Just perfect...

The first must-see film of the year.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

You really must be familiar with the movies from the earlier mania for British period dramas like "The Jewel in the Crown" to appreciate this spoof, and that may no longer apply to a lot of people.With hindsight, it has only aged OK, since many of the jokes come across as lame or stale now, although there is still some pretty funny stuff in it. I'm certain that I would have rated it higher if I'd watched it at the height of all things Merchant Ivory ("A Room with a View", etc.). Overall, it's still halfway decent British comedy, which makes it better than most comedy anyway. The best attitude about this film seems to be take what you can, since it certainly does have enough humorous lines and scenes to redeem itself.

This is a hilarious film designed to appeal to Anglophiles, particularly those who enjoyed Fawlty Towers and Monty Python. It is a takeoff on all those wearisome and often thought-provoking Masterpiece Theater films many of us know well. Only the British themselves could have made such glorious fun of this genre. Five stars.

This spoof of the classic EM Forster adaptations that were all the rage a few years ago rattles along nicely, with some nicely-turned humour. Most of the actors understand that this sort of thing needs to be underplayed, but Ustinov for one goes piling over the top in time-honoured fashion.A good-looking harmless bit of fun which should have got more attention than it did.

I love a good parody, and this movie is right on the money! I am an American, and I've enjoyed many British films over the years, particularly Merchant-Ivory fare. I was so (pleasantly) surprised to find that the Brits made such a clever, funny film, and I thought the running gag of the 'typical' American tourist couple, very witty and on target, too! I saw this on Masterpiece Theater, of all things, and I have seldom laughed so hard at anything on PBS since Jeeves and Wooster. What a great movie, I just wish it had more of a theatrical release in America, but I'm not surprised that it didn't. I don't think many Americans 'get' this type of humor anyway. It ranks up there with the best American parodies of genre films. Besides 'Howard's End', 'Room with a View', 'Passage to India', and Brideshead references, there were definite pokes at the Jane Austen-type of films, as well. Very worth renting and/or buying a copy!