Purely Joyful Movie!

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

While I'm the first to acknowledge that a reasonable review requires far more exposure than a single (first) episode (plus a bit of Part 2), I am here stung into action by the contrast experienced between the gushingly enthusiastic reviews on the DVD box (Series 1 and 2 purchased, worst luck) and what I actually watched. As a patriotic Brit who loves US sitcoms and longs for a better British one, I again found myself disappointed, despite having had relatively high hopes.I'm prepared to confess to appreciating (and even laughing at) "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps", so I'm radical enough to realise that 21st-century comedy needs to embrace the realities/absurdities of working-class life (including its "adult" aspects), and dispense with the kind of lifestyle portrayed (occasionally in fact in a laughter-generating way) in "Terry and June", say. But unfortunately, comedy is indeed supposed to be funny, and not just "in your face". Remember the "Likely Lads"? I do...Presumably deciding to start as it meant to go on, "Gavin and Stacey" episode 1 decides that there's wit and laughter to be had from James Corden's "Smithy" accompanying Matthew Horne's "Gavin",hooking up on a one night stand with "Nessa" (Ruth Jones), who is chaperoning "Stacey" (Joanna Page). The actually-middle-class Gavin and Stacey (who nevertheless embrace working-class habits whenever possible) have had previous contacts online, but Nessa and Smithy are new to each other, dismissively and offensively unimpressed, but then increasingly attracted as the evening goes on and (this being modern Britain), the alcohol flows.While it can reasonably be argued that the level of eroticism or seductiveness conveyed by the makers in respect of these four people apparently increasingly randy for each other is stuck firmly at double-zero, it must be owned that this is firmly in line with the depiction of sex in most British comedy, TV comedy above all. Hence (paradoxically) this approach is actually traditional, as opposed to anything new! Undeterred, Nessa and Smithy hit the bathroom of the foursome's cheap London hotel together, with the intention of engaging in sexual intercourse, which is the same likely goal as Gavin and Stacey, who are sharing the double bed. Any possible impacts of the alcohol consumed have been magically dispensed with, given that this is the realistic reality of the world of "Gavin and Stacey", as opposed to our really real and realistic reality.There is here a supposed - if uninspired - contrast between the rather lovey-dovey bed activities of G&S and the lewder "rough stuff" going on in the bathroom between Smithy and Nessa, and in fact this goes as far as to involve Smithy receiving the handle of a toilet brush "where the sun don't shine", as it were.Now, this being the oh-so-realistic-and-radical-yet-actually-totally-unreal world of "Gavin and Stacey", Smithy does not develop a life-threatening septicaemia or commence with a bout of deadly internal bleeding, but in fact merely walks slightly gingerly the next day, all the time wondering if it's normal or not for him to allow that he might have enjoyed the whole experience! So much for "Terry and June", but so much also for any hint of the real world, or indeed a reasonable chance to have a laugh at said world, given the resolute unfunniness of this whole "affair". If it can't be funny, it might be sexy. If it can't be funny or sexy, it might have some "comment" to make. But it has none of the above. The same occurs in a different context as Gavin (so already besotted with Stacey that he's prepared to drive to Wales from the first hookup so that he can meet her as she disembarks from the bus home from London) later (at the start of Episode 2) has to change his phone manner with Stacey abruptly when his boss appears in the room as he's making his private call to her on the work phone. This being the world of "Gavin and Stacey", the latter is - really and truly - convinced her lover is going cold on the whole relationship (so soon and so abruptly), and so she gets into an almighty huff (obviously generated by unfounded fear); instead of utilising the three brain cells it would have required to deduce that Gavin's sudden change of manner had its perfectly understandable, logical explanation of zero significance to the romance.These are two direly dumb, unrealistic, entirely unconvincing and above all unfunny vignettes from Episode 1 and the start of Episode 2 that give the lie to "Gavin and Stacey" as radical and new comedy, or indeed comedy at all.What is more, further depths are plumbed via a bit of "rape alarm" banter and repartee between Stacey and her Uncle Bryn played by Rob Brydon, in which the primary attempt at humour comes from repeating the words "rape" and "rape alarm" in a Welsh accent, the radical approach being the willingness to dispense with the gravitas that these two terms deserve, given what they in fact represent.No doubt a million people will convince me that "Gavin and Stacey" is great, and that my review cannot be based around so little exposure.So little? In fact, it was more than enough for me to decide that there was some paint drying in our front room more worth watching, and far more likely to generate a laugh.

This show was huge back in the day. It was one of those shows buried away on the smaller BBC channels, became a hit and then got bumped up to BBC 1 purely based on the public's love of it. It was the same with Miranda.Only difference is that Miranda was funny. This show tries to be a modern 'Just Good Friends' and fails miserably. It has it's moments, don't get me wrong, but I highly doubt it will last the test of time as a classic sitcom.The only saving grace is James Corden, a funny man who quite rightly has gone onto bigger and better things, albeit sadly in the US. His charm and timing make this show in places, and his subsequent success is not a surprise.People love this show, and that's fair enough, I'm just not one of them.

The English have done it again, they do this marvelous TV show and give us about 6 episodes a year, it is unacceptable that I will have to wait till the end of next year to watch some more "Gavin and Stacey"! It is the same thing with "Peep Show" and "The IT crowd".They should do it like the American and give us more, I couldn't get enough of it, I could watch these show all day long.Gavin and Stacey is the finest comedy, with lots of hidden(and not so much hidden) jokes, I surely would understand much more if I were English or even more familiar with them culture, but nonetheless it is fantastic.Blood hell, give us more.

Gavin And Stacey is a brilliant show. One of the best UK sitcoms of this decade, revolving around the general theme of a long distance relationship, quick marriage and how the distance between Essex (Gavin's home) and Barry, Wales (Stacey's home) underlining that situation – us being treated to the idiosyncrasies of their rival clans along the way. Two strong supporting characters are Nessa and Smiffy (Ruth Jones and James Corden – the show's writers), who try to face up to the life lessons an unplanned pregnancy brings, whilst Rob Brydon shines as stand-out character Bryn (Stacey's ever-present Uncle). There are some poignant moments along the way. The last episode of the first series, where Bryn reads a note from Stacey's deceased father, is very moving indeed. Some moments are a little bit too cloying for my liking (the last episode of series 2 featuring far more situation than comedy), but on the whole I've thoroughly enjoyed the series.