Best movie of this year hands down!

Sadly Over-hyped

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

For me, hilarious as it was, this show wasn't even a laughing matter ! When I was growing up, this is EXACTLY what my mother was like; a working-class oik desperately trying to 'better' herself, not realizing everyone could see straight through it like an open book ! (Funnily enough she's from suburban Northampton where this was shot; no coincidence in my opinion !) As her son, I know exactly how Richard felt in this show; a persistent mascot of a non-existing social sector, tormented with demands of 'perfection' and 'superiority'! I mean, in the same way Mrs. bucket pronounces brochure 'broshere' and expects people to be convinced she's the aristocracy, my parents bought some second-hand Dorchester Hotel glasses - think the 'D' logo with laurel wreath - and thought people would mistake them for the (non-existent) family Crest ! (My surname is Ducker) Anyway, enough about myself, that Patricia Routledge was superb as arrogant Mrs. Bucket, while Mary Millar, Judy Cornwell (think Mrs. Claus in Santa Claus Movie !) + Geoffrey Hughes were brilliant as the oik slob relatives ! The banal suburban setting reflected the reality of the socio-cultural orientation perfectly ! The humour at worst mediocre, but at best BLOODY HYSTERICAL ! ! They don't make this sort of comedy anymore, but thankfully I believe it still bets repeats on UK TV !

Keeping Up Appearances is clever and littered with excellent dialogue throughout its run. Patricia Routledge gives a first class performance as a social climber with working class roots and relatives. Her immersion into the role of a superior first class socialite despite her humble beginnings is the beauty of the show and a constant source of laughter. The performances from Patricia and an excellent supporting cast show that elaborate plots or story lines are not needed to deliver first class performances. Often the charades and insanity occur within the Bucket or Bouquet residence or her relatives. The snobbishness of Hyacinth and irony of her behavior is something most people can relate to and laugh at. We see such behavior in society so its humorous to see it so well portrayed on screen. Over the years the social situations and airs of Hyacinth are sure to keep many entertained. This is a first class comedy and probably a testament to the fact that BBC is known to produce a range of first class comedies.

After reading some other reviews which criticize this show, I agree that the writing is at times trite and repetitive to the point of being downright tiresome after one or two episodes. But no sooner do I roll my eyes and think "is this the best the writer could come up with?", Hyacinth does something that makes me laugh out loud--like when she climbs a wall in a stranger's back yard, or is in the back of a parked truck when the driver gets in and drives off, leaving a frantic Hyacinth trying to get his attention (to no avail), or gets drunk off gooseberry wine ("wooseberry gine", as she puts it).So yes, the writing of this show is often dull and repetitive, an yes Hyacinth Bucket drives everyone around her absolutely crazy, but despite this, there's something eminently likable about her, endearing even. As an American, the British sense of humor seems quite dry and restrained by comparison. But once you immerse yourself in that world, you see how hysterical some of her antics can be. I guess Hyacinth Bucket is Britain's answer to Lucille Ball. It's definitely worth checking out this show!