Purely Joyful Movie!

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

For a long time I really liked this series, but the more I watched it, I found myself tired of listening to Lionel. He's very whiny and doesn't seem to appreciate joy; actually a very negative character. For example, when Alistar is trying to cheerfully promote his mediocre book and make him a success, Lionel basically bucks him the whole way; as though he being dragged to fame kicking and screaming and complaining the whole time. It seemed as though all the characters were focused on cheering him up and it became exhausting to watch. I prefer other Britcoms to this one. For example, Red Dwarf, The IT Crowd, etc. I'm just find some characters in Britcoms quintessentially "British" or happy to be cynical and full of negative gloom. Cheer up mates! You won the war!

I'm from America and I absolutely LOVE As Time Goes By. I discovered the show on PBS, and was not at all interested at first, but I was drawn in by the endearing characters of the show. At first I had a hard time understanding the dialog because of the English accent, but after watching the show for years, I now understand every word that is spoken. I get a kick out of the different British idiom like "bell me", which in America we would say: Call me. Alistair Deacon is a riot! Always a fun character. At I love the straight laced Lionel, always trying to make sense of how women react and think. Jean is so spontaneous and and sweet. They play off of each other perfectly. I now have all of the episodes on DVD and I never tire of watching it, which I am quite sure that the show will always be a classic! I find that the series transcends all generations. I am 54 and my son is 32 and we both love the show.

I realize that this show is billed as a romantic-comedy, but I just can't quite put the comedy title on the show myself. Sure, I laugh hard at a lot of the show, but I can't believe a "comedy" would put tears in the eyes of an old man (and sometimes cause out-loud, though muffled, sobs to escape his lips! (Sometimes it is good that I watch TV alone.)) I am not quite sure what word should come after the "Romantic-" part.I do believe that most of the quality of this show is centered directly on the actors (and maybe the Director). In many other shows these days, if there are characters in a scene that are just there to take up space and have no "active" part, the actor seems to have no idea how to play the part. If they react to the scene at all it is sometimes ahead of the dialog!But in this show they always react to the scene appropriately. A glance in the right direction at the right time, a facial expression that matches the situation and does not occur until just the right amount of time AFTER the line being reacted to is delivered!I hope this is not too much of a spoiler for anyone but, my favourite example of this "inactive part" acting is during the wedding scene. A couple of rows behind the happy couple is a woman that really seems to be only semi-interested in the wedding... I suppose she is a "business acquaintance" of Jean. When Lionel deliberately miss-announces his name, the reaction by this woman is priceless and in perfect relationship to the dialog. A few seconds later a man just in front of her and to the right also has the "correct" reaction to a piece of dialog. This typifies the quality of all the acting done on the show.Excellent show!

I can't remember exactly when I first became acquainted with Jean, Lionel, and the rest of their extended family. It doesn't matter. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with them whenever possible. As a matter of fact, I bought the entire DVD series, including the reunion specials, for myself as a personal Christmas present last year. So, whenever they're not on PBS, I have the option of popping in a DVD and catching up with old friends.As many posters have mentioned, it's easy to spot the chemistry between Jean (Judi Dench) and Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer), whether it be a shared sideways glance, or Lionel/Geoffrey squeezing Jean's/Judi's shoulders as they stand together. The warmth and mutual admiration these two share is evident in the manner with which they interact.Watching episodes of ATGB is, to me, like watching reruns of the M*A*S*H series. With each subsequent viewing I spot, or hear, something I hadn't noticed before. Yes, there are inconsistencies, or goofs, but I'm willing to overlook them in favor of the subtle comedy...Lionel's "Oh God" comment when Jean says something he dreads, the looks Jean gives Lionel when they spar with words, or their shared reaction to the 'townies' at the country barbecue.The supporting cast of Judith (Moira Brooker), Sandy (Jenny Funnell), Alistair (Philip Bretherton), Rocky (Frank Middlemas), Madge (Joan Sims), Mrs. Bale, Penny and Stephen add to the mix and make it all the more enjoyable. I found Mrs. Flack a bit of an irritant, but enjoyed watching how Lionel dealt with her. Don't we all have a 'Mrs. Flack' in our lives?By watching ATGB, I've developed a following for Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. Thankfully, they appeared together in a couple of movies, most notably "Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown" and the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies"