Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

matthew-58 The 1980s were dark days for the British film industry and productivity was at an unprecedented low. That doesn't mean that there weren't a number of very fine films made during this time. It does mean that they tend to be rather forgotten in what is often described as a period of wilderness for British cinema. This is rather unfair, as there are a number of fine films made during this decade that don't get the attention they should. A Private Function is a case in point.The cast assembled for the film is simply one of the best I have ever seen in one movie. Look at the cast today and you would say it was star-studded; actually, many of these actors were not especially famous at the time (only Michael Palin, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott and Alison Steadman were really famous actors). Most of the others (Richard Griffiths, Pete Postlethwaite, Jim Carter, Liz Smith, Bill Paterson, Tony Haygarth) have achieved more recognition since. Their obvious talent and future potential was clear to see in this movie. As the fortunes of British films have improved since, their careers have duly flourished.If the film has a weakness, it is that it is supposed to be a star vehicle for Michael Palin, and yet his character is utterly dull and boring. Palin has proved he is a very capable actor elsewhere and might have impressed more if the kind of effort Bennett put into developing the other characters had also been afforded to Palin's role. This is a minor point though, because the rest of the characters are so well scripted it doesn't seem to matter too much. Palin would probably be the first to admit that the film works because of the script's overall quality (Alan Bennett is simply one of Britain's most incisive comic minds) and because of the wonderful supporting cast, not because of the strength of his own character.A Private Function is a relatively low budget and uniquely British film. The writing and the acting represent the very best of British cinema. It's a shame it doesn't get more recognition but the gentle wit, eccentric characters and lack of glamour and romance, plus the state the British film industry was in at the time it was made, probably meant that it was never destined to be a blockbuster. It does remain a very funny and at times quite barbed portrait of a particular period in 20th century British history.

bob the moo World War II may be over, but meat rationing is still in force in England, creating a healthy black market for the stuff. In one ordinary English village everyone seems to be on the fiddle apart from mild-mannered chiropodist Gilbert Chilvers. Gilberts eeks out a quiet living serving the feet of the other villagers, much to the annoyance of his social climbing wife and mother-in-law. However when Gilbert gets wronged by the social elite he decides to betray them by stealing an illegal pig they have been fattening up for a large banquet. But once the deed is done, Gilbert finds it harder to turn into food than he had expected.Despite an all star British cast, a subject matter close to all English peoples hearts (class) and quite a few funny moments, this film comes off as a rather mixed affair that seems to be unsure of what it is trying to do and thus doesn't manage to hit any of its targets that well. The script seems to want to be full of whimsy while also being a bit of a satire on the middle-classes, but it is too serious to do the former well, and too relaxed and fuzzy to do the latter. This is not to say it is bad because it does have some things going for it but it just managed to get a consistent tone is the problem. The script has some cracking dialogue at times but mainly falls flat – neither being funny nor sharp enough to do anything of value. Backing this up, the film doesn't really have an ending – with the satire being too vague and the producers tacking on a poor final scene just to give the audience a more positive image to go home on.The cast are good on paper but too few of them really have much to do. Palin is very quiet and, although I know this was what was required of him, he didn't do it that well. Smith is much better and is very scheming and very like a lot of middle class people I know even today – ideas above their station I think would be the condescending way of saying it; they are both well supported by Liz Smith in a comic role. Elliott and Normington are very mercenary having made the top but people like Postlewaite, Griffiths, Paterson and so on are just "there" as opposed to really making an impact.Overall this is an OK film because, even in missing its targets it still has enough going for it to be worth seeing. Failing as both satire and light comedy, the film still have good elements of both and is an amusing class comedy, but the misses and confusions are evident within the film and it is a bit annoying to see it pull itself in various directions without really ever moving. OK, but nothing more than that.

spompermayer A very amusing tale (or tail) about a man, a woman and a pig! Great portrayals by Dame Maggie Smith, Michael Palin, and Denholm Elliot as the snooty doctor. Maggie's best lines are in reference to her senile mother: "...She's 74 and it's past her bedtime!"

bigboy-8 One of the funniest comedies to come across the Atlantic in a long, long time. Maggie is magnificent. This movie will go right over the heads of teenie booopers with less than a high school education, but for the enlightened world this is a gem.