Mardi?... C'est donc la Belgique

I was nine when I first saw this film, when it first came out, and loved it ever since. Funny even with it's vintage 60's songs, and an appearance of pop star Donavan, it hasn't dated at all. In fact it's more like a time capsule of it's time, which was 1969.

The film is about a bunch of Americans taking a european tour is ten days. We have a large assortment of characters played by some expert character actors. There's the WWII veteran played by Michael (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) Constantine who has taking the tour because it goes to the same places he went to in the army. Then there is the typical ugly American (Murray Hamilton) who was forced to come on this tour by his wife(Peggy Cass), he hates every minute of it till Rome where.. no you got to see it for yourself. There is a poor husband, Norman (Mr. Roper) Fell who gets separated from his wife (Reva Rose) when she gets on the wrong tour bus and tries to find a way to get her back. Then there is Miss Sam (Suzanne Pleshette) who has decided to take a vacation from her fiancé, to get her head straight, but then becomes the object of tour guide Charlie(Ian McShane)'s advances. Also wonderful in the film is Sandy Baron, Mildred Natwick, Pamila Britton, Marty Ingles, and Aubrey Morris.

It was directed by Mel Stuart who followed this up with the classic, "Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Company". I ended up seeing this film three times in the theaters.It gets better with every viewing.

The film is not a cinematic gem, but a bit of enjoyable 60's fluff.

It rolls along at a pace and doesn't let up, much like the tour party visiting the European cities. Unfortunately there is not too much about the actual places, but that's not why we are watching this film.

The ensemble of actors all work well, although I'm not too sure about the cameo roles. For example, blink and you'll miss Senta Berger, Joan Collins, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazarra and so on, but then again, that's the fun perhaps.. As the for the main parts, I thought Suzanne Pleshette was the best, trying to resist the attention of the tour guide (Ian McShane), who has a "girl in every port" but others actors were worthy contributors too.

If you want a 60's film then this just about hits most bases, with clothes (Carnaby Street), Music (including Donovan for one tune), light heartedness, a few hippies (sharing a smoke), love interest (without nudity), old vehicles etc. Your choice. Me? I enjoyed the ride/tour, and was exactly what I was looking for.

I have no idea. But I know that I first saw that movie as a child, shortly after it came out, and never stopped loving it. I think the best word to describe the entire film is "colorful". The cast is, the characters are, the cinematography is, the script is. I bought a VHS copy a few years back and every 6 months or so, I just have to pop it in, jump into bed with my wife and a bowl of popcorn and enjoy it again. The movie hasn't aged well at all but as another reviewer said, it's a pure time capsule of 1969 and that in itself is a great positive attribute.

Well when I last saw this one I was wearing Green check trousers and an Orange nylon jumper. Got to be at least 25 years. Ouch. But this one has worn rather better than me.

From memory I was expecting a sort of American Carry On movie - and I suppose this isn't a bad comparison. But the jokes are still funny - quite sharp infact at times. The acting isn't too OTT - no Kenneth Williams mugging here - and the scenery of an as yet unspoilt Europe was a nice reminder of what Europe used to be like.

Yes - the plot is pretty 'souffle' (light, sags in the middle) - but Ian McShane holds it together. Infact , both me and the wife were at a loss as to why I.M. never made it mega-big. He had a lot going for him back then, and he's aged well.

Worth a watch - should bring back some memories for any who first got to know Europe on a coach tour (Wallace Arnold as in my case).

Even though I was born a couple of decades after this movie was released, I wanted to watch it when it played on TV because it was given a perfect 5/5 rating by my local newspaper's TV listings. When I tuned in, I was even more excited when I found out that it was a David Wolper and Mel Stuart collaboration because I really loved 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.' It's a shame that 'If It's Tuesday This Must Be Belgium' is not available on DVD. Even though it was made about 30 years ago, the misadventures of the ensemble cast are as funny as ever. The fine balance between the witty humor and acerbic banter in this movie is something that is rare in movies today. The only movies that come close are a few of Wes Anderson's (Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic), but instead of being faux retro, 'If It's Tuesday This Must Be Belgium' really is retro. It shows all of Europe's fabled landmarks in the tongue-and-cheek manner that you can't get from any movie unless it really was made in 1969. I liked the part when the group was at a cheese market in Amsterdam and the tour guide says, "There's an auction of gouda cheeses and edam cheeses. And pretty good-a edam cheeses they are." That is like so corny it's funny. After watching this movie, I actually did want to take a European bus tour! But the best thing about this movie is its great cast, particularly the beautiful Suzanne Pleshette and the devilishly handsome Ian McShane.