Sadly Over-hyped

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

When Laverne and Shirley first debuted on Happy Days, little did anyone know that that supposed one off appearance would lead to a classic. Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams were perfect as the wild Laverne and the prissy Shirley. However, the rest of the cast deserves credit for this excellent slice of life comedy, especially Michael McKeon and David Lander as everyone's favorite losers Lenny and Squiggy. But the thing that made this show great was the fact that it was one of the all-time great slapsctick comedies.

Reading through the comments for "Laverne & Shirley," I have seen several remarking that they felt the show was "lacking," "annoying," "dull" and several other negative adjectives. It is obvious to me that these people have yet to indulge themselves in the fantastic world of the 1970's sitcom that jumped on the nostalgia boat. I was all of 12 years old when I first discovered "Laverne & Shirley" on Nick @ Nite (this was circa the summer of 1998). I would be lying if I said that it hadn't shaped my life-- and I know that sounds totally insane, but it broadened my horizons to a world of classic television, classic movies, and the theatre. But enough about me-- the show is a gem. The show was never meant to be a groundbreaker like "All in the Family" or "Maude" (although it did have it's tender moments and morals in episodes such as "Look Before You Leap" and "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor", taking a gentle look towards single parenting and alcoholism). It was only meant to do one thing: be funny. And it did so in a way that had only been done by the likes of "The Honeymooners"-- it involved the antics of the blue collar working class. It was meant to entertain, and it does a darned good job of it! The chemistry between Cindy Williams & Penny Marshall is awesome-- comparable, in their own way, to that of Lucy Ricardo & Ethel Mertz, Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton, and those that came before them. Cindy's cute-as-a-button, innocent but never naive portrayal of Shirley Feeney and Penny's tough-as-nails exterior with a heart of gold combined with the desire to be "loose" but the morals to be a "prude" make for one uniquely and incredibly comical friendship. Also, Michael McKean's Lenny & David L. Lander's Squiggy are outlandish but hilarious characters. Who could have played the "guy who's really smart and thinks he's dumb" and "the guy who's really dumb and thinks he's smart" better than these two?! Also in the cast you have outstanding veteran actors like Phil Foster as the gruff but huggable Frank 'Pop' DeFazio and sweet MGM musical star Betty Garrett as the girls' wise landlady (and later, Laverne's stepmother). Eddie Mekka is charming and funny as Carmine Ragusa, Shirley's boxing/dancing/singing boyfriend (is there anything this fella CAN'T do?). The cast is electric. This show's motto should have been "We aim to please." If you're having a bad day, this show is sure to put a smile on your face, your laughter in the air, and a quote in your head! It's one of the greatest examples of classic TV of all time!

Awesome show. I like shows that are real like this show. Just 2 average girls who live in a run downed apartment. Its believable and hilarious. Shirley Fenny is my favorite out the 2. She HOT and is very quirky which adds to the hilarity. But I personally thought they should have ended the show with a double wedding. Between you guessed it Laverne and Lenny and Shirley and Squiggy. That would have rocked. But it didn't happen. Thus the show couldn't get passed 1983. I cant believe such a funny show originated from the dull "Happy Days" TV show.

Great show. Laverne and Shirley are great together. Their co-stars are great. In the last season, the show lacked one BIG thing: Shirley. The supporting characters could not make up for this big loss. But it was still good but there was less emphasis on what the show's concept had been.