Wow! Such a good movie.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The TV series Mrs. Brown's Boys has divided opinion from audiences and critics alike, and it was inevitable that with the great success of the show the creators would attempt a full length movie. Basically Agnes Brown (Brendan O'Carroll) is an independent market trader, selling fruit and vegetables on her stall in Moore Street market, in Dublin. But her livelihood is threatened by greedy businessmen who want to take out all the market stalls and build a shopping centre on the site, Mrs. Brown is threatened when she has a bill for unpaid tax. Mrs. Brown has to prove that this bill has already been paid, this matter is taken to the courtroom, but she is unable to present evidence, her case gets a lot of attention from the press, who praise her as the best mother in Ireland, but she makes a shock confession that she briefly had some of her children put into care. Eventually it is discovered that a receipt exists of the bill payment at the NRS, failed attempts are made to take the receipt to the courtroom, but Russian mobsters are getting involved in the corruption and get to it before Mrs. Brown's friends and family can get to it. In the end, Mrs. Brown is proved to have paid the bill, when a braille version of the receipt is found, the case against her is dropped and everyone celebrates as the market is saved. Also starring Brendan O'Carroll as Mr. Wang, Eilish O'Carroll as Winnie McGoogan, Jennifer Gibney as Cathy Brown, Danny O'Carroll as Buster Brady, Paddy Houlihan as Dermot Brown, Fiona O'Carroll as Maria Brown, Rory Cowan as Rory Brown, Gary Hollywood as Dino Doyle, Pat Shields as Mark Brown, Dermot O'Neill as Grandad Brown, Fiona Gibney as Sharon McGoogan, Amanda Woods as Betty Brown, Martin Delany as Trevor Brown, Cold Feet's Robert Bathurst as Maydo Archer, Conor Moloney as Father Damien, Father Ted's Frank Kelly AS Justice Cannon, Dermot Crowley as P.R. Irwin, Sorcha Cusack as Justice Dickie, David Armand as James (PA), Jimmy Gibney as Father McBride, Boyzone's Keith Duffy as Security Guard John and Eamonn Holmes. O'Carroll is likable as the brash heroine with a foul mouth, unfortunately he has not written or produced something that memorable, all the supporting cast from the TV show do fine as well, especially Eilish O'Carroll as the reliable sidekick and Danny O'Carroll as the dimwitted career criminal being less than helpful. The best qualities of the show are the studio audience interaction, and the inclusion of production mistakes, fluffed lines, tomfoolery and cast laughing and smirking, the audience is missing and only tiny elements remain from the format, the story is only mildly and the jokes are a bit obvious, to be honest, it is not as funny as I'd hoped it would be, I suppose it's an alright comedy. Okay!

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning The sort of inevitable film adaptation of the popular Mrs Brown's Boys series, focusing on her running her fruit stall, carrying on the family tradition. But a ruthless property developer now wants her stall, or, rather the area it's on, for his own use, and is prepared to send his goons to get it. Worse, Mrs Brown now seems to owe a massive tax bill on an unpaid debt from many years ago, even though she's convinced she paid it. It all leads to an audacious break in to the tax office, whilst battling the thugs sent to take her from her stall.Everyone seems convinced the 'golden age' of British TV comedy is over, and that everything worthwhile was done in the 70s and such, but over the past decade or two, there's clearly been some definitively cult offerings, in terms of TV franchises, that have come by in that time frame. One such example would be Mrs Brown's Boys, which has brought Irish humour to the forefront. The Irish are renowned for having the ability to laugh and poke fun at each other like no-one else, and so they are ideally placed to create something so this way inclined, and Brendan O' Carroll and his (mostly family) cast and crew have certainly done this. Though I can think of other more modern stuff I prefer, that's not to say I don't think there are some bright sparks of humour in the series here and there. And, to be honest, it's much the same case with the film.The big problem is, of course, taking something so successful on the small screen and transferring it to the big one. This is so much tougher with comedy, which relies on how far you can stretch a joke, or the premise of a joke, out, and if you stretch it too far, watching the material fall flat and the gags get more laboured and desperate. It's undeniable that the plot doesn't really have the gravitas to stretch even to an hour and a half, really, and it will definitely have your attention wondering long before the end, but it's the odd laugh you get here and there that really lifts it out of it's rut, and actually makes it worthwhile.Obviously not a comedy great, and it won't hurt if you watch something else instead. But it serves it's purpose, and that'll do. ***

Australian review. Began with two glasses of wine, a love of The Castle and an open mind. I have very much enjoyed the series and the humour and it may have been difficult to put the short, slapstick antics into a longer movie. Indeed, how do you parody a small television studio set... but the crew manage to do it. The movie has come in for mediocre reviews and I respect other views but having just watched the film I thoroughly enjoyed it, not because it is a Shakespearean masterpiece to stand for all time but rather as another enjoyable story about Agnes and the extended Brown family. To people who enjoy Mrs Brown's Boys and may have gotten a laugh out of the iconic Australian movie 'The Castle' or similar comedic efforts I would thoroughly recommend Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie. As well as the wonderful cast, I particularly enjoyed the music throughout.

Ironically, I was in London the week before this movie came out and was very excited to see public transport with posters promoting the movie. Returning to sunny South Africa, I waited in anticipation for the release of the title here. All I can say is "Frek off" to the producers and director of this piece of drivel. The show lacked punch, the story line was weak and the acting looked forced. As if they needed material just to "fill in" the movie. In all honesty, it was a waste of time...I fell asleep halfway through the show and finally just walked out 30 minutes before the end. Stick to the 30 minute explosive comedy episodes...