Margery and Gladys

Whoever cast this TV film, got it just right. UK TV viewers will recognise most of the faces from a wide series of TV soaps and comedies. After the start, Margery and Gladys confront in Margery's house and accidentally kill him, the plot follows a roller coaster of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end. Well worth a night in to watch. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I am sure there are lots of gems that I missed, to be savoured when it is re-run.

The drama, Margery & Gladys, unfolded quickly and moved smoothly along. The casting of comic legend Penelope Keith and another great talent, June Brown was brilliant. I only came upon this by accident while changing channels. I loved watching Penelope Keith and June Brown (in something other than East Enders) together. Penelope is truly a British treasure and should be given Damehood for her contributions to television comedy. I love Penelope Keith. June Brown can hold her own against Penelope in this drama. Penelope is perfectly cast as Margery, the snobbish wealthy Kent widow, and June Brown as Gladys, her cleaning lady. They begin their usual day by doing their routine until a burglar enters and changes their lives forever. Like any good drama and comedy, there are laughs along the way when they run out of money, break into a pharmacy, etc. They are the unlikeliest of friends too. They are complete opposites. We learn their secrets along the way. It is the most entertaining drama around today. If it had been in the cinemas, Penelope Keith and June Brown would have been honored with Oscar nominations. I won't spoil the ending. I found Margery's son, Graham, to be quite amusing and interesting. He is the strangest character around. It was wonderful to see Marcia Warren again. She's another great British talent! For all it's worth, I enjoyed this team much better than Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis.

I just saw this film. Sometimes I consult this db when planning the evenings TV-programme. When I saw this rated 7/10, I thought it had to be worth-watching. In my opinion, when a film hits 6, it's generally worthwhile.

Furthermore I find British TV-films a lot better than American. I read a review comparing this to Thelma and Louise, but I must say that I find T&L a lot more entertaining than this. This film has its moments; I like the leads, but the film tries too hard: The tempo is too high. The basic idea about the odd-couple is well-proved, but a bit trite. The plot (what gets them on the move) is outright implausible, but the neighbourwatch-theme is quite good, I think.

This film reminds me of a Simpsons episode, when Marge is at a book-club meeting with Helen Fielding. Marge tells her, that she hasn't actually read Bridget Jones' diary, HF replies that it's perfectly OK, as long as they all bought a copy, then leaps out the door in a wild police chase (on foot) in fast-motion accompanied by the music from Benny Hills ditto chases.

Not that I find British humour inferior.

This British TV movie is a must for fans of classic Britcoms who will recognize Penelope Keith from various TV series. Here, she plays a 60-something widow who lives in a posh neighborhood that has been the target a recent break-ins. While her cleaning lady (June Brown) is working one day, they catch a punk in the midst of robbing the house. Keith smashes a vase over his head. They think he's dead. What ensues is a mostly comic romp as the mismatched women run from the police. After all, a neighborhood watch meeting recently warned home owners that British laws do not favor them when they defend their homes and lives.

As the women race across the countryside in a beat-up Fiesta, they each learn a whole lot about each other, even though Brown has been Keith's cleaning lady for decades. Aside from hiding from the police, they have to deal with Brown's diabetes and the fact they left the house without any money or credit cards.

Also good are Adam Godley as Keith's repressed son with a cleaning fetish, Roger Lloyd Pack as the detective counting the days til retirement, Peter Vaughan as Brown's smarmy husband, and Martin Freeman as the dumb sergeant.

The journey is quite funny as the ladies travel by train to Blackpool with a bunch of George Formby (a major British film star of the 30s and 40s) impersonators, the perfect touch for their surreal journey. Just outside Blackpool, they make a shocking discovery that changes their lives and destinies.

Keith and Brown work very well together and are a delight to watch as they get deeper and deeper into trouble, in turn bickering with and rescuing each other. For those who know Penelope Keith only as Margo or Audrey from TV, her dramatic moments in this film will be a real eye-opener. Be sure to watch the closing credits where all the characters' stories are wrapped up in a series of post cards. Wonderful surprise ending for the Brown and Keith characters.

The music includes two George Formby songs: "Leaning on a Lamp Post" and "My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock," which is a local hard candy.

Hard to find, but I finally found this on DVD from UK.

Britain has had a long history of mainly 'gentle' if somewhat bawdy comedies committed to celluloid. Think St. Trinians, of course the many Carry Ons and the numerous TV series' movie outings from the 1970s onwards.

This little beauty is very much in the vein of that type of comedy. A bit slapstick, a bit naughty, a bit far fetched but above all, led by protagonists that you can actually relate to. We've all met a lady of the house who thinks she a bit above everyone else (Penelope Keith excels in those roles) and the 'Mrs Mop' types that always seem to get the upper hand in the end.

If you enjoy the genre of the 'classic' British comedy that this movie definitely belongs to, you won't be disappointed.

However.

This seems to be rarely shown on TV and as far as I'm aware, it's only ever been released commercially on an Australian region 4 DVD, and it's not easy to track down.