Sorry, this movie sucks

Just perfect...

Crappy film

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Hyancinth comes from the lower middle to lower class, but has grown into being a middle class suburban housewife. Hyancinth almost like Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the butler in Remains Of The Day. She is entirely possessed from dawn to dusk by a fantastic need to impress people that she is worthy of being of the highest caste in England. The problem is that she is about forty to fifty years too late. Even the wealthy she wants to impress have adopted the American appearance of classes not being something to be too openly snobbish about. No one is impressed by her hysterical attempts to show off. She is tragic, because she really has a good heart but drives everyone nuts with her obsession to impress upon people that she is of the highest caste. Her neighbors are a brother and sister. The brother is a struggling composer and the sister is a very nice and apologetic woman whose greatest terror is breaking Hyacinth's precious China. Hyancinth does not even let her neighbor through the front door, because she is afraid the right people will get the wrong impressions and she is terrified of anyone tracking mud or touching her walls. Hyacinth's son we never meet, but she is incessantly bragging about him to others and oblivious to her son's sexual orientation. Her relatives include an idle man named Onslow who drinks beer all day and never changes his shirt, a World War One veteran father who is senile pervert, a plump sister with a husband who shows no interest, and another sister who spends all her time flirting with and chasing men. Her husband is completely controlled by her and can never escape her constant schemes to impress the right people. The only people who are not trying to avoid her are her lower class relatives who always show up and spoil her schemes. I guess there is a little Hyacinth in all of us. Everyone is trying to impress, but most of us have the tact to not drive everyone nuts by it.

Patricia Routledge was excellent as the bumbling middle class snob Hyacinth Bucket(or "Bouquet" as she insisted her last name be pronounced)who tried to climb the British social ladder while desperately trying to keep her working-class background a secret. Hilarity ensued as Hyacinth's working class relatives, including her brother-in-law the bone-idle pensioner Onslow, his wife Hyacinth's younger sister Daisy, and Hyacinth's other sister, the single man-hungry Rose, whom also lived with Rose and Onslow, constantly foiled Hyacinth's many social-climbing schemes. Sometimes along for the ride was Hyacinth's senile father, who was only referred to as "daddy." Clive Owen was also great as Hyacinth's down to earth and long-suffering husband Richard. Often getting caught up in Hyacinth's many schemes were Hyacinth's next door neighbors, the friendly pushover Liz and her divorced brother Emmett, who hilariously tried to avoid Hyacinth at all costs. This show used to play on my PBS station every Saturday night, and I hope they bring it back very soon.

Keeping Up Appearances is absolutely the most entertaining British show I've ever watched. Hyacinth Boo-Kay (Bucket) is a hoot!!!! I love when Elizabeth comes for tea and spills it all over. I love how nervous Emmett and Elizabeth are when Hyacinth comes outside and they try to hide from her. Hyacinth's singing is hilarious also. The best interactions are when she's pretending to be upper class and Daisy and Onslow show up. All ages will laugh at this show. I can watch it over and over again and never get tired of the laughs. There are more than 40 episodes so enjoy the different scenarios. Daddy is also a riot on this show and always has to be rescued from some crazy situation.

The first year was funny. The second year was funny. By the middle of the third year I was ready to put this woman out of everyone's misery! The show is no "Are You Being Served!" Basically, some poor writing/scripting.The "Bucket" name/joke is done to death. The biggest problem with that is ... no Priest is going to continue calling the woman "Mrs. Bucket" when she's corrected him a thousand times already! No business is going to put up with a man constantly getting calls from his wife during meetings! Actually, the show should have been called "The Onslow Show", because the happening around this guy, brother-in-law to Hyacinth, were actually funny! Which, I assume, is why they had Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes) do the final segments of the series! I do have the DVD set and I am glad I bought the set, and watched it. But I doubt it will be watched a second time. However, never say never!