Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

neil_t-1 There's a scene in this film which perfectly mirrors people's reaction to this movie. When Goldblum's Girlfriend and Landlady share a box to watch the first night of his starring role as the Elephant man their disparate reactions to the show echo the disparate reviews that appear here.As with most comedy, you have to be somewhat in the right frame of mind to enjoy it... and the sneering classes aren't ever going to be in the right frame of mind.British comedy has a tendency to be either gentle and thoughtful and unafraid to mix real drama and sadness in with the humour (As Time Goes By, Last of the Summer Wine, 4 Weddings and a Funeral) or traditional farce (Monty Python, keeping up Appearances, Fawlty Towers).Americans seem to "get" the latter more easily and this is one very much of the "gentle, thoughtful" ones. If your reaction to the death in "4 Weddings" was "why did they put that in there? It's not funny" don't see this film. But if your reaction was discover that the sadness highlighted the joy of the remainder and brought it into focus then you'll "get" this film and enjoy it.Jeff Goldblum and Rowen Atkinson fans beware! Both are playing very much against type and in Atkinson's case that is a deliberate self parody and part of the joke. He is funny by being as unfunny as it's possible to be.So what about the film, specifically? The story is a fairly simple one except with some clever role reversals on sexual stereotypes. Shy boy, worldly wise girl, evil boss, hard times survived, good times lead to temptation and betrayal and, finally, a denouement which echoes back to the role reversed attitudes that cemented the relationship in the first place.The show is funny and well, though not perfectly, paced. The straight and personable acting enhances the comedy as do the moments of real drama. There are zingers throughout the show, not all of which are verbal.Everyone takes away a different "perfect moment" from the film and for me it was the exchange between Goldblum and the policewoman... "I'm sorry, I know I was speeding but I have to get to the hospital right away", "Oh yes, of course... You poor man".If you want to know WHY that's so funny you can probably work it out from all that's been said or you'll just have to see it to find out.

mackillj Done by the people of FOUR WEDDINGS before they were famous. A key episode is a musical adaptation of the ELEPHANT MAN called TUSK! The skewering a Stephen Berkhoff is devastating. This is equal to Kevin Kline's fabulous dinner theater DEATH OF A SALESMAN in SOAP DISH. Who could guess the topless Emma Thompson could be so sexy? The headlining of Jeff Goldblum is offbeat and has probably misled the some naive sorts; but Goldblum succeeds in playing against type. The gag, of course, is that mousy Rowan Atkinson is doing the same thing--a most unlikely heavy.Too subtle for mallrats. A legendary, often-cited film among theater buffs.

tomodell I really enjoyed this film. I don't understand why some other people don't. I especially enjoyed seeing Rowen Atkinson playing a hateful S.O.B. so completely different than any other role he has performed. Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson are great, and there is a love-making scene that is quite funny and sexy (Emma Thompson in the buff!). This film is essentially about the difficult life that struggling actors have to endure, and appeals more to people who are familiar with the stage and the lives of people involved with it. The play that Jeff Goldblum eventually lands a part in, is a hilarious parody of every musical ever produced. I recommend this film to anybody involved in the theater or who enjoys going to a play on occasion.

Big Huge Doug (POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILER)...as a study of screenwriting, this movie is interesting as a clear prototype for the writer's later successful Four Weddings and a Funeral. Same schlubby hero, same no-nonsense heroine who knows absolutely that This Is The One. Same hero angst messing up the relationship. Same "backdrop of other stuff going on."This movie is obviously a rough cut. The interactions are unbelievable, the backdrop (London Stage shows) are stupid and boring, and the chemistry between stars is Totally Lacking...but it's kind of interesting to study this side by side with Four Weddings and see how the writer matured.