Bunny and the Bull (2008)

61% of critics liked it
(31 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(3,105 ratings)

A man who has become an emotion basket case thinks back on the friend who made him that way in this offbeat comedy from Great Britain. Stephen (Edward Hogg) is a profoundly neurotic young man suffering from agoraphobia, though this is a relatively recent development, and as he ponders the dim… More A man who has become an emotion basket case thinks back on the friend who made him that way in this offbeat comedy from Great Britain. Stephen (Edward Hogg) is a profoundly neurotic young man suffering from agoraphobia, though this is a relatively recent development, and as he ponders the dim prospect of going out for food, he recalls a vacation in Europe with his former best friend Bunny (Simon Farnaby). While Stephen is quiet and shy, Bunny is outgoing to a fault, and he chases women, guzzles booze and bets on anything as if there's no tomorrow. When Stephen gets dumped by his girlfriend, Bunny suggests a trip to Europe is just the thing to cure his blues, especially after he's enjoyed a windfall at the track. But things take a turn for the worst when Stephen develops a crush on Eloisa (Veronica Echegui), a cute but very eccentric young woman, and Bunny sweeps her off her feet before Stephen can make a move. Matters become all the more complicated when Eloisa takes the boys on a trip to her hometown. Bunny and the Bull was the first feature film from writer and director Paul King, part of the creative team behind the cult-favorite television comedy series The Mighty Boosh. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Paul King
Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

On DVD: Apr 26, 2011
Studio: Warp X

Critic Reviews

Tom Russo, Boston Globe
Hogg and Farnaby have some very funny interplay, but the dynamics of the characters' friendship are thoroughly familiar.
Simon Miraudo, Quickflix
Bunny and the Bull is a funny, innovative and touching little comedy that proves -- despite all evidence on the contrary -- some TV folk are fully capable of making the transition to the big screen.
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
As its story winds through imaginative landscapes of papier-mâché, cardboard cutouts and multilayered stagecraft, the childlike whimsy of Michel Gondry comes to mind. A hint of Terry Gilliam's irreverence adds flavor to the mix.
Anton Bitel, Little White Lies
beneath all its layers of whimsy, this cock and bull story is grounded in genuine pain and torment.
Jake Wilson, The Age (Australia)
As in Gondry's best work, the strength is in the sadness.
Cara Nash, FILMINK (Australia)
While Bunny And The Bull is a visual treat, the film too often trumps style over substance, resulting in a work which disappointingly feels less than the sum of its quirky parts.
Cosmo Landesman, Sunday Times (UK)
The film isn't funny enough or serious enough to be of substance, and often sinks into the quagmire of its own quirkiness.
Jason Solomons, Observer [UK]
There's a bit of Withnail and I about the pairing and their story, but not nearly enough emotional momentum to help it out of the M&S dressing gown of cult nerdery.
Jonathan Romney, Independent on Sunday
The visual panache is pleasingly crackpot, but that's about as far as the film goes.
Robert Hanks, Independent
The sets have a cardboard cut-out charm that recalls the old animated Paddington Bear series; but that isn't enough to sustain interest once it dawns that for a supposed comedy this is remarkably humour free.
Alex Zane, Sun Online
Paul King brings his talent for the surreal to the big screen and it's rare to find a movie you could enjoy even with the sound turned down.
, This is London
King has the same kind of olde worlde, amateur-hour aesthetic as Wes Anderson and Michel Gondry, and his papier mâché/metalwork figures and landscapes are used to increasingly charming effect.
Nick De Semlyen, Empire Magazine
Heralds the launch of a new big-screen comedy axis to challenge Wright, Pegg and Frost - we can't wait to see what King and co. come up with next.
Ben Walters, Time Out
Much to appreciate, then, but less to enjoy.
Ali Catterall, Film4
A wildly inventive debut.
Kevin Maher, Times [UK]
Bunny is an acquired taste. But there's gold here, and it is certainly one of the most inventive British comedies of the decade.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
The awful truth is that the script fundamentally isn't all that great: and compared with any episode of The Mighty Boosh, say, or Peep Show, it really is pretty feeble.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Blokey whimsy can work, but when it's misfiring there's a high risk of being left down in the dumps.
Matt Bochenski, Little White Lies
An original, inventive, occasionally startling British comedy that showcases a breakout talent in Paul King.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Greg S

An agoraphobic young man remembers (or hallucinates) a trip he took across Europe with his hard-drinking, sexually voracious, gambling-addicted pal Bunny. Starts off with an interesting premise but it gets lost in sketch comedy-styled road trip scenes (including a tasteless bit about… More
An agoraphobic young man remembers (or hallucinates) a trip he took across Europe with his hard-drinking, sexually voracious, gambling-addicted pal Bunny. Starts off with an interesting premise but it gets lost in sketch comedy-styled road trip scenes (including a tasteless bit about a homeless Russian dog herder); the high-artifice art direction is sometimes brilliant but stylistically inconsistent, as if they ran out of money halfway through production.
Jim H

A shut-in remembers a holiday he had a year ago with his best friend and a beautiful Spanish waitress. I agree with a lot of what Super Reviewer Alice Shen has to say about this film -- the comparison to The Science of Sleep and the fine performances by the three… More
A shut-in remembers a holiday he had a year ago with his best friend and a beautiful Spanish waitress. I agree with a lot of what Super Reviewer Alice Shen has to say about this film -- the comparison to The Science of Sleep and the fine performances by the three leads. But I found the dramatic elements of the story too slowly developed and the climactic resolution contrived. Also, I didn't like The Science of Sleep finding its quirk distracting from the plot; that's only less true in Bunny and the Bull. Overall, this is a charming, delightful film when it tries not to be the drama it thinks it is.
Alice S

Is this movie not the most delightful thing you've ever seen? Does it not just charm you out of your gourd? It's a little similar to Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep - the whimsical cardboard sets and the awkward shell of a leading man - but… More
Is this movie not the most delightful thing you've ever seen? Does it not just charm you out of your gourd? It's a little similar to Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep - the whimsical cardboard sets and the awkward shell of a leading man - but Bunny and the Bull always hints at an unresolved tragedy and delivers well on that promise. The quirky flashcuts and calliope music are reminiscent of Amelie, but despite all these similarities or homages, the story has a different heart and a different brain. Edward Hogg is passionately forlorn; Simon Farnaby is likably skeevy; and VerÃ³nica Echegui is cutely beguiling. She's like Penelope Cruz for the indie masses. "Are you fucking my face?"
Anthony L

Bunny and the Bull is ace. It's very much a 'Mighty Boosh' production but I'm glad Fielding and Barratt weren't the lead characters, although Hogg and Farnaby aren't as likable, they lend themselves better in cameo roles - Richard Ayoade's cameo is… More
Bunny and the Bull is ace. It's very much a 'Mighty Boosh' production but I'm glad Fielding and Barratt weren't the lead characters, although Hogg and Farnaby aren't as likable, they lend themselves better in cameo roles - Richard Ayoade's cameo is also very good. You can compere Paul King's style to many other directors and artists, I'm sure he's been influenced by Gondry, Jonze, Svankmajer etc, but the brilliant writing, the original ideas, creativity and comedy are all his. Seek out this film and check out 'The Mighty Boosh' while you're at it, you won't be disappointed!
Gordon A

Quirky, fantastical tale, as you would expect from the Mighty Boosh team. Inventive set design and visuals keep you engaged even if the script could do with a few more jokes. The central buddy relationship seems unlikely but not impossible but the swearing superstitious senorita love… More
Quirky, fantastical tale, as you would expect from the Mighty Boosh team. Inventive set design and visuals keep you engaged even if the script could do with a few more jokes. The central buddy relationship seems unlikely but not impossible but the swearing superstitious senorita love interest is a step beyond credulity.
Lesley N

Basic plot - Its a English, very English comedy about an introverted man tied to his flat, his alter-ego loud best mate and a remembered trip to Europe (but as its a remembered trip , instead of a standard picture postcard Europe, it's a cut and paste, do it yourself, Be Kind… More
Basic plot - Its a English, very English comedy about an introverted man tied to his flat, his alter-ego loud best mate and a remembered trip to Europe (but as its a remembered trip , instead of a standard picture postcard Europe, it's a cut and paste, do it yourself, Be Kind Rewind Europe,) and underneath the whole thing (if you look carefully) is quite a sweet, redemptive tale about loss, and acceptance and moving on. I've never seen The Mighty Boosh, so I don't know whether knowing the TV series improves this film or ruins it, but I thought it was wonderful. I even watched the - what do you call them, the bits on the DVD after the trailers & Malteser ads, and before the "play" button appears and you can actually watch the film, the bit where they build up the Main Menu with things from the film - yes that bit. Anyway that's what I watched and then I watched the film, and both were imaginative and charming and funny and I was smitten (smit?). <img src="http://www.student-direct.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/bunny_7_small.jpg">
Jason R

One of the most visually unique films I have ever seen. It was very refreshing to see so much imagination and ingenuity put into one film.
Barry L

For those of you who have never seen 'The Mighty Boosh' this film wont make much sense but will be a treat for you all. Those of you who have had the pleasure and love it as much as me will love this more. Bunny, the unemployed, drunken, gambling shagmaster takes his sad,… More
For those of you who have never seen 'The Mighty Boosh' this film wont make much sense but will be a treat for you all. Those of you who have had the pleasure and love it as much as me will love this more. Bunny, the unemployed, drunken, gambling shagmaster takes his sad, desperately in need of a girlfriend mate on a jaunt round europe. Nothing much new in this but the backgrounds and sheer daftness is fantastic...see it and you will understand...bloody odd though.
ernest e

Another better british movie. Creative good humor and funny weirdness made in a fantasy dream world. I like the courageous push to make something so creative and different from what we are used to see these days. Much, far much better than the 2012 movie dreamworld fantasy,… More
Another better british movie. Creative good humor and funny weirdness made in a fantasy dream world. I like the courageous push to make something so creative and different from what we are used to see these days. Much, far much better than the 2012 movie dreamworld fantasy, unfortunately most mainstream idiots out there will never appreciate something like bunny and the bull. Bunny and bull has no relation with 2012 and should not be mentioned in same sentence, bunny's fantasy world is cartoonish and comical. I am very pleased to see a british movie also address its need to free its sexual repressed culture in its movies. (a lot of dutch people see british as sexual repressed.........)