre-Fab Four are back, and severely earnest television journalist S.J. Krammerhead (Eric Idle) is hot on their story once again in The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch. A welcome sequel to Monty Python star Idle's 1978 mockumentary The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, Can't Buy Me Lunch looks back on the mythical Liverpool quartet's long and winding road. Meet anew the group's caustic leader Ron Nasty (Neil Innes), cute bassist Dirk McQuickley (Idle), quiet guitarist Stig O'Hara (Rikki Fataar), and lovable drummer Barry Womble (John Halsey) as they sprint from the Cavern Club through "A Hard Day's Rut," "Tragical History Tour" and beyond. Krammerhead combines new celebrity interviews (Conan O'Brien, Tom Hanks, Bonnie Raitt) with re-edited footage and outtakes from the first film, and while the result isn't as sharp or urgent as Idle's original parody, Can't Buy Me Lunch has many funny moments and good inside jokes for Beatles enthusiasts. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

A big disappointment.
I was a huge Rutles fan, and was greatly anticipating this release. Unfortunately, it consists mostly of clips of the Rutles from the first special (although there are occasional flashes of footage apparently unused from the first special) interspersed with new interviews (Steve Martin, James Taylor, Conan O'Brien, Carrie Fisher, and others). Eric Idle even rips himself off; the show opens with a sight gag -- Idle trying to keep up with an accelerating camera as he narrates -- taken directly from the original program. It all has a cobbled-together feel and offers nothing of substance new for Rutles fans.

Stop Eric Idle Before he Kills Again!
This is an uninspired, strained, and literal rehash of the original RUTLES film, devoid of any of the original's wit. While Neil Innes actually improved on the soundtrack to the original with the "Anthology" take-off "Archeology," Eric Idle seems (un)comfortable ripping himself off in the most hackneyed and superficial way. Overall, the normally clever Idle has greatly tarnished the simple charm of one of his finest achievements. It's obvious why Warner Bros. didn't know what to do with it, and as for the celebrity interviews, most are poorly improvised, woefully unfunny and drag on way too long.

Why? I'll tell ya why...
It is a sad, sad, tale that I have to tell you, but I'll keep it short.

Back when the Rutles were first conceived, Neil Innes (seen in 'Grail' as the Minstrel) and Eric Idle worked amicably together, creating a sharp and hilarious parody of the Beatles legend. Idle wrote the script, and Innes created the music. The original 'All You Need Is Cash' special placed 65th out of 65 shows the week it was originally shown in 1978, but the fame of the Rutles grew over the years just the same.

Eric Idle did not write, sing or perform any Rutles music, ever. However, Idle, as the 'face' that was most identifiable to Americans (as the narrator and lip-synching Dirk McQuickly), enjoyed whatever credit there was to be had for the Rutles. He enjoyed this for years, until the Rutles album was re-released in the 90s, when the true genius of the team was revealed to all (us hardcore fans already knew) as Neil Innes.

When the 'Archaeology' project was conceived (to much excitement among the former Rutle musicians and producers, even George Harrison), it went through a huge bidding war, with Virgin finally winning and putting its considerable muscle behind the production and marketing of the album. That is, until the month before the album came out. Idle then brought to bear all sorts of legal demands (monetary and otherwise) that pretty much killed the album, as Virgin was now loathe to put lots of money into the promotion of the project. Idle demanded every image of himself be deleted from the package, as well as half the album profits and the odd note on the album cover that 'The Rutles' was the SOLE creation of Idle.

Because of all this, the album was pretty much 'stillborn' at release, and Innes was sent into bankruptcy.

Innes and Idle have NOTHING now but animosity between them.

If you want to read the entire sad tale, see the Internet Archive and do a search on the Rutles.

After all the negative reviews and wondering about why the 'Shangri-La' video or anything of real consequence is contained in this product, I just thought I'd let you know.