Comedy

  • Love Letter, The [1999]Love Letter, The | DVD | (03/07/2006) from £4.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (260.52%)   |  RRP £17.99

    Its ads portrayed The Love Letter as a wacky farce, while critics largely ignored it, presuming it to be a vanity project from Kate Capshaw (better known as Mrs. Steven Spielberg). But The Love Letter is neither; on the contrary, it's a low-key but surprisingly rich and touching film about love, illusions, and regret. Helen (Capshaw), a bookseller in a small seashore town, discovers an unsigned love letter that's fallen into the cushions of a couch in her store. The letter doesn't say who it's for, but Helen assumes it's for her and starts wondering who sent it. One would expect this to lead to a whirling comedy of mistaken identities, but after some amusing daydream moments, the movie follows its story with subtlety and nuance. The characters behave according to their own needs and desires, rather than the demands of standard Hollywood goofiness. The performances--from a cast including Tom Selleck, Tom Everett Scott, Ellen DeGeneres, newcomer Julianne Nicholson, and others--are uniformly unforced and natural. Viewers weary of the hyped-up, absurd emotional climaxes of most so-called romantic comedies will find a respite here. The Love Letter is a genuinely charming film. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

  • Click [Blu-ray] [2006]Click | Blu Ray | (22/04/2007) from £6.96   |  Saving you £13.03 (187.21%)   |  RRP £19.99

    A magical remote control allows Adam Sandler to take charge of his career and personal life in this new comedy.

  • Open All Hours - Series 4Open All Hours - Series 4 | DVD | (31/10/2005) from £3.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (225.56%)   |  RRP £12.99

    Ronnie Barker stars as Arkwright the tight-fisted stammering shop-keeper who would rather risk instant amputation than replace his death-trap of a till. A young David Jason plays ""G-G-Granville"" Arkwright's ill-fated over-worked sexually-frustrated errand boy while Lynda Baron is Nurse Gladys Emmanuel - the owner of an awesome bosom and an old Morris Minor - the object of the grocer's undying lust... Episodes comprise: 1. Soulmate Wanted 2. Horse-Trading 3. The Hou

  • Nothing but Trouble [Blu-ray]Nothing but Trouble | Blu Ray | (26/10/2021) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  • Old Dogs [DVD] [2009]Old Dogs | DVD | (02/08/2010) from £2.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (301.00%)   |  RRP £11.99

    Two best friends (Travolta and Williams) have their lives turned upside down when they're charged with the care of six-year-old twins on the eve of the biggest business deal of their lives!

  • Man About The House - Series 1Man About The House - Series 1 | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £8.95   |  Saving you £4.04 (31.10%)   |  RRP £12.99

    One of Thames TV's most successful sitcoms about the ups and downs of mixed flat-sharing. Three's A Crowd: Chrissy and Jo throw a farewell party for their flatmate who's getting engaged and moving out. Next morining they find Robin asleep in their bath. They're looking for a new flatmate and Robin is looking for somewhere to live so the girls ask Robin to stay. All they have to do then is to talk the Ropers into agreeing to the new arrangement... And Mother Makes Four: Chrissy's mother is about to pay a visit. She doesn't know Robin is living in the flat so he's told to make himself scarce. Then Chrissy's mother decides to stay the night... Some Enchanted Evening: Jo's new boyfriend is coming to the flat for a meal. Robin is persuaded to cook it. Then he and Chrissy have to spend the evening playing monopoly with the Ropers. They learn that Chrissy's boyfriend is Jewish - and Robin has cooked roast pork for their meal! And Then There Were Two: Chrissy is very nervous when Jo goes away for the weekend and leaves her alone in the flat with Robin. Robin brings another woman back only for Chrissy to sabotage his plans for a night of passion. It's Only Money: The rent is due and the money put aside to pay it has disappeared from the flat. Robin Chrissy and Jo have to find a way of getting some more money quickly... Match Of The Day: Robin has been picked to play in a college football match. A few days before the game he goes down with a bad cold. Chrissy and Jo rally round in an attempt to help him to recover in time to play. No CHildren No Dogs: Robin accidentally acquires a puppy. The lease on the flat says 'no pets' so Roper mustn't find out...

  • Just Go With It (2011) / Wanderlust (2012) / The Bounty Hunter (2010) - Triple Pack [DVD]Just Go With It (2011) / Wanderlust (2012) / The Bounty Hunter (2010) - Triple Pack | DVD | (24/09/2012) from £12.48   |  Saving you £7.51 (60.18%)   |  RRP £19.99

    Titles Comprise:Just Go With It: Danny Maccabee (Adam Sandler) meets the girl of his dreams (Brooklyn Decker) but has to enlist his loyal assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his soon-to-be ex-wife in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, Katherine's kids become involved, and everyone heads off to Hawaii for a ridiculous, out-of-control weekend that tests the limits of how far we'll go for love.Wanderlust: Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston star in Wanderlust, a comedy from director David Wain (Role Models) and Producer Judd Appatow ( Knocked Up) about a couple who leave the pressures of the big city and join a freewheeling community.George (Rudd) and Linda (Aniston) are an over-extended, stressed out Manhattan couple. After George loses his job they find themselves with only one option; to move in with George's awful brother in Atlanta.On the way there George ad Linda stumble upon Elysium, an idyllic community populated by colourful characters who embrace a different way of looking at things.Is Elysium the fresh start George and Linda need? Or will the change of perspective cause more problems than it solves?The Bounty Hunter: Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurly (Jennifer Aniston). Milo expects an easy payday, but nothing is ever easy with him and Nicole. The exes continually one-up each other - until they find themselves on the run for their lives.

  • Don Jon [DVD + UV Copy] [2013]Don Jon | DVD | (24/03/2014) from £5.19   |  Saving you £14.80 (285.16%)   |  RRP £19.99

    Jon Martello's buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography.

  • Sparrows Can't Sing (Digitally restored) [Blu-ray]Sparrows Can't Sing (Digitally restored) | Blu Ray | (12/10/2015) from £10.99   |  Saving you £12.00 (109.19%)   |  RRP £22.99

    Sparrows Can't Sing, directed by Joan Littlewood and starring Barbara Windsor (Carry on Camping) in her BAFTA nominated role as Maggie, is a 1963 kitchen sink classic filmed in the East End of London. There's panic in Stepney; from the stalls in the street to the bar of the Red Lion the word goes out: tearaway Charlie Gooding (James Booth, Zulu) is back from two years at sea, and on the way home to his old stamping ground. The trouble is that Charlie isn't up to date with the news. Bonus Features: INTERVIEW WITH PETER RANKIN (JOAN LITTLEWOOD BIOGRAPHER) LOCATIONS FEATURETTE WITH RICHARD DACRE (FILM HISTORIAN) STILLS GALLERY INTERVIEW WITH MURRAY MELVIN BFI Q&A WITH BARBARA WINDSOR & MURRAY MELVIN TRAILER

  • Filthy, Rich And Catflap - The Complete Series 1 [1987]Filthy, Rich And Catflap - The Complete Series 1 | DVD | (26/07/2004) from £34.98   |  Saving you £-21.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

    Six episodes of crazy comedy written by Ben Elton! Showbiz superstar and sex symbol Richie Rich (Mayall) his generally disgusting minder Catflap (Edmondson) and dead drunk agent Ralph Filthy (Planer) are set for all sorts of adventures in this sitcom precursor to 'Bottom'! Episodes Comprise: 1. Dead Milkmen 2. Game Show 3. Dinner Party 4. A Death In The Family? 5. Breakfast Television 6. Smear Campaign

  • Scrubs Seasons 1-8 [DVD]Scrubs Seasons 1-8 | DVD | (06/09/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £156.99

    Scrubs: Season 1The sitcom may be flatlining, but as long as there are fresh and original series like Scrubs, the prognosis isn't entirely negative. Created by Bill Lawrence, Scrubs is an interns'-eye view of hospital life and the torturous, tragic, and triumphant route to becoming a doctor. The eminently likeable Zach Braff heads the cast as "newbie" JD, whose years of medical school haven't quite prepared him for chaotic Sacred Heart Hospital. Family Guy has nothing on the live-action Scrubs when it comes to surreal asides and fantasy sequences (for example, JD literally becomes the proverbial deer in the headlights when he cannot answer a medical query), pop culture references, and TV Land casting (John Ritter guest stars as JD's negligent father in "My Old Man," and St. Elsewhere veterans William Daniels, Ed Begley, Jr., Stephen Furst, and Eric Laneuville appear as Legionnaire's-stricken doctors in "My Sacrifical Clam"). With surgical precision, this inaugural season charts JD's growth as a doctor and a human being, and the close-knit bonds he forms with his equally overwhelmed peers and colleagues, including best friend and surgeon Chris Turk (Donald Faison), beautiful, but raw-nerved and by-the-book Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), and supportive nurse Carla Espinoza (Judy Reyes'), who affectionately nicknames JD "Bambi." But at the heart of the series is JD's relationship with his mentor, Dr Cox (an Emmy-worthy John C. McGinley), a cross between Obi-Wan Kenobi and a pit bull. Giving Scrubs a further shot of adrenaline are recurring characters Jordan (Christa Miller Lawrence), Dr Cox's satanic ex-wife, and Neil Flynn as the Janitor, who torments JD just as Larry Miller menaced Jerry in the Seinfeld episode "The Doorman." Scrubs' animated sensibility allows for inexplicable cameos by Jimmie Walker or, at one point, an impromptu West Side Story-esque dance-off to convey the schism between the surgeons and other doctors. But while hilariously funny, Scrubs can break your heart too, as in the two-parter "My Occurrence"/"My Hero," with guest star Brendan Fraser as Jordan's spontaneously spirited brother, who is diagnosed with leukemia, and "My Old Lady," in which JD, Elliot, and Chris experience for the first time losing a patient. Whether you're a "newbie" or devoted viewer, this DVD release is just what the doctor ordered. --Donald LiebensonScrubs: Season 2The second series of hospital-based sitcom Scrubs sees young doctor JD with a bit more experience under his belt, but very little more common sense. Together with his best friend Turk, on-off girlfriend Elliot, and various other hospital dwellers (most notably John C McGinley's grumpy Dr Cox) JD learns yet more lessons about life and love, all the while narrating his wacky adventures in a way that you'll either warm to or get really, really irritated by. Guest stars include Heather Locklear, Dick van Dyke and Ryan Reynolds, but Zach Braff is the real star of the show, and his wide-eyed puppy dog demeanour makes the inept JD endearing, in spite of his failings. Season 2 of Scrubs sees him juggling complications in both the personal and professional arenas as his career progresses, though this doesn’t stop him indulging in frequently surreal and elaborate fantasies. Though Scrubs will never be ER, it doesn’t try to be; Scrubs is warmer and sillier, though the laughs never get in the way of its several heartfelt moments. The overall package is a little too polished and round-cornered to ever be particularly edgy or hard-hitting, but if you’re just after a warm-hearted comedy, you could do a lot worse. -- Sarah Dobbs Scrubs: Season 3 Zach Braff stars as neurotic doctor JD Dorian whose crazy exploits are at the centre of these 22 brilliant episodes. This series also includes 'supersized' longer episodes and 'My Butterfly', an experimental episode that looks at how one small event can have major consequences for the staff and patients - guaranteed to leave you in stitches! High calibre guest stars are also admitted to help keep the gags rolling. Hollywood icon Michael J Fox (Back to the Future) displays his genius comic timing as JD's new mentor Dr Kevin Casey and American Pie's sexy Tara Reid appears in several episodes as JD's new love interest - the mysterious Danni. Brendan Fraser (Crash, The Quiet American) makes a return as Jordan's terminally ill brother Ben, in the Emmy Award-winning and surprisingly touching episode 'My Screw Up' and the acclaimed group, Polyphonic Spree, make a brilliantly bizarre appearance at Sacred Heart Hospital! Elsewhere at the hysterical Hospital, Dr Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) has undergone a dramatic makeover following a particularly bad day and she and JD continue their on-off relationship. Carla (Judy Reyes) and Turk (Donald Faison) finally set a date for their wedding, the bombastic Dr Cox develops a sensitive streak and new staffer 'The Todd' (Robert Maschio) upsets JD With JD and Elliot now looking after interns of their own, chaos reins, in the hospital wards and their personal lives. The fun continues with the exclusive bonus features which include 'Don't Try This at Home' an extra that provides an insight into the dangerous and daring stunts performed on the show and the featurette 'Scrub Factor' which demonstrates exactly what the cast and crew will do for money! Scrubs: Season 4The fourth series of the show that centres on JD (Zach Braff), a wacky medical intern at Sacred Heart Hospital, and his friends and colleagues: his confident best friend Turk, neurotic fellow intern Elliot, tough nurse Carla, and their supervisor, the cruel Dr Cox. Unlike many sitcoms, SCRUBS employs a structure of continuing plotlines and developing characters, like many dramas will. It also combines verbal wit, slapstick humour, and fantasy sequences in order to garner laughs--a strange but effective combination that suggests a skewed version of reality.Scrubs: Season 5 "I'm gonna have a good year, aren't I?" JD (Zach Braff), now an attending physician at Sacred Heart Hospital, asks in the fifth season's opening episode. All vital signs are good (the series did receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy), but longtime Scrubs fans may be forgiven a sense of déjà vu, from JD's whimsical reveries to Dr Cox's (John C. McGinley) increasingly tiresome rants. The series itself acknowledges the palpable sense of been there, seen that with the clever episode "Déjà vu, Déjà vu." But don't pronounce Scrubs dead just yet. Directed by Braff, "My Way Home," the series' 100th episode, is a brilliantly conceived homage to The Wizard of Oz with JD and company finding their hearts, brains, and courage. Another powerful episode that shows a welcome maturity is "My Lunch," in which JD at last has lunch with his reluctant mentor, Dr Cox, in the wake of a patient's death (happily, the music rights were secured for the DVD release so that the Fray's "How to Save a Life" is playing on the soundtrack when Dr Cox has his own tragic setback), and the follow-up episode, "My Fallen Idol." While Scrubs has a tendency this season to get "more ridiculous" (in one episode, Neil Flynn's Janitor defies Ken Jenkins' Dr Kelso to secretly keep a crow in the hospital), the scalpel-sharp writing affords Braff moments that are, in his character's own words, "classic Dorian." In the episode "My Half Acre," he mixes his sports analogies to tell Elliot (Sarah Chalke), "What's waiting for me in my room is what's known, in football terms, as a slam dunk," as he mimes hitting a tennis ball. Mandy Moore, displaying a surprising knack for physical comedy, follows Tara Reid and Heather Graham as a fleeting love interest for JD Other character milestones include pregnancies for Carla (Judy Reyes) and two other characters best left a surprise. Good for whatever ails season 5 are this set's extras, including an entertaining series retrospective, featuring interviews with the cast and creators, as well as commentary by Braff for an extended cut of "My Way Home." --Donald Liebenson Scrubs: Season 6With its deft combination of humour and heart, this single-camera sitcom is a both a critical and cult favourite. Scrubs stars Zach Braff as JD, an eager doctor at Sacred Heart Hospital. With JD as its narrator, the show frequently dips into surrealism as it shows his strange thoughts and daydreams. The rest of the characters on SCRUBS are equally eccentric: best friend Turk (Donald Faison), bossy nurse Carla (Judy Reyes), JD's reluctant mentor Dr Cox (John C McGinley), the anxiety-ridden ex-girlfriend Elliot (Sarah Chalke), and JD's arch nemesis, known simply as 'Janitor' (Neil Flynn). Grab an appletini and enjoy all of the sixth season's episodes, including 'My Musical,' which includes hilarious songs such as "Guy Love" and 'Everything Comes Down to Poo.' This season also features guest appearances from Elizabeth Banks (40 Year Old Virgin) and Keri Russell (Waitress). Scrubs: Season 7Scrubs staged a near-miraculous recovery in its seventh season; this despite the usual indifferent treatment by the network, low ratings, and a writer's strike that only allowed for 11 episodes. In this case, less was more. Scrubs regained its footing with sharper writing (Dr Cox's signature rants are more inspired than tiresome this season, although at one point, nemesis Dr Kelso threatens to hire an orchestra to "play him off"), more empathetic situations, and meta-fun with such "third-tier" characters as Snoop Dogg Attending (formerly Snoop Dog Intern), Dr Beardface (pronounced "Beard-fassay"), and new squeaky-voiced intern, Josephine (Scrubs scribe Aseem Batra). Beginning with JD (Zach Braff) and Elliott (Sarah Chalke) coming to their senses before they can consummate that sixth season cliffhanging kiss, this season will be one of "weird crystallizing moments." Elliott will call off her upcoming nuptials to Keith. JD will be forced to tell Kim ("cute as a button" Elizabeth Banks), whom he impregnated after only their first date, that he does not love her. The "annoying whiny man-child," as Dr Cox (John C. McGinley) calls him, will finally ponder whether it is time for him to grow up. Dr Cox will admit that he is lonely without his acerbic wife (Christa Miller) and son when they go out of town. Other developments include the smitten Janitor's (Neil Flynn) initially suspect new girlfriend (can she really be named "Lady?") and on a Scrubsian sad note, Kelso (Ken Jenkins) faces forced retirement when it is revealed he is actually 65 years old. Scrubs deftly blends absurdist fantasy, flat-out silliness and dramatic, emotional moments, as in "My Number One Doctor," in which Elliott must deal with a terminal patient's suicide attempt. The season's most ambitious episode is the finale, "My Princess," a Princess BrideScrubs characters, with Elliott as a princess, Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) as a two-headed witch, and JD as, you guessed it, the village idiot. The ample bonus features include audio commentary for every episode, a fun "Alternate Lines" segment that illustrates the improvisational leeway cast members enjoy, deleted scenes, bloopers, an interview with Ken Jenkins, and a behind the scenes look at the "My Princess" episode. Poised for cancellation, Scrubs got a second opinion from ABC, which picked up the series for an eighth season. That's heartening news for devoted fans who would never pull the plug. To borrow Turk's well-worn catchphrase, "That’s what I'm talkin' about." --Donald Liebenson homage in which Dr Cox transforms one undiagnosable patient's case into his son's bedtime story that is populated by Scrubs characters, with Elliott as a princess, Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) as a two-headed witch, and J.D. as, you guessed it, the village idiot. The ample bonus features include audio commentary for every episode, a fun "Alternate Lines" segment that illustrates the improvisational leeway cast members enjoy, deleted scenes, bloopers, an interview with Ken Jenkins, and a behind the scenes look at the "My Princess" episode. Poised for cancellation, Scrubs got a second opinion from ABC, which picked up the series for an eighth season. That's heartening news for devoted fans who would never pull the plug. To borrow Turk's well-worn catchphrase, "That’s what I'm talkin' about." --Donald Liebenson Scrubs: Season 8The first episode of Scrubs' final season ends with a sly kicker in which Zach Braff's JD rallies his colleagues as they enter their eighth year at Sacred Heart. "It's tempting to just mail it in," he states, "but there are still a lot of people who rely on us week to week. I think we owe it to them to be as inspired as we were in our first few years. I still think we're as good as anybody else out there." Indeed, Scrubs goes out at the top of its game. "People don't change, relationships don't change," the super-friendly but soulless new Chief of Medicine Taylor Maddox (a game Courteney Cox) proclaims at the end of her all-too-brief three-episode arc. How wrong she is. JD and Elliott (Sarah Chalke) become a couple again without too much drama. Dr Cox (John C. McGinley) and his dread ex-wife (Christa Miller) likewise declare their love for each other. Cox even forms a grudging friendship with his former nemesis Dr Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who in retirement has become a fixture in the hospital cafeteria where he takes full advantage of free muffins for life. Sad sack lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd) and JD's enigmatic tormentor Janitor (Neil Flynn) find someone to love, and Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) prepare for their second child. Things are different on the job front as well. Dr Cox assumes the mantle of Chief of Medicine and struggles not to be overwhelmed by the bureaucracy. Bringing the show full circle, there is the next generation of interns (spin-off, anyone?) who test their mentors' patience. Eliza Coupe is a standout as Denise, who has a problem with compassion ("It's ironic that cancer starts with 'can'," she tells one patient). JD's signature reveries aside, the final season goes easy on the fantasy. This season's Very Special Episode is a two-parter that takes the cast to the Bahamas for Janitor's wedding. Will Janitor finally reveal his name? Will Dr Cox express his true feelings for JD? "Endings are never easy," JD muses in the finale. "I always build them up so much in my head, they can't possibly live up to my expectations, and I just end up disappointed." That will not be the case for loyal viewers who have stuck with Scrubs through thick and thin. If you're not moved by JD's final walk through the halls of Sacred Heart or his home-movie vision of the future, then get yourself a heart transplant stat! --Donald Liebenson

  • So Undercover [DVD]So Undercover | DVD | (01/04/2013) from £3.00   |  Saving you £12.99 (433.00%)   |  RRP £15.99

    So Undercover

  • Trouble In Store / Up In The World [1953]Trouble In Store / Up In The World | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £7.58   |  Saving you £5.41 (71.37%)   |  RRP £12.99

    Norman Wisdom became an instant movie star with the release of Trouble in Store in 1953. Playing a character called Norman, he brought his familiar stage and television personality to the big screen as a young man with the ambition to become a window dresser in a major department store. Ever lovable victim of his own clumsiness, all Norman's efforts to improve himself result in chaos. That is, until he meets Sally (Lana Morris), the girl of his dreams. Then things turn disastrous. Costarring Margaret Rutherford, Trouble in Store introduced Wisdom's self-penned song which would become his theme, "Don't laugh at Me ('cause I'm a Fool)". The film became a massive box-office hit and won Wisdom a BAFTA Award. Very much of its time, admittedly, it's still highly entertaining. In 1956 the title of his latest film, Up in the World accurately described Norman Wisdom's career. This was the great British comedian's fourth hit in as many years, this time finding himself employed as window cleaner to Lady Banderville (Ambrosine Phillpotts). Apart from having hundreds of windows to polish, things would be going fine for Norman if it weren't for the endless practical jokes played by Lady Banderville's son, Sir Reginald (Michael Caridia). However, when the irritating Reggie is kidnapped, Norman has the chance to prove himself a hero, and it just might impress his beautiful costar Maureen Swanson. By now Wisdom was set on a winning formula, working with much the same team as on his three previous smashes, including Jerry Desmonde as Major Willoughby, who had starred in both Trouble in Store (1953) and Man of the Moment (1955). --Gary S Dalkin

  • The Wrong Arm Of The Law [1962]The Wrong Arm Of The Law | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.47   |  Saving you £2.52 (33.73%)   |  RRP £9.99

    Peter Sellers stars as gang-leader Pearly Gates who has a double life as Monsieur Jules the manager of a fashion house. The criminal world of London is being reduced to chaos by an Australian 'IPO mob' who acting on information provided by Gates' girlfriend Valerie (Nanette Newman) impersonate police officers and take the spoils of the true criminals after the crime has been safely committed. The crimes are relatively victimless involving jewellery thefts from the rich or robbe

  • High Hopes [Blu-ray]High Hopes | Blu Ray | (06/04/2020) from £10.44   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    High Hopes by award-winning Writer and Director, Mike Leigh (Mr Turner, Secrets Lies) depicts a slice of the lives of Shirley (Ruth Sheen) and Cyril (Philip Davis), a working-class couple in London. Cyril finds it hard to cope with his family; especially when his elderly Mum (Edna Dore) locks herself out and must ask her yuppie neighbours for help, and his social-climbing sister Valerie and her crass husband decide to throw a surprise party for their mum's 70th Birthday which has disaster written all over it. On top of all of this, Shirley wants a baby but how does this fit in with Cyril's Marxist ideals of a perfect world?

  • Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence [1998]Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £5.30   |  Saving you £0.69 (13.02%)   |  RRP £5.99

    The generic title of Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence suggests a bland, by-the-numbers romantic comedy. Its dialogue certainly doesn't help--there's a lot of piffle about destiny and "having only one chance", etc.--but there are some surprising differences. The plot centres around Martha (Monica Potter), an American trying to start a new life in London. She meets three men (Tom Hollander, Rufus Sewell and Joseph Fiennes, who played the title role in Shakespeare in Love). These three are best friends and all three fall in love with her but the one she falls in love with feels like he's betraying the others to be with her. Despite the resulting confusion, she pursues him to the end--which makes it unlike most current romantic comedies where the woman is a hapless love object to be captured by the right guy. But more entertainingly, Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence pays particular attention to the ways men delude themselves because the two friends Martha doesn't care for are both convinced she's hankering for them, which allows for some fairly subtle skewering of the male ego. It's a flimsy movie but no more so than Notting Hill and Joseph Fiennes, in particular, has a relaxed, winning charm that marks him as a rising star. --Bret Fetzer

  • The Fast Show - Series One [1994]The Fast Show - Series One | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £6.10   |  Saving you £9.89 (162.13%)   |  RRP £15.99

    The Fast Show, like Viz comic and Private Eye magazine, is one of those comedic institutions whose principal appeal is its utter predictability. The jokes in every episode are exactly the same, every sketch an only slightly different path to one of a few familiar punchlines ("I'll get me coat", "Where's me washboard?", "Scorchio!", "Suits you, Sir," and so on): once the viewer or reader is in with the jokes, they feel part of the club. This sort of reductive comedy is extremely easy to do badly: it is testament to the writing and acting of Paul Whitehouse and his team that not only are most of the set-pieces funny every time they reappear (the overly prurient tailors, the pub know-all, the Trevor Brooking-esque football pundit Ron Manager), but that each individual sketch is funny more than once. This first series of The Fast Show does not include a couple of characters who became well-loved mainstays; neither the licentious car salesman Swiss Tony, for whom everything was "like making love to a beautiful woman", or the incomprehensible raconteur Rowley Birkin QC, had been developed at this stage. However, aficionados will regard this collection as indispensable for the beginning of the saga of awkward young aristocrat Ralph and his unrequited passion for his gardener, Ted: a funny yet oddly affecting rendering of love thwarted by circumstance. On the DVD: The Fast Show--Series 1 on disc includes interviews with the cast, and English subtitles. There is an episode selector and an individual scene selector, though the latter is confusingly laid out. --Andrew Mueller

  • Labor Pains [DVD]Labor Pains | DVD | (31/08/2009) from £7.56   |  Saving you £5.43 (71.83%)   |  RRP £12.99

    Labour Pains

  • Best Of British: East Is East, Brassed Off, Purely BelterBest Of British: East Is East, Brassed Off, Purely Belter | DVD | (30/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

    East Is EastFor the seven kids of George Khan life is one long compromise. Tomboy Meenah prefers playing footie to wearing a sari hippie Saleem pretends to be studying engineering when he's really at art school heart throb Tariq has got a reputation as a local Casanova and Sajid hasn't even been circumcised yet! Brassed OffIt's 1992 and the miners of Grimley Colliery are facing uncertainty. Not only is their pit under threat but the Grimley Colliery Band is on the verge of breaking up - that is until Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) arrives. As the only female member of the band she somehow manages to rekindle their enthusiam for the forthcoming National Championships as well as rekindling a childhood romance with Andy (Ewan McGregor). Purely BelterAt the centre of this heart warming comedy are two young boys who won't give up on the pursuit of their dreams. Gerry and Sewell are broke. Owning season tickets to their beloved football club is their biggest dream of all. The tickets cost ''1000: they''re ''1000 short...

  • The Three Stooges [DVD]The Three Stooges | DVD | (11/02/2013) from £7.04   |  Saving you £12.95 (183.95%)   |  RRP £19.99

    Though it's a reboot of a classic slapstick series, The Three Stooges fits right into Peter and Bobby Farrelly's filmography. Throughout their comedies, especially Dumb and Dumber, they've always championed the clueless and clumsy, and that describes this trio perfectly: Moe, Larry, and Curly (Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, and Will Sasso, taking over from Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Jim Carrey). In the prologue or first "episode" (two more will follow), an unseen character drops three babies off at a Catholic orphanage. At first, the nuns (Jane Lynch, Jennifer Hudson, and Larry David--yes, Larry David) take delight in the spirited infants with the strange hairstyles, but 10 years later, their antics have worn thin. A well-heeled couple (Stephen Collins and Carly Craig) considers adoption, but things don't work out, so 25 more years pass, during which they become the orphanage's bumbling handymen, which necessitates further head-bonks, nyuk-nyuk-nyuks, and woo-woo-woos. When the threat of closure comes to the only home they've ever known, the boys set out to save the day. This leads them to a wealthy woman (Sofía Vergara), her lover (Craig Bierko), and her father-in-law (Collins), encounters that bring them to the attention of MTV's Jersey Shore, which provides a solution to their dilemma. The Farrellys may have their hearts in the right place, but The Three Stooges ranks as their weakest effort to date. The cast does what they can, but the script is terminally unfunny, and the frenetic direction only drives the point home. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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