What makes it different from others?

Sadly Over-hyped

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

****SPOILER ALERT IN THIS I GUESS I MEAN THE SHOW IS 32 YRS OLD*******I am a huge fan of the show Laverne & Shirley that ran 8 seasons from 1976–1983. It's funny in season 1 Shirley has a VERY thick New York accent that she does not have in season 2-8. The characters Laverne,Shirley,Squiggy,Lenny,Carmine,Frank DeFazio,Edna Babish were so lovable, Funny & had Great chemistry. They really showed their chemistry in season 2 & it just got better. In season 6 when the girls lost their jobs @ Shotz They move to California & the show took a very different turn. Seasons 1-5 had one vibe & Seasons 6-8 it felt like a whole new show with new cast members like Rhonda Lee & Sonny St. Jacques(Who was very much like a Carmine character)He didn't stay on the show very long he was only on 10 episodes. Sonny's last episode was on Season 6, Episode 12, He left the show to take a role on Hill ST Blues. In Season 8 Shirley Left the show on Oct 12,1982 Only 3 Episodes in. The 1st Episode without Shirley was called {The Note}Cindy Williams {Shirley Feeney) left the show due to her becoming pregnant & Williams and her manager-husband Bill Hudson presented a list of demands, which Paramount refused. In August, two episodes into the season, Williams left the show and filed a $20,000,000 lawsuit against Paramount.Paramount went to Penny Marshall{Laverne De Fazio}to return for a ninth Season, but Penny Marshall{Laverne De Fazio}insisted that the show move its production base from Los Angeles to New York. Eying the cost of such an endeavor, and given the age of the show, ABC quietly canceled Laverne & Shirley in May 1983 after 178 episodes. Laverne & Shirley was & Still is & Will forever be a classic show & it will be one of those shows that goes down in History.

I don't know about the rest of you but I was born during the first episode of the second season of L & S. I was eight days old --- September 28, 1976.I loved the comments left by the person who's beautiful assessment of L & S graces the home page of this series. My 23 year-old girlfriend who Trans gender and Russian Americcan and I (Caribbean-African American) believe L & S is by far far the gayest sitcom on television (during that time period --and many more if you pay attention). She had never seen this series and loved it. She found the main characters to be as symbiotic as we are. The matching clothes -- the dentist episode where Laverne is willing to take the pain (when Shirley's would-be dentist cousin screws up on the Novocaine shot). Only a girlfriend would do that. The love these girls share and the obvious one bedroom (we never see). Dating men was a cover. Lenny and Squiggy are definitely family. Their outfits alone are part 70's design and just a shout out to being out and proud during a time where that phrase had been only coined by the Black community (say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud!) I love this show for the pure comedy. I grew up in San Francisco and have witnessed plenty of films, TV series and more get the city wrong but it doesn't make me flip out. L & S may have upset the citizens of Milwaukee off but they've missed the point as the first commenter mentioned...it's about being funny, having fun during a time when minorities and women were suffering and struggling to survive. I am happy to find a series about women, uneducated women or people of color...it doesn't have to be perfect. As a former child of watching "The Cosby Show and "What's Happening?" to "227" and "The Jeffersons" --I am appreciative of any step in the right direction. L & S reminds us of the inherent sexism that existed in their world. From being labeled "Girls" when we obviously know that any woman with a cycle is a woman to not being paid a fair wage. L & S --- Amen to you. I'm all over buying the DVD collection as soon as a box set comes out. My girlfriend expects nothing less. : )

"Happy Days" spin-off about the two titled characters (Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams) and their total comedic and romantic misadventures as Milwaukee brewery workers in the 1950s and 1960s. The series seemed to work in spite of itself due to the likable leads and their ever-lasting love interests (scene-stealers Michael McKean and David L. Lander). The characters were silly, but had a reality to them that could not be over-looked. Adequate writing and above average direction were sufficient in keeping the show a ratings winner for a good eight years from 1976 through 1983. Still a show that has a strong following as it survives the years in relatively wide-spread syndication. 4 stars out of 5.

This is a great show. I was thrilled when it was released on video. The characters are hysterical and love all the episodes. "Shirley's Operation is one of my favorites. A "mediocre" show would not last six years on primetime, go into syndication and then get released on video.