# Absolutely Anything
*Absolutely Anything* is a 2015 British science-fiction comedy directed by [Terry Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-jones), in which a disillusioned schoolteacher, Neil Clarke ([Simon Pegg](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-pegg)), is granted the power to do anything he wishes by a group of aliens voiced by the surviving members of [Monty Python](https://www.edgepedia.org/monty-python), while Robin Williams voices his talking dog, Dennis, in the comedian's final film role.[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/absolutely-anything) • [2](https://absolutelyanythingmovie.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Terry Jones; screenplay by Jones and Gavin Scott[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/absolutely-anything) |
| Lead cast | Simon Pegg as Neil Clarke, Kate Beckinsale as Catherine, Sanjeev Bhaskar, and Robin Williams as the voice of Dennis the dog[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/absolutely-anything) |
| Alien voices | John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Eric Idle as a council of aliens testing humanity[2](https://absolutelyanythingmovie.com/) |
| Running time / rating | 85 minutes; rated R in the United States[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/absolutely-anything) • [3](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/absolutely-anything) |
| Release | UK theaters August 14, 2015; US release date listed as May 12, 2017[4](https://time.com/3845113/robin-williams-absolutely-anything-trailer/) • [3](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/absolutely-anything) |
| Production | Bill and Ben Productions; producers Bill Jones, Mike Medavoy, Ben Timlett, and Douglas McKay; sales by GFM Films[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/absolutely-anything) |
| Literary origin | Inspired by the H.G. Wells comic fantasy short story "The Man Who Could Work Miracles"[5](https://www.female.com.au/simon-pegg-absolutely-anything.htm) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Neil Clarke, a schoolteacher, suddenly discovers he can make absolutely anything happen with a wave of his hand. The powers are bestowed by a group of aliens watching him from outer space as a test: how he uses them will dictate the fate of mankind, and one wrong move means the aliens will destroy Earth forever.[2](https://absolutelyanythingmovie.com/)
His experiments run from wiping out a disruptive class and bringing the pupils back to life, to turning his best friend into a man women would worship. The difficulty lies in getting the words right and knowing what he really wants.[1](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/absolutely-anything) Meanwhile Neil courts Catherine, the woman in the flat downstairs, whose former boyfriend (played by Riggle) appears as a rival, and he relies on his dog Dennis, who gains the power of speech.[2](https://absolutelyanythingmovie.com/) The film also addresses the obvious large-scale wishes: ending world hunger, homelessness, and war creates new problems such as mass obesity, overcrowding, and wars breaking out for no reason at all.[6](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/absolutely-anything-review/)
## Development and production
**A long-gestating script.** Terry Jones, a founding member of Monty Python who had co-directed *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* (1975) and directed *Monty Python's Life of Brian* (1979), imagined the film years before production as a comedy inspired by H.G. Wells's late-19th-century short story "The Man Who Could Work Miracles".[5](https://www.female.com.au/simon-pegg-absolutely-anything.htm) He and co-writer Gavin Scott worked on the script for over two decades, shelving the project in 2003 when *Bruce Almighty*, a comedy with a similar premise, was released. Five years later, producer Mike Medavoy, Jones's collaborator since *Erik the Viking* in the late 1980s, asked what project was at the bottom of his drawer, and development resumed.[7](https://www.montypython.com/news_Robin-Williams-Absolutely-Everything/79)
Shooting began on March 24, 2014. It was the first film Jones had directed since *The Wind in the Willows* in 1996; he told ScreenDaily he had largely given up on the film industry after that film's distribution was, in his words, appallingly handled.[8](https://www.screendaily.com/news/terry-jones-talks-absolutely-anything/5069858.article) Pegg credited Jones's involvement as the reason he signed on, having re-encountered the director at a screening of *A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman*.[9](https://pressfolios-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/story/story_pdf/263037/2630371494543136.pdf)
**The Python reunion.** Although the film is not a Monty Python film, it reunited Cleese, Gilliam, Palin, Jones, and Idle as the voices of the alien council. Jones assigned the roles by temperament: John does the chief alien, Terry does the nasty alien who's very small, Michael is the nice one, and Eric is the wisecracker.[7](https://www.montypython.com/news_Robin-Williams-Absolutely-Everything/79) Jones said he simply liked having friends around and wanted to make a thing without any style.[10](https://www.robin-williams.net/interviews/absolutely-anything/1201-monty-python-alum-terry-jones-talks-getting-the-gang-together-for-absolutely-anything.php)
**Robin Williams as Dennis.** Jones asked Williams to join during the Emmys in 2009. Five years later, after a recording session in San Francisco, Williams called Jones from the airport with the key to the character: Dennis is a 16-year-old boy. Williams never wavered in his commitment, according to Scott, and his death in 2014 made the film his final screen performance.[7](https://www.montypython.com/news_Robin-Williams-Absolutely-Everything/79) • [11](https://time.com/3992896/robin-williams-last-movie-absolutely-anything/) Footage of him voice-acting appears in the end credits.[12](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/absolutely-anything-2017)
## Release and reception
The film opened in UK theaters on August 14, 2015.[4](https://time.com/3845113/robin-williams-absolutely-anything-trailer/) 20th Century Studios lists a US release date of May 12, 2017, with a runtime of 1 hour 25 minutes and an R rating.[3](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/absolutely-anything)
Critical response was largely negative. The Rotten Tomatoes critics' consensus states that given the impressive array of talent involved, and the near-total lack of laughs it provokes, the reunion can only be regarded as a disappointment.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/absolutely_anything) The Guardian's Jonathan Romney called it a bleak, faintly squalid romp that looks and feels as if it was made in the mid-80s.[14](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/16/absolutely-anything-review-squalid-dated-romp) Screendaily's Fionnuala Halligan called it a sorry footnote to Williams's career that his final screen credit is voicing Dennis the Dog in the film.[15](https://www.filmaffinity.com/uk/pro-reviews.php?movie-id=100981) Reviews were not uniformly hostile: Nick Allen's RogerEbert.com review found striking sight gags in Jones's open-canvas premise, from a whiskey bottle bounding down the street to a classroom covered wall-to-wall with flowers, and concluded that no one made movies for goofy adults quite like Jones did.[12](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/absolutely-anything-2017) Starburst placed the film in the tradition of big broad British farce.[6](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/absolutely-anything-review/)
The film has a place in two careers' histories: it was the last film directed by Terry Jones, who died in 2020, and the last film performance of [Robin Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-williams).[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/absolutely_anything) • [11](https://time.com/3992896/robin-williams-last-movie-absolutely-anything/)
## References
1. [Absolutely Anything, British Council UK Films Database](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/absolutely-anything)
2. [Absolutely Anything (Official film site)](https://absolutelyanythingmovie.com/)
3. [Absolutely Anything, 20th Century Studios](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/absolutely-anything)
4. [Watch Robin Williams Voice a Dog in the New Absolutely Anything Trailer, Time](https://time.com/3845113/robin-williams-absolutely-anything-trailer/)
5. [Simon Pegg Absolutely Anything, Female.com.au (production notes)](https://www.female.com.au/simon-pegg-absolutely-anything.htm)
6. [Absolutely Anything review, Starburst Magazine](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/absolutely-anything-review/)
7. [Terry Jones Screens Robin Williams as Dennis the Dog in Absolutely Anything, MontyPython.com (reporting Variety)](https://www.montypython.com/news_Robin-Williams-Absolutely-Everything/79)
8. [Monty Python's Terry Jones talks Absolutely Anything, Screen](https://www.screendaily.com/news/terry-jones-talks-absolutely-anything/5069858.article)
9. [Interview with Simon Pegg on Absolutely Anything (press kit PDF)](https://pressfolios-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/story/story_pdf/263037/2630371494543136.pdf)
10. [Monty Python alum Terry Jones talks getting the gang together for Absolutely Anything, Robin-Williams.net interviews](https://www.robin-williams.net/interviews/absolutely-anything/1201-monty-python-alum-terry-jones-talks-getting-the-gang-together-for-absolutely-anything.php)
11. [How to Watch Robin Williams' Last Movie, Time](https://time.com/3992896/robin-williams-last-movie-absolutely-anything/)
12. [Absolutely Anything movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/absolutely-anything-2017)
13. [Absolutely Anything, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/absolutely_anything)
14. [Absolutely Anything review – faintly squalid romp, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/16/absolutely-anything-review-squalid-dated-romp)
15. [Pro reviews for Absolutely Anything, Filmaffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/uk/pro-reviews.php?movie-id=100981)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license