Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure, review: A defiantly upbeat catch-up with the great comic in the Florida Keys

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The revered Scottish comedian announced three years ago that he was giving up stand-up due to Parkinson’s disease; his retirement and half-century-long career were celebrated in the 2020 ITV documentary It’s Been a Pleasure. Partway through the episode, we are given a behind-the-scenes look at Connolly’s recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show – a tangent that seems quite pointless and dull, until Connolly hangs up and addresses the documentary camera in a moment of quiet, revealing candour. “Because here, I’m somebody else.” The other half of Absolute Pleasure comprises clips of Connolly in his pomp, performing stand-up. Cropped from a number of filmed gigs across Connolly’s life, the stand-up segments really give some idea of the sheer breadth of his comedy career.