Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose

The main character, Nandor Fodor, is a middle-aged Hungarian-American White man, played by the British actor Simon Pegg. He takes center stage but there is good gender balance in the supporting cast. Fodor's assistant, Anne, is initially subservient to him. But she develops confidence from her own experiences and is not afraid to share her thoughts and make her own demands. There is some racial diversity among the background characters. One of the main characters is a Black man who plays the house keeper. Though his lines are not extensive he is portrayed as arguably the smartest of all the characters, or at least the one who sees the bigger picture.

Death and people's obsession with it is a recurring theme. References to the deaths of parents and partners. A character is seen dying in bed. Brief scene of a funeral for someone who has died from consumption. Dead rabbits seen piled up on a wall. A character falls down some stairs. While drunk, a character smashes a wooden box with a sledgehammer. They are then hit over the head with the butt of a shotgun leaving them unconscious but without serious injury. A character is scratched severely off-screen. Someone collapses without reason.

Brief suggestion of an undisclosed attraction one person has for another. A character says to another that they have a "figure suitable for birthing." A character is seen urinating next to a church with their bare behind partially and briefly visible. Short clip of real-life footage of two tortoises having sex. A pair of undergarments are briefly seen and then discussed in a non-sexual context.

Language includes "for f--k's sake," "f---ing," "bastard," "son of a bitch," "a--hole," "bulls--t," "damn," "bloody hell," "piss," "pissing," "lunatics," and "oh golly." A parrot is heard saying "stupid bastard" and "silly bugger" repeatedly. "Oh God" and "for God's sake" used as exclamations.

The main character smokes and drinks throughout, sometimes to excess. In one scene, while drunk they are seen behaving erratically. They later claim to have given up alcohol. Supporting characters also regularly seen smoking cigarettes and pipes, as well as drinking (usually whiskey). Multiple scenes take place in a pub.