Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

bob the moo I think it was the mid-90's when I first watched the film King of Comedy, and I remember being taken aback by how, some 10 years prior, the film seemed to have perfectly satirized the world of the celebrity and those famous for little else than seeking out fame regardless of their talent. Watching Nathan Barely for the first time, I have the same benefit of hindsight since it is almost a decade since this show screened on Channel 4 for the handful of people that actually watched it (and the even smaller group that stayed with it). I remember hearing about it at the time, but it seemed very London-specific with its characters and world and it didn't appeal to me.Watching it now, too much of it is instantly recognizable as manifested in the world we currently call hipsters; a culture where some talent exists but too many are trend-following yaysayers about anything that is seen as cool. Also looking back, it is hardly surprising that it is so brutally harsh on these characters since the show was written by Charlie Brooker – one not known for holding back. And harsh it is as it portrays almost everyone as talentless and clueless but yet supremely confident or numbly stupefied to the whole thing – even those "normal" characters get no grace as they are shown up for their complacency and/or complicity in the whole thing. As an attack on a subculture it doesn't miss its target very often and it is depressing how so much of what it shows has gone on to become almost the norm (wanky art, cruel prank shows, obsessions with trends and being "in", slang terms).Unfortunately for the show the frame in which this material is put is not as strong as it needed to be. As a sitcom, the series tries to have some structure and indeed we get narrative devices mostly from the characters of Dan and Claire, needing money and/or work and then around this basic structure other things happen. This isn't terrible but for sure it is not as strong as it needed to be for a weekly 6-part comedy and without a real structure or development, it is easy to think that the points it is making are not only the same ones it made at the start but also being made the same way.The cast go with whatever is asked of them, even if sometimes it is pretty straightforward. Burns doesn't hold anything back and he is indeed a tremendous waste of space with his hollow insecure character and lack of consideration for others around him – he plays it very well throughout. Barratt is also very good as he is the straight man in the cast but at the same time he isn't allowed to just be on the outside. Keelan does what she can with a non-character; she herself is good but the character is not. The supporting cast is (with hindsight) quite incredible as it includes Whishaw, Fielding, Cumberbatch, Sosanya, Eldon and many other faces and names you'll know. Everyone does well with what they have to do, but as before, they are not always rewarding with something that is going somewhere.It is a show that is worth a watch for what it does very well, but it does have weaknesses in the structure and lack of development and narrative, and these do rather leave the impression that it is doing the same thing in the same way for the duration of the season.

racingmcgregor It is worth revisiting this seven episode series, instead of being diminished over time it seems better, the characters are more recognisable and we are now in an age where just about everyone is 'a self facilitating media node'.It is also a who's who of UK acting/comedic/writing. Charlie Brooker & Chris Morris are the writing team although you do get the feeling that at least some of it is ad-lib.It can be genuinely uncomfortable watching parts of it, we are made to squirm as Dan Ashcroft has to trade in his misguided 'ethics' for cash and the eponymous Nathan Barley can be so tremendously offensive in such a casual manner that is a bit of an eye opener 'does the pope fxxk kids' being a classic example.Last word is that Julian Barrett as the aforementioned Dan Ashcroft steals the show....Try is again it is ace.

wj-mcgrath Most fans of Nathan Barley defend the show from its critics on the grounds that its an "oh so brilliant satire". Well, i hate to disappoint you but the satire don't enter into it this time.Sitcoms aren't really an appropriate area for satire. Satire usually forms in sketch shows or (god forbid) panel shows. You could have moments in sitcoms which are directly satirical but you should en't make it the emphasis of your entire screenplay. Because then you lose the most important part of a sitcom script and thats the characters (Who were about as "realistic" as talking fish).What amazed me was how much Chris Morris has lost touch with his common satirical roots. This was obviously advertising itself as a satire but was in no way. For a start Barleys form of sub media twunt doesn't exist outside of Hoxton. And even if they did its not as if there are millions of them crawling around the place.Bottom line: Failed as a satire, failed as a sitcom and failed as a comedy. Draw your own conclusions.

mathewdc I've watched the DVD several times now and I can say it's hilarious. It did take a little to get over the overly annoying characters though but...I caught this on TV when it came out and I didn't really give it the time and as such... I didn't really get much out of it. To tell you the truth, the character wound me up a lot. Later on a friend pointed out that Chris Morris had directed it, so I had to give it another go.Being a Chris Morris fan (other for Blue Jam, which I thought was just a little bit too far over the line) I had to give it another go. And it was worth it. Give it a bit of time and there is no turning back. As many have said, it's not an overly obvious joke based Sitcom but it's in the subtleties.I'd say, give it a go and you MAY love it… or you can give it to a friend. The choice is yours.Mat