Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

manchester_england2004 In the 1970s, lots of movie spin-offs of popular British sitcoms were produced. Most of them turned out to be total disasters and were produced solely as lame attempts by ailing film companies, often working in a different genre (Hammer for example), to stop themselves from going under following the withdrawal of American financial investment. Having said that, ON THE BUSES was one of the few sitcoms that actually made a successful transfer to the big screen. Three movies were produced, more than any other sitcom managed to spawn.The movies are actually better than the TV series in some respects. For one, the daily goings-on at the bus depot receive a lot more focus. And they also use the medium of film to showcase some excellent outdoor scenes that were not possible in the series (due to both lack of budget and the fact that videotape equipment was much heavier to carry thus making location work very difficult without using very grainy film stock).The movies also capture the heart of the TV series, which is probably the biggest factor behind their amazing commercial success. All of the characters from the series are here and are played by the same actors. They behave the same as they would in any given episode, with Stan and Jack making fun of the inspector, Arthur insulting Olive and so on.This particular spin-off is probably the best of the three movies. the plot, such that it is, concerns the arrival of a new manager at the bus depot who is hellbent on making a profit for the company. So he introduces a number of efficiency drives including; the installation of radio control in the cabs, fire safety training, and extension of the bus services to include excursion tours. Naturally, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. As with the previous movie, there are many subplots:Stan gets engaged to a clippie, who wants them to get a place of their own before they get married;Arthur loses his job and Stan trains him to become a bus driver, which creates more problems than benefits for the family;And in one of the movie's most hilarious scenes, Olive gets into a catfight with one of the clippies at the depot who is known as "Nymphy Norah".It's all very dated and politically incorrect and could never be produced today due to fear of being branded with some undesirable label such as "sexist". But it is harmless fun and does never descend into vulgarity. There is very little, if any, swearing at all and sexual situations and gags are handled through innuendo.This movie has a much better score than the first one, with the theme consisting of a catchy accordion and saxophone tune. It stays with you long after the movie is over.All of the cast do a tremendous job in bringing the movie to life, but of course Stephen Lewis stands out the most as Inspector Blake (or Blakey as he's known).I wasn't alive in the 1970s so I am not able to say whether or not it truly reflects what Britain was like back then. But I can certainly say that the society expressed in this movie is far more pleasant than the one I live in today. The 1970s is portrayed as a simpler time when teenage pregnancies, family breakdown, and alcohol and drug-fuelled violence were problems that did not exist (at least not on the scale we have now anyway). In other words, it shows a society that wasn't broken, unlike the one that Britain has today.Overall, I would definitely recommend this if you're a fan of the TV series or have seen either of the other two movies. For those who haven't seen the series, I would recommend the movie if you are a fan of either the CARRY ON movies or Benny Hill-style humour.

mjw2305 The Second of the movies, and Stan's got himself engaged, and is struggling to make ends meet. The Bus company is under new management and the've got a chance to do some Safari Tours and they need a driver for the job. Stan needs the job of driving on this tour but after making a poor impression on the new boss, he has no chance. That is until hes caught being inappropriate with a clippy by Stan and Jack, who successfully blackmail Stans way onto the Tour to Blakeys dismay.With some good laughs and still the original cast, this is a must see for On the Buses Fans.7/10

bob the moo Bus driver Stan gets engaged to sweetheart Suzy - much to the annoyance of Stan's mother, sister and brother in law; how will they afford to pay the rent without Stan's money coming into the house? In order to be able to move out, Stan agrees to help Arthur get a job on the buses with him. However his attempts to teach him how to drive the bus are frustrated by Blakey's new boss and his efficiency drives.Anyone approaching On The Buses cannot really complain about the humour being basic, sexist and crude - this is a given. However it is the other qualities that make this a bad film. True the humour is very broad, sexist and silly but this wouldn't have been a problem for me if it had even managed to ever be funny more than once. Sadly it doesn't and is depressingly devoid of laughs throughout. This is made worse by a plot that actually has no idea where it is going - it uses the very basic frame of Stan's engagement but where it goes with it is just all a bit silly and doesn't really work. The collection of scenes that make up the plot are supposed to be wacky and fun but actually just stand out as badly dated and banal, certainly laughs are not part of them.The material also lets down the characters as none of them are engaging - it is a damning comment on the script that I never cared one way or another what happened to the characters here. The cast don't help - the drivers are all womanising lads, the bosses all incompetent and flustered and the girls either battleaxes or `hot totty'! Varney and Grant don't display much in the way of comic ability here as they are not given anything to work with but the most basic tools. The only character that stands out is Blakey but that is more down to his memorable and oft-imitated line; he isn't great but his character is the most enjoyable of a bad bunch.Overall it is unfair to complain that this film's humour is broad and sexist because what else did you really expect from this film series? However it is fair to complain that the film lacks laughs, any sort of plot and is really difficult to enjoy even if you expect it to be broad and basic. A really poor film that is wholly lacking in laughs and is pretty unenjoyable all told.

Robski One of the better film comedies of the early seventies trend of making the transition from the small to the big screen. All three films easily surpassed the blandness of the TV series which is currently (Aug 2000) enjoying a re-run on Granada Plus in the UK.