Doing Agatha

I've seen the whole film--it's a really funny comedy plotted like a disaster movie. No cheap laugh gimmicks, just genuine humor of character and situation. I've been in my share of shoestring community-theater productions and have had some similar experiences, trying to hold a scene together for an audience when everything is going wrong. But what I like best about this film is that although making fun of community theater is easy, making comedy of community theater is harder--because it requires real understanding of, and respect or even affection for, the hard work and sincerity that go into a community theater production. And this film has that. It also shows respect for the warhorse Agatha Christie plays that community theaters put on again and again while at the same time demonstrating how easily they can become hilarious instead of mysterious.