After seeing other reviews on here, I viewed this film with some trepidation, & with my expectations not too high..
It starts off brightly enough - we get introduced to the familiar characters in the first few minutes (albeit living in a different road to the one used in the TV show, but similar enough).
Once the plot is established about the Ropers celebrating their anniversary at a swanky hotel, things unfortunately start to go downhill. As so often with previous British 70s sitcom spin-offs, the humour doesn't always work when the characters are put into a completely new setting - & it's the same here.
The usual humour about George's laziness, Mr Fourmile's snobbishness & Mildred's upwardly mobile aspirations being dashed are jettisoned for an unwise 'mistaken-identity' plot (which ironically could very well have been written for someone else entirely).
The whole film lurches into being a slightly bawdy sex-comedy - much more like something from the early 70s than the 80s, & George & Mildred don't really get to play to their strengths.
Despite a good supporting cast including Stratford Johns, Kenneth Cope, Harry Fowler (& an early appearance from Vicky Michelle), the whole film becomes rather exhausting about halfway through as the whole sorry spectacle starts to fall a bit flat.
Not to say that there are some laughs along the way - but nothing as good as what we've seen in the G & M sitcom.
It's sad too that this became Yootha Joyce's final work - being released after her death, & thus putting an end to this warmly-remembered series, leaving this film as her epitaph.
It's certainly worth watching if you're a G&M fan, & an interesting period piece - & good of course to see these characters one last time. Just don't expect to be blown away... we'll leave that to the 'hitman'!
It starts off brightly enough - we get introduced to the familiar characters in the first few minutes (albeit living in a different road to the one used in the TV show, but similar enough).
Once the plot is established about the Ropers celebrating their anniversary at a swanky hotel, things unfortunately start to go downhill. As so often with previous British 70s sitcom spin-offs, the humour doesn't always work when the characters are put into a completely new setting - & it's the same here.
The usual humour about George's laziness, Mr Fourmile's snobbishness & Mildred's upwardly mobile aspirations being dashed are jettisoned for an unwise 'mistaken-identity' plot (which ironically could very well have been written for someone else entirely).
The whole film lurches into being a slightly bawdy sex-comedy - much more like something from the early 70s than the 80s, & George & Mildred don't really get to play to their strengths.
Despite a good supporting cast including Stratford Johns, Kenneth Cope, Harry Fowler (& an early appearance from Vicky Michelle), the whole film becomes rather exhausting about halfway through as the whole sorry spectacle starts to fall a bit flat.
Not to say that there are some laughs along the way - but nothing as good as what we've seen in the G & M sitcom.
It's sad too that this became Yootha Joyce's final work - being released after her death, & thus putting an end to this warmly-remembered series, leaving this film as her epitaph.
It's certainly worth watching if you're a G&M fan, & an interesting period piece - & good of course to see these characters one last time. Just don't expect to be blown away... we'll leave that to the 'hitman'!