Don't Believe the Hype

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The title already gives it away. In this 34-minute television special, Catherine Tate brings back the character of Nan from her successful television series and, very recently, more followed. This one here, however, is about 2 years old and has Catherine Tate play a character considerably older than herself. Unfortunately, the humor is not exactly to the newest standards either. I never really like it when all the comedy is based on one character only and everybody else is basically just used to make this character even funnier. This is the case here, only that Nan is not really that funny in my opinion. Lots of screaming, little substance and the laugh track from the audience isn't helping either bursting into laughter on every single occasion, even when it is not particularly funny. Oh well. Not a great watch in my opinion. Thumbs down.

I've been a great fan of the Catherine Tate Show for ages, and I've always favored Nan's scenes above all. I must say, it still amazes me how Tate can transform into the beloved old hag that Nan is.This 35-minute episode with her was a real treasure for me, I've had big laughs, and even though some of the gags were repetitious (as one would expect), they worked just great. It was lovely to see Mathew Horne as Jamie again, and Niky Wardley also appears as an enemy of Nan's.This episode seems to be a one-off, but there are rumors that Tate would like a whole series with Nan. I really hope it will happen for I've grown so fond Tate and her character.