A Brilliant Conflict

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

As others have said, this is not a comedy, it's a dramatic series with comedic bits. As much as I hate to use to comparison, it's a lot like the Canadian show Corner Gas, but not as funny.However, unlike Corner Gas, French & Saunders can't escape their broader comedy roots and have added Rosie, an over-the-top buffoon who knocks the whole show out of proportion. Rosie needs to have a tragic accident with a piece of farm machinery to make this a proper drama series.If you like soap operas when the tension builds over whether the picnic will be a success, or you like the drama of wondering how long before a widow takes a belt to her horrible adult children, this is the show for you. If you were expecting the usual French & Saunders tomfoolery, give this series a miss.

As an ex-inhabitant of a north Dorset hilltop village I can testify that this series accurately depicts a cross section of rural English village life for the late to middle aged. It is an extremely subtly and cleverly written piece that can be watched over and over again. The cast parody easily recognisable village characters in every day situations. But it doesn't end there, it's both gently cruel and very funny. Look out for what they've done to Joanna Lumley, Jennifer Saunder's explanation of dogging, where one may hide cheese, how to deal with grief, what to do with a yurt, how to beat the bounds and finding novel ways to dispose of a corpse. This is a series that will be joining my collection.

I think it well represents English village life - and indeed family life, well known to us middle-aged women. I grew up in a village like this, where the Village flower show, for my grandparents who lived in the same road as us, was the highlight of the year and the stage for great rivalries.I think it's not so much instant comedy as a comic look at the lives of a cross-section of women in a small community, who each have their problems. It feels as if it written from experience.It is affectionate and not driven by sensational story lines. Most of the characters are ones that you recognise - and they are all concerned with looking out for each other, even if sometimes their help is misdirected.It is more mature than Absolutely Fabulous, and nearly as enjoyable.

So, yeah, it's not abfab and it's true: at first, it feels like one of those inside-joke french and Saunders sketches that go on too long. HOWEVER, this show isn't meant to be the laugh-fest that abfab was. It's a much more balanced and calm series, one that finds humor in very human situations and subtleties. This may sound far-fetched, but there definitely is a sort of Chekhovian feel to Saunders' writing. Nothing much happens, but it is fascinating to watch the characters interact. The show touches on the awkwardness of living with such truth -- and therein lies the comedy (as with Chekhov, some viewers will only read tragedy... it's really a matter of perspective). The reason it may not catch on at first is because of the time necessary to establish the characters (there are perhaps too many) and adjust to the numerous subplots (it is an extremely ambitious show, spanning many tele-genres). Because of the character development and greater humanity of the writing, the show feels more like a full TV series than Jennifer Saunders' other work, and I think it's a sign of a certain maturity on her part. The classic Saunders quirks and humor are all still there, but it's toned down to approach something more like reality (unlike abfab, it is sans a laugh track, if that says anything). So, yeah, you have to realize Jam is a different animal.Also, you've got to give Saunders credit for assembling a fine ensemble of older woman -- a demographic that is widely ignored by contemporary TV.