10 mins. 35mm/Super 35
WRITER & DIRECTOR: John Pilkington PRODUCER: Robert Mercer
EDITOR: Robert Townend DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: James Solan
CAST: Noel Fielding (Pete Sweet), Julian Barratt (Stitch), Suzy Bloom (Daisy) & Toby Walton (Dave)
Pete Sweet begins dating a short, dumpy, ginger-haired girl called Poppy. His best friend Stitch becomes jealous, despite the fact Poppy is imaginary...Stand-up comedians Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt -- together known as The Mighty Boosh in their surreal BBC sitcom, but also recognisable guest stars in a variety of TV shows, take the leads in John Pilkington's oddball comedy short.
Fielding plays the eponymous Pete Sweet, a goofy twentysomething who works on a record stall and owns two puppies. Barratt plays his dour best-mate Stitch, with both characters shamelessly recycling their Mighty Boosh personas.
Sweet is a one-joke comedy short, but the joke is a good one. Essentially, it's a fast-paced cliched romp through a giddy sexual relationship between Pete and Poppy. The twist is that Poppy is an imaginary (and therefore totally invisible) girlfriend, but their relationship is still intensely sexual and imune to embarassment. Scenes of Pete having energetic sex with thin air, french-kissing empty space and having romantic meals for two/one are sprinkled liberally throughout the short.
Of course, the madcap relationship hits a few quirky speedbumps along the way, most notable with the appearance of a real potential girlfriend called Daisy (Suzy Bloom) and Stitch's increasing jealously of his friend's new partner.
It's all good fun and amusing acted by everyone concerned, particularly Noel Fielding, who sportingly agrees to shag nothing and make curious elephant noises. Both Fielding and Barratt are hardly being stretched here, but their presence will ensure Pilkington's short perhaps reaches a wider audience than it would do otherwise. Mighty Boosh fans will certainly be downloading, as should any fan of high-concept comedy.
While the short is pleasingly shot, nicely lit and boasts some entertaining moments, Sweet doesn't really take the concept into any radical areas. This pretty much pans out as you're probably imagining and the final twist doesn't quite work. I was waiting for Stitch to be unveiled as being similarly imagined (as he's rarely acknowledged by anyone but Pete), but this never happens...
Still, there are far worse ways to spend 10 minutes. I found Sweet to be good-natured fun, with a few sequences worth a chuckle, although wry smiles are more prevailant. Not a classic, but an amusing and well-made diversion by writer-director John Pilington and his crew.
To see for yourself, click here.
