Diagonaldi Very well executed

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

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Gary Burley I can say I wasn't expecting much from this film and British comedies can be a bit hit and miss, but this was perfection, you could see also that it had gone under the radar and that not many people had seen it, but here it is now 14 years later after seeing it at the cinema watching it with my now fully grown son and enjoying it as much as the first time. its just a downright naughty and full on funny film. if you haven't seen it, then you are missing out

bots-de132 This movie was bland, boy was it bland. Well its about Cliff Starkey(played by the rather annoying Paul Kaye) who is a bowls player(I didn't know anything about the sport when I saw this, what I can assume is that its like Curling and Bowling). Well, this "plot" that he became champion at a local country club, but the "Dean-esque" country club faithful hate this and he gets banned. He and the obnoxious Vince Vaughn(did he own something to the director) turn it in to a glorified sport. However, I like Kaye's performance till the second half, when they made conflict out of thin air. This movie was passable but no way worth seeing.

fedor8 At some point the British had decided to emulate the Americans hence started making formulaic comedies. What exactly is a "formula comedy"? It is a movie that starts off fairly okay (sometimes not even that), then gradually becomes sentimental i.e. runs out of gags, and ends in a supposedly exciting but actually utterly predictable finale devoid of jokes. Interestingly enough, the British formula comedy is usually worse than the average American one. The Brits still churn out terrific comedy material for television, but when it comes to the big screen all that potential and talent becomes a puff of mysteriously disappearing smoke.The soundtrack is typical formulaic comedy crap: sappy pop tunes alternating with elevator music.Paul Kaye tries his best with a script that is lame beyond belief. The only laugh-worthy moment in the entire movie comes very early on with the astrological-wallpaper/"I'm an astronomer" gag. I presume that if this sports comedy had been made in the States, that Adam Sandler would have been cast as Cliff Starkey: THAT'S the kind of shoddy/cliché writing we're talking about here. The fact that Vince Vaughn is in this should serve rather more than just as a warning...To see Paul Kaye at his terrific best, check out his X-rated(?) MTV series "Strutter", or his 90s character Dennis Pennis, a pre-Ali G mock U.S. journalist who ridicules celebrities by asking them insulting questions ("Anyone For Pennis?", "VIP: Very Important Pennis".)

Marion88 I did not like the marketing of the film in he UK which sold the film as a comedy with a weird theme, when what the film actually is is a romantic comedy with dramatic moments and hilarious moments about the clash between modern England and the traditional England symbolized by the odd game Blackball. Peter Kaye embodies the post sex pistols generations and delivers a superb interpretation. The story is entertaining, moves fast enough, Mel Smith's directing is sharp and efficient. It should have been a success. Alice Evans is cute enough, a bit on the cold though, as the daughter of the old Speight played by a towering James Cromwell, excellent as always. What an actor! The duet Cromwell/Kaye is unforgettable and works marvelously as the symbol for modern day England generation gap and culture clash. Tasteless marketing impaired the chances of this very good British movie in the theaters.