Stylish but barely mediocre overall

One of the best films i have seen

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

THREE'S COMPANY (1977-84) was one of my favorite comedies growing up and one of the very few I still watch in re-runs. The comedy may be farcical and slapstick for the most part, but early in the series, the overt comedy was underscored with a sharp, witty edge full of puns and double-entendres. The early seasons of the show were actually more methodical and topical with an amazingly playful edge that you rarely would see in other shows of the time. The middle seasons had it's share of slow and unfunny episodes, while the later seasons enjoyed a rejuvenation.The series starred the versatile physical comic actor John Ritter (who actually won a Lead Actor Emmy for this show) as Jack Tripper, a struggling yet gifted chef. Jack was a major ladies man and hornball, but he had a heart of gold and was the best friend to his roommates. In the series pilot, Jack needed a place to stay and so roommates Chrissy Snow (played by blonde bombshell Suzanne Somers, who displayed a surprising gift for comic timing and humor) and Janet Wood (wonderfully played by Joyce DeWitt). Chrissy, a secretary, was an early TV prototype for the "dumb blonde" role and, in my opinion, set the stage for the way the character is played in modern TV, for example, I see qualities of Chrissy in later famous TV "dumb" blondes, like Kelly Bundy or Phoebe Buffay. Janet, a floral shop employee, was the more level-headed, smart, less-but-still-attractive brunette and kind of the calm center of the show.The roommates' original landlords were the Ropers, the strict, old-schooler Stanley (superbly performed by Norman Fell) and his sweet, sarcastic, sexually-repressed wife Helen (hilariously played by Audra Lindley. During the "Roper" seasons, I'd say that the show was more of an ensemble, with the Ropers being given equal screen time to the main trio, more often than not referred to as "the kids" by Mrs. Roper. The Ropers were almost surrogate parents to them, with Roper being the stern Dad and Helen being the loving and more tolerant Mom. A running gag for the entirety of the series was that Jack had to pretend to be homosexual in order for the landlords to get him to live with 2 girls. In these politically correct times, I doubt a show could get away with this now! I'd say that Seasons 1-3 are the best seasons, with the stories usually consisting of "the kids" having the A plot and the Ropers having the B plot, with overlap from time to time. Then there are episodes where all 5 got to interact completely as the main plot. The Ropers left the show at the end of Season 3 and went onto their own doomed series that bore their last name, only coming back in a Season 5 episode for a guest spot. Early on, the show introduced a supporting character Larry Dallas (wonderfully performed by the reliable Richard Kline, a shady used- car salesman (is there any other kind!) and Jack's best friend, who lived a swinging single lifestyle. Kline was excellent at one-liners and punchlines and played off Ritter very well.Season 4 introduced new landlord Ralph Furley (played by comic TV icon Don Knotts), ushering in an era or broader, wilder comedy. Knotts brought his brand of limbering, lumbering physical comedy to the table. Backstage drama also lead to Somers being fired from the show at the end of Season 4, so in Season 5, a new character, Chrissy's cousin Cindy Snow (played with wide-eyed gusto by Jenilee Harrison, a pretty good physical comedienne in her own right) was introduced as the new 3rd roommate. It was really around Seasons 4 and 5 that the show really suffered a creative crisis, and may have been doomed to end had it not been for the smart decision to demote Cindy to supporting status in Season 6 and introduce yet ANOTHER and FINAL 3rd roommate Terri Alden (refreshingly played by the underrated Priscilla Barnes), a nurse. Cindy was much better served as a recurring, supporting character in Season 6 and Terri complemented Jack and Janet more. I really wish that Harrison had stayed on in Seasons 7 and 8 in her supporting turn because I thought she had really found her comfort zone as a funny supporting character a la Mr. Furley and Larry who would pop in on the main trio from time to time.I found Seasons 6-8 very entertaining, if less witty and risky as the early seasons. In these later seasons, the show really played up the physical comedy, with all characters getting to shine at various moments. In particular, Ritter was allowed to run wild and show off his physicality in full force. Especially in the later seasons, the show became a show about "misunderstandings", where every episode seemed to be about characters getting the wrong idea about situations or other characters and the writers and actors played these to the hilt, with great facial expressions and reactions.The show also boasted some of the HOTTEST female characters I've ever seen, with Jack getting to date gorgeous women in about every other episode. And the ladies he got to live with weren't so shabby either!"Three's Company" has a carefree, loose quality that I find enjoyable. It may be the level of shows like "Cheers" or "Seinfeld", but in it's own way, the show is iconic. A huge guilty pleasure!

What a great television show, filled with all types of slapstick comedy; misunderstandings; farce; portrayals of Los Angeles life; and.... girls!! This television show was so incredibly provocative for its time and remains one of the very funniest shows of all time.John Ritter is absolutely one of the funniest comedians ever. Joyce, Suzanne, Jennilee, Don, Richard, and Priscilla, are fantastic also.You all know the basic plot and premise for this television show.I cannot, for anything in this world, understand how the Ropers were ever allowed to be on the show. Their portrayal of a married couple, is ridiculous, goofy, and extremely annoying to watch, even when we viewed it over 30 years ago. Besides Norman Fell constantly both breaking the fourth wall, and laughing at his own jokes (neither of which ever worked), their goofball attitudes and antics, are disturbing and not enjoyable. Mrs. Roper's remarks always, and I do mean always, about Mr. Roper's lack of, shall we say, romantic and love desires, is ridiculous, and gets very old after the first time or two. How they ever received their own spin off television show, is almost impossible to understand.Excellent writers, actors, and others, make this a fantastic television show to watch.

This is one of those shows I grew up on, videotaping each episode as the show ran in syndication, and watching it again and again. I never grew out of the laughs. John Ritter as Jack, Joyce DeWitt as Janet and Suzanne Somers as Chrissy were hilarious, trying to find their way out of every misadventure that comes their way. One of my favorite episodes was when Ralph Furley (Don Knotts) threatens to kick Jack, Janet and Chrissy out of their apartment due to their overbearing noise. As a result, knowing that they will have to hit the streets anyway and thinking they were invited to stay on a luxurious apartment complex by a man Jack saved in a restaurant, the three purposely makes more noises by slamming pots and pans on the floor and dropping the telephone on the desk-hilarious. Norman Fell and Audra Lindley delivered good comprehension as the Ropers, displaying their "platonic" relationship. Furley delivers one wisecrack after the other.The show pretty much declined after the Suzanne Somer debacle. Her leaving the show really left a void in the comedy, but Jenilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes did pretty good as Cindy Snow and Terri Alden, but not as charming as Somers.But, a very fun show to watch again and again. This is one of those shows that is just one silly misadventure (sometimes childish) after another, don't have to find a specific purpose to follow.So, come knock on their door and watch "Three's Company."Grade B+

First of all John Ritters first name an the first show was David. The Ropers were not the upstairs neighbors they lived downstairs. Mr. Ropers First Name was George, not Stanley in the beginning. There was an other Crissy Snow before Suzanne Somers. I believe the first names of the girls were Jennifer,or Jenny. The other girls name I don't remember. David was trying to get into show business not cooking school. Then When Joyce Dewitt was on the show, there was another girl named Crissy, I believe this was after the pilot show. If anyone remembers the girls name can you post them? Any other comments will be welcomed.