The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch

The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch is a modern re-telling of the 1978 mockumentary All You Need is Cash, in a modern setting.

Plot

Twenty three years after the original, documentarist Melvin Hall (Eric Idle) interviews mainstream artists, actors, and musicians about the days of the popular band The Rutles, though mostly ending up in the wrong country. The film ends with Melvin and the interviewees laughing.

In the interviews with David Bowie, he is seen holding a copy of the vinyl album The Rutles 1, calling it a "piece of marketing extravagance". The interview in the film shows the cover of the album with a black circle that has the words "27 No. 1 Songs On One LP". In the DVD extras, the circle on the album cover says "27 No. 1 Songs On 1 CD", even though this is a vinyl record album. Either way, this was the only time that a Rutles album was practically identical to a Beatles album in both album cover and title.

The plot remains the same to its 1978 counterpart, with a new introduction and conclusion with Idle's character, Melvin Hall.

Cast

* Eric Idle as Narrator / Dirk McQuickly / Lady Beth Mouse-Peddler
* Neil Innes as Ron Nasty
* Ricky Fataar as Stig O'Hara
* John Halsey as Barry Wom
* David Bowie as Himself - Interviewee
* Billy Connolly as Interviewee
* Carrie Fisher as Interviewee
* Jewel Kilcher as Interviewee (as Jewel)
* Steve Martin as Interviewee
* Mike Nichols as Interviewee
* Conan O'Brien as Interviewee
* Salman Rushdie as Interviewee
* Garry Shandling as Interviewee
* Robin Williams as Hans Hänkie
* April Adams as Groupie Interviewee (scenes deleted)
* Clint Black as Interviewee
* Jimmy Fallon as Reporter
* Tom Hanks as Interviewee
* Bill Murray as Bill Murray "The K" (archive footage)
* Graham Nash as Interviewee
* Kevin Nealon as Kevin Wongle
* Catherine O'Hara as Astro Glide
* Jim Piddock as Troy Nixon
* Bonnie Raitt as Interviewee
* David A. Stewart as Interviewee
* James Taylor as Interviewee
* Jann Wenner as Interviewee

Release

The film was made by Eric Idle in 2002, but was shelved and released later. It is available in the United States, but is unavailable in the United Kingdom despite requests for a Region 2 DVD release.

Reception

The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch received mostly negative reviews. Some critics argue it was basically a retelling installment to modern audiences. There were no new interviews with the Rutles; Rutle footage consisted of outtakes and unused film produced for the original 1978 documentary. Why Idle did not contact Fataar, Halsey and Innes for new interviews is unknown.

However, songs from The Rutles Archaeology were utilized.

Wikipedia

The Fut - Have You Heard the Word

A song placed on a few early bootlegs purporting to be the Beatles. Lennon later said it was a good imitation, obviously riffing on a line from the Beatles' song "The Word." More on the actual musicians and songwriter can be found here.

The Beatles Live in Munich, Germany (1966)

Color concert footage from Circus-Krone-Bau, Munich, Germany, June 24, 1966.

The Beatles Live in Germany, 1966

The Beatles Live at the Cow Palace, San Francisco (1964)

Silent footage with audio taken from the Hollywood Bowl concert, August 23, 1964.

The Beatles Live in Chicago, 1964-1966