Dreadfully Boring

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Oh Come ON! No movie this stinky gets a rating this high without a concerted campaign to pump it up. Best Christmas movie ever? Please! Haven't the producers run out of relatives to write these reviews? Isn't anyone else a little suspicious about ratings of nothing but 9s & 10s-- not even "Star Wars" or "Gone with the Wind" is this consistent.In all fairness, Alan Cumming was palatable in this low-low-budget made-for-TV flick. But the script is so clunky we were rolling our eyes and asking ourselves what would possess anyone to recommend such mediocrity. Even Rowan Atkinson had a hard time making these lines funny. I'm sure he didn't get paid nearly enough.Young kids might actually sit through this, but anyone older than about 14 is likely to pass out from boredom waiting for a laugh. Go lift a pint at the pub and come back in an hour...or make that 70 minutes. No need to waste a single moment on this one.

I saw this little film a while back on A & E, and recently found that it was released on a "bare bones" DVD. Doesn't matter, though, as the movie doesn't need any bells and whistles to spice it up.The movie introduced me to Alan Cumming and Rowen Atkinson - two of the better character actors around.It is quite simply one of the best Holiday movies ever. I really loved the characters, and found the British humor and pace to be a refreshing change from the normal American flicks. I recently saw the movie Millions and it seems somewhat reminiscent of BATG's style.It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story rank as my all-time Holiday favorites, with BATG finishing a close third.

"Bernard and the Genie" first hit Australian screens in the early nineties and when it was on, it was taped by someone in my household and it was clearly one of the greatest decisions ever made. I absolutely adore this movie, there are wall-to-wall, non-stop laughs and a wonderful, heartwarming Christmas storyline.The script, written by Richard Curtis who later went on to write Four Weddings & a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones' Diary, is flawless, it's nothing more than a classic British comedy weaved around a modernisation of the Ali Baba story.The film really also launched the career of Alan Cumming, who went on to bigger, if not better, things, and whoever he's played more recently, he'll always be endeared in my heart as Bernard Bottle, that simple, humble Scottish art dealer.A lot of this relies on Lenny Henry and his making a fool of himself in public - a lot of it is based on anachronistic jokes, but the partnership between the physical and, frankly, very silly antics of Henry and the very quaint and naive simplicity of Cumming balances out perfectly. Rowan Atkinson is also wonderful as a greedy, rich and fundamentally unlikeable bastard. I also love Dennis Lill as the lift operator Kepple, all of his scenes are brilliant.Even writing about it now makes me smile. If you ever get a chance to see this movie, do, I can assure you you won't be disappointed. It's warm, sweet-hearted and immensely funny. I can't bring myself to give this less than five stars even if it is just short and sweet.

It's rare that a Christmas movie like this comes along. There are great acting performances, particularly from Lenny Henry and Rowan Atkinson. It's naturally funny which is a rarity when most Christmas movies seem to be forced comedies. The storyline piques your curiosity and finishes with a very satisfying, non-traditional conclusion.