Absolutely Anything

Lore & Background

The film's idea was credited by Jones to the H. G. Wells story 'The Man Who Could Work Miracles,' but he said it 'just changed out of all recognition from that.' The script had been around for 20 years, written by Jones and Gavin Scott. Jones described the plot as being about Neil, a teacher in a failing secondary school who is given the ability to make anything happen by asking for it. The alien characters were designed by James Acheson, who created 'a wonderful array of aliens of different sizes and shapes.' The story behind the aliens involves them intercepting the Voyager spacecraft as it leaves the solar system. Principal photography took place over six weeks in London, using a disused school in Hornsey Lane as a base. The film was the last to involve Jones, five years before his death in 2020, and the last with Robin Williams in the main cast, released a year after his death in 2014.

Reader's Guide

Absolutely Anything is notable as the first film to feature all living Monty Python members since Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), and the first without Graham Chapman. It received mainly negative reviews from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 18% and a consensus stating 'Given the impressive array of talent involved in Absolutely Anything—and the near-total lack of laughs it provokes—this Monty Python reunion can only be regarded as a disappointment.' Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian awarded the film 1/5 star, calling it a 'cheap and cheerless sci-fi comedy.' The film grossed $6.3 million worldwide. It was the last film to involve director Terry Jones before his death in 2020, and the last film with Robin Williams in the main cast, released a year after his death in 2014. The soundtrack featured a promotional single by Kylie Minogue and a title song by Queen's Roger Taylor.

Did You Know?

• It was the last film to involve Terry Jones, five years before his death in 2020.
• Robin Williams voiced a character in the film, released a year after his death in 2014.
• The script was written over a 20-year period by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott.

A Python Reunion and Final Curtain Calls

Absolutely Anything holds a uniquely poignant place in Monty Python history. It marked the first time all six surviving members of the legendary comedy troupe appeared together in a single film since The Meaning of Life in 1983, and it was the first Python project to proceed without Graham Chapman, who passed away in 1989. The nonhuman characters were voiced by John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones himself, Michael Palin, and Robin Williams, making the film a genuine ensemble of Python talent. Beyond the group dynamic, the picture carries a double farewell. It stands as the final film in which Terry Jones participated, released five years before his death in 2020, and it is also the last screen credit for Robin Williams, who had died in 2014 just a year before the film's UK release. For fans of the troupe, watching these voices and personalities converge one last time lends the production an emotional weight that extends well beyond its comedic premise.

Two Decades in the Making

The script for Absolutely Anything is a product of extraordinary patience. Terry Jones co-wrote it with Gavin Scott, and the pair had been developing the material for roughly twenty years before it finally reached the screen. The project gained momentum around 2010, when producer Mike Medavoy phoned Jones asking what scripts he had tucked away in his desk drawer; Jones pulled out the draft and the film began its path toward production. Jones has acknowledged a literary debt to H. G. Wells's "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," though he insisted the story had evolved so far from that source that it was barely recognizable. Principal photography ran from 24 March to 12 May 2014. The production also benefited from earlier creative input: Douglas Adams, before his death, reviewed the script and singled out the Dennis the Dog sequences as the funniest material in the film. A real mongrel named Mojo performed on set, with CGI enhancing the animal's abilities, and costume designer James Acheson crafted the alien wardrobe.

Wishes, Backfires, and Inverted Morality

The narrative centers on Neil Clarke, a London secondary-school teacher selected at random by an alien galactic council to receive the power to make absolutely anything happen. The council's test is simple: if within ten days the power is used for evil, Earth will be destroyed. Neil, who harbors a crush on his neighbor Catherine West, quickly discovers that his wishes spiral into chaos. A casual remark about vaporizing a troublesome classroom summons an alien ship that kills the students; his attempt to reverse the deaths raises every dead person as a zombie. He grants his dog Dennis the ability to speak, manipulates a colleague's affections, and eventually tries to solve global problems—only to trigger worldwide obesity, land shortages, inexplicable wars, and an ice age. The film's sharpest twist lies in the aliens' moral framework: they interpret dominance as virtue and compassion as weakness, so Neil's benevolent wishes count as evidence of evil. Dennis ultimately saves the planet by wishing the source of the power itself into destruction, causing the council's doom weapon to rebound and annihilate the alien ship.

Box Office and Critical Response

Despite its star-studded cast—which includes Simon Pegg, Kate Beckinsale, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rob Riggle, Eddie Izzard, and Joanna Lumley—Absolutely Anything struggled to find a wide audience. Lionsgate UK released the film in British cinemas on 14 August 2015, but the American audience did not see it until 12 May 2017, a gap of nearly two years. The worldwide gross settled at $6.3 million, a figure that suggests the picture never achieved the commercial footprint its pedigree might have implied. Critically, the film fared even worse: reviews were predominantly negative, with critics largely unimpressed by the material. The combination of modest box-office returns and unfavorable press made the film a commercial and critical disappointment, a notable contrast to the enthusiasm surrounding its Python connections. For many viewers, the film's legacy rests less on its reception at release and more on the bittersweet knowledge that it captured the final on-screen collaboration of several beloved comedic voices before their passing.