Still Game

I found this on Netflix. I've always loved the humor of Ireland and Scotland and figured, eh, I'll watch an episode or two. 13 were available (seasons 4 and 5) and I watched every one and laughed like hell. OK, I admit there were times I wasn't sure just what was being said, but even when I missed a joke (accent or local reference) I still laughed. It's that good.

If you want to have a summary of what this show is about, there are loads of places for that, but this is a review, not a summary so, no summary.

The lead actors are just amazing and can do deadpan so well, it seems like they're really just engaging each other, we're looking in on real people in their normal every day lives and, like every day life can be, we laugh.

There are occasionally poignant moments, but they seem almost like a tease, the humor is right there to push you back and say, "Oh come now, this IS a comedy after all." One side note, in the episode where the boys take the tour of the distillery, I could identify. My son and I took a tour of a brewery and were actually more interested in getting to the tasting room than how it's made. These guys took the idea of 'revisiting' to a whole new, hysterically funny level.

Worth every second, even if some of the dialogue slips by, sometimes if you just take what was said, figure in the goings on, you still get the joke, and it's still funny.

C'mon Netflix, bring on all those earlier seasons and let me enjoy every moment.

I had to amend my review and THANK Netflix for putting the first three season into the mix. I'm dancing through the heather with joy. Plus I have to add something that I neglected to put in the first time around, the supporting cast is as wonderful as the leads (though they have the edge of being the stars) and each one's little quirk and eccentricity makes them all the more fun to watch. Enjoy, ya bastards! hee hee hee.

Back in the days NBC's "Golden Girls" pioneered in discovering a fresh comedic potential according to the premise: Pensioners are also entitled to some post-prime fun before a career-move that involves pushing up the daisies. Especially when they're operating from Miami, Florida, of course. Now picture this as good old Sophia would say: How about we give the whole retiree idea more edge, relocate the girls to Scotland (complete with heavy accent), change their gender and language to something way stronger and offensive (yet in its own way endearing), and replace the picturesque Miami-scenario with fictional "shitehole" Craiglang "somewhere near Glasgow" with prospects being hee-haw as a Scot would say. You'll see: The fun refuses to concede defeat. Quite to the contrary. Welcome to "Still Game"!

Spun off from Ford Kiernan's and Greg Hemphil's sketch show "Chewin' the Fat", "Still Game" features strong 70+ characters ranging from the comedic widower duo Jack and Victor (Kiernan/Hemphil) over curmudgeon Winston, blabbermouth Isa and tight-arsed Tam to Indian-born shop owner Navid, who sports a rare talent for one-liners of the side-splitting kind. Now pleasures may be limited for old duffers, but life goes on and as such revolves around the local waterhole "The Clansman", the bookies, and the grocer's, with Isa's rumor mill working incessantly. Romance is a mere footnote. In that sense "Still Game" is not that far off the mark as real old geezers go. But in Craiglang there's a bright side to the shadow of old age: Death for example is a constant companion, accepted and dealt with in creative fashion (two words: hypothermia sweepstakes), and in the meantime as far as shaping the rest of one's life is concerned: disaster, small or large, is always around the corner. "Still Game", while out-and-out hilarious, occasionally dark-humored and sometimes over-the-top in a memorable way, also has its powerful dramatic moments. Character developments feel palpable and add another layer to the show and depth one wouldn't want to miss. The nine year long pause between season 6 and 7 is hardly noticeable. Following popular demand, "Still Game" is back again, as stand-up comedy and sitcom. So brush up on your Scottish, or turn on the subtitles. You don't want to miss this.

Still Game is an absolute little gem of a comedy taking Victor and Jack from their sketch's in 'Chewin the Fat'into the wider world of fictional Glasgow scheme estate Craigland.

Victor and Jack are two elderly widowed gentlemen living in a grim world of scraping by on their pensions trying to keep warm in their high storey flats. But they make sure they make the most of their situation and it's pretty inspirational stuff.

The best laughs come from the other characters, crafty Winston, gossip Isa, shopkeep Naveed, barman Boaby etc, plenty of good story lines and sharp put downs make for the type of show where if you buy the DVD you watch one episode and keep on until the end, then go out and buy the another series Sadly on the network the BBC has seen fit to screen only a select few episodes. Okay the accents and certain jokes/references require a knowledge of Scottish culture/dialect but like Rab C Nesbitt the comedy is strong enough to shine through.

The laughs are often dark, and set amongst the bleak black drops of old age, poverty, crime, loneliness you name it! But like say 'One foot in the Grave' it is adept at handling serious situations then bringing us back to the comedy with just one hot line. For a spot of spirit in adversity look no further.

The fourth series of Still Game recently finished on BBC2. This was the first time it had been shown nationwide and, thankfully, the unthinkable didn't happen. The slang. the swearing, the banter and the accents were all present and correct. You've got to hand it to the BBC for choosing not to tone down the dialect, if they'd been allowed to anglicise Still Game it just wouldn't be the same. I recently met the show's creators Ford Kiernon and Greg Hemphill at a book-signing and when they were quizzed over the possibility of Still Game being toned down, Kiernon replied, "Naw, they can get it up them!". Rapturous applause followed.

You wouldn't think this programme was now in its fourth series, it still feels as sharp and fresh as it did back in 2002. While most programmes, like Ford and Greg's own Chewin' The Fat for example, tend to go downhill after a couple of runs, Still Game seems to improve with each series. Admittedly most of the laughs consist of old people swearing at each other but the excellent cast deliver their put-downs with gusto. The two leads, Kiernon in particular, make very convincing pensioners; little touches like shuffling slightly and muttering under their breath work well.

The supporting cast are excellent as well. Jane McCarry, who plays "nosey old cow" Isa, sounds frighteningly like an old woman and her double act with Paul Riley's Winston is uproarious. Gavin Mitchell as Bobby the barman and Mark Cox as tight-fisted Tam are also excellent. But the absolute standout is Sanjeev Kohli as the acid-tongued shopkeeper Navid, Still Game's ultimate scene-stealer. Scottish dialect delivered in an Indian accent is funny in a way you've never heard and his horrific remarks to his wife Mena (whose face is always hidden) are comedy gold.

Along with being consistently hilarious, Still Game is occasionally very touching; Jack memories of his late wife and Victor's strained relationship with his son are bring a real pathos and humanity to the proceedings. These moments are quiet and understated, giving Still Game a maturity that Chewin' The Fat lacked.

Whether or not the folks down south got it or not is still unclear, some dreadful reviews would suggest not, but who gives a toss as Scotland once again has a sitcom it can really be proud of. Easily a match for Rab C Nesbitt, Still Game is a hilarious, bittersweet and thoughtful look at life through the eyes of the elderly - and a real celebration of Scottish, particularly Glasgow, culture. Long live Still Game!

I was introduced to this series a fortnight prior to the time of writing,and can honestly say it is one of the best programs i have seen for years. Being a big fan of Phoenix Nights,Max and Paddy,Little Britain etc.. and even the Black Adder series, i thought when told about this 'Still Game' thing it would suck. How wrong i was..its absolutely BRILLIANT. The characters it portrays live on a council estate in Scotland. A shopkeeper,A landlord and a collection of various ageing punters who specialise in malicious gossip and sometimes cruel but funny mockery of each other. The acting is incredibly convincing and for the first time in years i can say,"Here is a series in which every character has you in stitches". All these factors contribute to a package that will have you splitting your sides. If you haven't seen it,watch it. If you have seen it,watch it again. I have over and over.