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Must See Movie...

Fantastic!

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I was directed to all 14 episodes of this on a well-known video hosting site by an article in The Grauniad (sic), and as it seems to be a fondly remembered, I watched three episodes. I am not going to give it a full-blown review as I expect it would turn into a rant about why I don't enjoy "Only Fools and Horses" (written by the same person who wrote "Dear John"). Suffice to say it is an ensemble piece that revolves around the excellent Ralph Bates, who has the same sort of shy, nerdy charm that John Alderton displayed in "Please Sir". It won't take you long to twig the main traits of the other characters; they are all a bit one dimensional but I gather that their back-stories fill out a bit in later episodes. Did I laugh? Yes. I laughed out loud about twice per episode, and smiled a lot. Whatever reservations I have about John Sullivan's characters, he could pen a funny line.

When John Lacey (the wonderful Ralph Bates) finds a letter from his wife announcing she's leaving him, he signs up to a singles club to try to find the next 'someone special'.John's adventures and the hilarious supporting characters (sex-mad Louise, played by Rachel Bell; medallion man Kirk, played by Peter Blake; weedy Ralph ('Rafe'), played by Peter Denyer; and flighty Kate, played by Belinda Lang), made this short series a must-watch, although it has only been given one re-run on the BBC since.Ralph Bates played John as an vulnerable, accident-prone, bumbler who gets very little right in his life. His landlady Mrs Lemenski (Irene Prador) is a thorn in his side, and his son (played by Bates's real-life son) is at that difficult age where he's asking questions and up to all sorts. Watching all this is great fun and I prefer this comedy to others of John Sullivan's such as 'Only Fools and Horses'.

One of my favourite comedies of all time. It's nearly as good as 'Only Fools And Horses'(1981)...but not quite :-) OFAH was also written by Londoner John Sullivan. 'Dear John' is a very laid back comedy centering around divorcee John Lacey (Ralph Bates), a school teacher who joins the 1-2-1 club for divorced and separated people. There's some great characters such as macho man Kirk St.Moritz, Kate, Mrs. Arnott and the unforgettable Ralph Dring (played excellently by Peter Denyer). The club is run by the posh and snooty Louise Williams..."Were there any sexual problems?" The sitcom revolved around different people's experiences and problems being talked about at the club and the funny things that happen in life. It's a lovely sitcom and if you can get the video it's money well spent for good, clean British humour. **** out of *****

Ralph Bates (Letters to an Unknown Lover) played John Lacey a divorcee who finds a support group for people who are also divorced. There is myriad of people with all kinds of emotional problems. They are so problematic and neurotic that sad things become funny in this comedy. I watched the show on occasion and found it funny on a silly side. They all came to this room and spilled out their problems and their responses and solutions to conflicts presented to others was the really funny part of the show.