Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

ferdinand1932 When this was broadcast in 1996 it was really important. Britain was tired of the Tories and they were incompetent but also the soul of what drives political ideals was gone. A year after this series was shown the Labour party swept to power. Not that there is a correlation there but the mood of the country had changed.Fourteen years later - in 2010 - there is so much to admire here, even if the political urgency has past: the writing, production, casting, and threads to the long story, but there also parts that don't work anymore: the sex and corruption theme stands out here. As this is a single writer's work it has great features in character and in the human play that covers 40+ years. It also tends to fall into dirge over the miner's strike - as important as that was but like some other elements it is a bit close to agitprop-theater of the 1970s.The biggest impression made now is that we have lost this type of story on TV. We are too involved with reality TV rubbish and contest shows of dubious merit and consuming more junk than stories about how people live. And finally, in an era of spin politics it reminds us that politics starts from simple things like housing and respect.It's over 9 hours to watch the whole series and it's worth the time.

rosscanada When I first saw this a decade ago I was amazed by the excellent performances by the main stars (Gina McKee, Daniel Craig, Mark Strong and the one of the finest actors around today Christopher Eccleston) I knew a bit about the background of Britain and the North East between the 60s and the 90s but was amazed by how realistic it really was. The credit for this amazing production must go to writer Peter Flannery. The story lines which were more personal to me where the ones based on the Thatcher years as this is when I grow up with the miners strikes. It also one of the greatest endings with the use of Oasis' "Don't Look Back In Anger" which was also number 1 when "Our Friends In the North" was shown

theinvestigator No offence Burrobaggy but the review is stereotypical of people with historical chips on their shoulder the size of Knots Landing. WAKE UP. The north east has changed / is changing/ will keep changing. It is not the outpost of England so "fondly" reconciled by anyone living south of the Midlands.OK, so it's gritty, grim and depressing at times and the one thing I completely agree with is that the smug McKee is truly vile. But put the history of the program in context - it portrayed things "at the time". And that's exactly what it was - yes - even with the heavy dialogue and accent. Take it for what it was, a portrayal of life when it happened throughout the decades.I happen to think it was a tremendous series brilliantly created for TV depicting credible characters which you warm to, relate to and sympathise with. Heck you even want to be on the frontline with them battling against the Police for the rights of the Miners (and I never agreed with that dispute!) Having recently rented the series after watching it originally on TV I retained the same feeling on conclusion. It left me feeling sad, fulfilled and wanting more even though that was never going to happen. This is truly an excellent drama. Put aside a weekend, rent it and lock out the world. And whatever you do, don't believe the north east is grim.....

alansausse1 Profoundly depressing, yet comforting and uplifting at the same time.A bunch of teenagers pour scorn on their parents' resignation to their fate - and set out to change the world - and 30 years later they've become their parents. But they still have each other, and somehow you're left feeling that this is the most important thing of all.I've always liked the British "Northern Drama" - and this is a fine example of the genre.