Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

studioAT I had heard about 'Dinnerladies' prior to the sad death of Victoria Wood, its star and writer, but had never watched a full episode.I agree with all the people who for years have banged on about it being a good sitcom. It is cleverly written, funny and at times poignant. All of the characters are well written and it feels like a true ensemble, albeit with Wood's character at the centre.It's not my favourite sitcom of all time, but that's due to taste. However the quality of the writing and character acting cannot be denied.Victoria Wood will be much missed.

beresfordjd Victoria herself said that Dinnerladies looked old fashioned against the Royle Family but I believe that its format is its strength. I remember watching the first series and thinking this is not as good as I expected from Victoria Wood but you have to watch it again because now I think both the series are genius. Fantastic scripts (apparently there is not an ad-lib, everything is tightly scripted) written brilliantly. It rewards repeated watching and just gets funnier every time you see it. The performances are fantastic from all the cast-special mentions for Andrew Dunn, Duncan Preston, Celia Imrie, Shobna Gulati, Anne Reid and the fantastic Thelma Barlow. Maxine Peake (brilliant actress) was so lucky to get the part of Twinkle as her first acting job. Even the small appearances are wonderfully observed and performed.I find it incredible that Miss Wood can write, compose, act and play at such an incredibly high standard. Whether other countries could really relate to the humour is a mystery to me but comedy relies on timing and I find myself laughing at US references in Frasier even though I may not know the situation they are referring to. I think thats down to timing. Maybe Dinnerladies will work that way too, 'cos the timing is spot on.If you have watched and not liked it,try it again-you may be very pleasantly surprised. I am watching again for what must be the twentieth time, both my wife and I still laugh out loud at lines we know backwards. That is the combination of writing, performance and timing.I guess it is peculiarly English and will not travel well, but that does not make it any less brilliant. Oct 2012 - I have just watched episode 1 of series 1 , having caught it on Gold. It was the one with which I was originally disappointed . I cannot for the life of me see why now. It just hit the ground running and was a hoot from the beginning. The characters were fully formed and incredibly acted down to the smallest part, for example - the stripper delivers her couple of lines with consummate skill. If I have one criticism it would be Julie Walters' part - the viewer is left to decide whether she is totally barmy or not and she seems a little young to be Victoria Woods' mom. It is a piece of work which can be watched again and again and still find funny stuff and lines which you missed the last time round.

IridescentTranquility Dinnerladies is a really excellent comedy. I have watched it over and over again and never seem to be able to get tired of it. The important thing here is that everyone has a life of their own. Taking as a starting point a scene many people might see every day - a canteen in a factory and the people who serve in it - might sound like a very boring idea, but the fact that Bren, Dolly, Anita, Twinkle and Jean are dinnerladies is really only secondary to the plot. Their characters are what really hold the piece together, and that's important. Along with Tony the canteen manager, Stan the handyman, Philippa the human resources manager and Bren's unbelievable yet totally believable (in a sense) mother Petula Gordeno the dinnerladies try to get through their lives. These are average, everyday people and yet they are so well written they can't help but be fascinating. What makes the set all the better is the script itself, and the fact that the characters are not afraid to confront each other, even the most trivial issues. From "I didn't go mad this morning and order one old lady instead of a load of broccoli?" to "I wouldn't need high heels if my feet were attached to a pair of scales" to "We won't see another minnellium" to "You don't treat a female woman like that" there are more classic lines in this sitcom than you can remember all at once. Another touch I especially liked is the subtlety of the script itself. Everything happens for a reason, so that by the time you've finished watching a whole series everything you've seen slots into place and makes total sense. I like this very much.

Dissector with regards to the comments on this TV show by REPRO, all I can say is watch it again in another 10 years, remember it took that long for "Monty Python" to be appreciated around the world, but don't worry about being so far behind in your appreciation, the rest of the world catches up with the Brit humour EVENTUALLY, just remember "Are You Being Served" "Keeping Up Appearences" and "Benny Hill" are just a few examples.