Experience Preferred... But Not Essential

Annie is a student in the sixties. She has temporarily departed from academia to take a summer job at a seaside hotel in Wales. This movie follows Annie's relationships and interaction with the other members of staff and the outcome of their various dilemmas. That might sound a little heavy bearing in mind that this is a comedy, but it is witty, amusing and totally delightful.

The staff at the hotel are made up of a chatty Scots chef, a brash waitress and her abusive Elvis lookalike boyfriend, the roommate who closes her ears to the noises taking place right next to her, another roommate that closes her eyes to the nightly view of the sleepwalking nudist, the receptionist who is on extremely good terms with the hotel manager and the waitress who ran away from home at the age of 36.

Each of these characters and their life experiences make such an impression on the blank page that is Annie that when she leaves she is a different girl. A brief but enchanting gem of a movie.

I had this film on VHS when I was a young girl,and I watched it until the tape broke! I would love to watch it again but I can't seem to find a copy anywhere. The characters are so varied and interesting that you find your self drawn into the world behind the running of a busy hotel and in the end your sad to leave all of the colourful characters behind. The storyline is so simple, but so cleverly written it only enhances the enjoyment of the film. What I loved the most about this film was the attention to detail, Annies attic room was a a wonderful piece of set design. I too would loved to have seen what happened to these people a few years on. It's such a shame this hasn't been released on DVD it's such a waste for for it not to be seen.

Every other reviewer here hit the nail on the head about this film-- "enchanting", "sweet", "a gem", "beautiful", "charming", all apply to this terrific sleeper of a film. I came across it very late one night on cable TV when I couldn't sleep and was doing some channel-surfing. I had never heard of this film, director Peter Duffell or pretty much anybody in it, so I figured I'd give it a shot, see how bad it was. I couldn't possibly have been more wrong. A lovely, warm, funny, beautifully directed, superbly acted slice of life that just charmed the pants off me. I haven't seen it since--this was in the mid-'80s--and I'd love to see it again. If you ever get the chance, do yourself a HUGE favor and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

I wish I could get my hands on a copy of this movie. I saw it as a callow 21-year-old and have been looking for it since.

It's a sweet little coming-of-age, of sorts, with a female lead for a change. The setting of a resort hotel is the perfect background for a voyage of mini-discovery, with all its endearing characters.

The Elvis wanna-be is one of those characters you come across once or twice in your life, and his unspooling is one of the highpoints of the movie. He's scary and funny at the same time.

I give this movie a 9 on 10 for enjoyment.

The character of Annie is the central point of the story. Played by Elizabeth Edmonds, she is awkward, confident, shy, and easy to identify with. Edmonds, who you've probably never seen before, shows off a beautiful humanity in her character. And that is true for the rest of the cast. Each of them are given people with real personalities and eccentricities. Nobody is flat or dull to watch.

This film is directed by Peter Duffell, a man who made little else of note during his career (unless you count "The House That Dripped Blood", and I don't). The style here is somewhat more the territory of producer David Puttnam, who worked on several such films. This is almost the prototype for Bill Forsyth's "Local Hero", which Puttnam produced the following year.

I can't say what it is about "Experience Preferred... But Not Essential". It could be how it brilliantly pulls off an overlong title. Haha. Or the fact that it's so pure and down-to-earth. It's little-seen, that much is sure. So anyone coming across it is certainly free to consider it a personal discovery. Being only available on VHS makes that an ever-rarer possibility. I found it at a tiny store that carries this sort of thing. It's a fun, cheerful, mostly light film. You should enjoy it. I know I did.