Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Overrated and overhyped

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

It is wry, dark and humorous with a perfectly pitched line in silliness. Do not expect hard edged drama, do not expect much in the way of mind melting plot twists. Having said that there is enough plot that i was most irritated to miss the final episode. Do not expect much detailed characterisation, certainly not for the supporting cast. Do expect the p..s to be taken out of everything. Do expect to laugh. the botox episode was particularly amusing.i really hope they make a second series of this, it was kind of hidden late on a Thursday night on channel 5 and i doubt many actually watched it. It made me chuckle more than anything else on recently.

While I accept Bill's criticism that the characters were a little one-dimensional, I nevertheless found this hilarious. It's certainly original. The opening 10 minutes give no idea what's to follow but the cat fight between the two suave ladies of the rival gangs was a great opening gag. Instead of making their living selling hard drugs or smuggling, these ladies keep their charming town of Little Stempington 'clean' by running a protection racket. Dissolute youths are kept in line by tweed clad ladies of a certain age toting Uzis under their pashminas; as Camilla says "Why do you think the shopping arcade isn't full of sullen youths sniffing Toilet Duck?" The main scam here is not hard drugs but weapons grade HRT patches which liven up the sex lives of all who take them.This gun-wielding women's institute never quite manage to kill anyone but they certainly trash a few houses, cars and gardens along the way. Favourite characters are the smooth and hardened bitch-queen of Little Stempington, Camilla Diamond, played smoothly by Anna Chancellor ('Duck Face' of Four Weddings); 'Auntie' Hillary, the sex crazed vamp wonderfully played by Rachael Blake (Home and Away and Heartbreak High) and Barbara (Felicity Montagu – sometime long suffering PA to Alan Partridge). You can get a flavour from http://www.suburbanshootout.com/video.aspx (select the UZI option for best effect). I guess nothing is more divisive than comedy – you either love it or hate it – and although this show is not as original or anything like as dark as League of Gentlemen or Synchronicity it IS funny and worth a go. I look forward to series 2.

Channel Five never seems to have anything that I want to watch. Well, that was the case until I discovered "Suburban Shootout"!Fans of comedies like "Little Britain" and "Spaced" will find plenty of surreal pleasures in this tale of bored suburban housewives turned vigilantes and gangsters. Every episode these tweed-clad Amazons engage in drug dealing, extortion, wanton destruction and pointless violence. The talented cast pitch into the bizarre story lines with gusto and the series is brimful with enthusiasm. There aren't many comedies that I find laugh-out-loud funny these days, but "Suburban Shootout" did have me chortling on the sofa as I watched. I really hope that Paramount and Channel Five make another series.

"Stepford Wives" vs "Suburban Housewives" or perhaps an English "Twin Peaks" - you'd understand the connection if you REALLY watched "Twin Peaks". The acting is rich, the comedy black and the content adult. If you enjoy bloke comedy then you will recognize a few faces. It doesn't take long before you are well entrenched into the story line and you'll be thanking Oxygen for running two episodes back to back.Overall theme: Joyce and her husband have moved into a small English city (it has a church, so it's a city) as he has accepted a position as chief constable. Two factions of housewives are contending for influence/control over Joyce and ultimately, her husband's influence over local law enforcement. Each gun toting faction uses a different method of influence, fear and intimidation vs conscience and moral duty.The supporting characters (more a case of caricatures) are campy and carried out by actors and actresses with the same commitment to their role as Don Adam's "Maxwell Smart".Highly recommended.