Mutiny on the Buses

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.

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.

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

This follow up to Hammer studios' comedy hit On The Buses (1971) sees bus driver Stan (Reg Varney) getting engaged to sexy clippie Susy (Janet Mahoney), but unable to afford the downpayment on a place of their own. With Susy refusing to live at Stan's mum's house, the pressure is on for the driver to get his hands on some extra cash.

Unsurprisingly, Mutiny follows virtually the same successful formula of its predecessor, with lots of bawdy gags involving busty/leggy beauties, and a fair amount of slapstick. Once again, Stan and his best pal, conductor Jack (Bob Grant), have no problems scoring with the ladies despite their (let's be generous here) average looks. And once again, inspector Blakey (Stephen Lewis) tries to ruin the lads' fun, but always comes off worse. Meanwhile, Stan's brother-in-law Arthur (Michael Robbins) also joins the bus company as a driver, attracting the attention of 'Nymphy Nora', much to the annoyance of his wife Olive (Anna Karen).

Comedy highlights include Olive in an out-of-control motorcycle side-car, Stan and Jack sabotaging Blakey's radio unit, a cat-fight between Olive and Nora, a fire-drill that gets out of control, and, best of all, a trip to Windsor Safari Park in which Stan unwittingly gives a ride to a lion and a pair of chimpanzees with hilarious results (apes always make me laugh). It's not exactly high-brow entertainment, but will appeal to fans of the series and those who love classic British comedy in general.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for the gratuitous changing room evacuation scene that features lots of scantily clad young women (Including Mahoney in her underwear), and for Stan's sneaky distraction technique during a darts game.

Not the best of the series of films, but still easy going fun. Of course there is the sexualisation of women, whilst two letchy men ogle and make their rounds, but it is a sign of the times.