Customer Reviews

A Bit of Fry and Laurie - Season Two

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There was Hugh Laurie and his multi-talented pal Stephen Fry, doing the best sketch comedy the world has ever known. Laurie gets to sing & play the piano, Stephen mixes drinks, and the two of them write really funny sketches. A particular fave is the series of episodes with the overtly polite spies, Control and Tony, but it's hard to choose favorites, 'cause there's so much to dig.

It must be said that 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie' did not suffer any drop off in quality after it's first series. In fact the opposite is the case, as it appears to have gained comic momentum in the intervening time.

The clever, rapier wit that is employed by the duo is still present, however now it has been further honed in. Fry and Laurie have now identified their social targets and are inent on pursuing them with renewed vigour. On the chopping block are the governing Conservative party of the time, as well as much of the middle/upper classes, specifically the obnoxious, mobile phone toting yuppies of London's banking and financial sector.

However this is not to say that the series takes on too serious a tone or is any way "preachy". The pair still find time to have fun with more traditional (and hilarious) sketch show characters and to indulge their comical whims. If you were a fan of the first series then you definitely won't go wrong with this DVD as it is certainly worth a decent chunk of anyone's money.

For those people who only know Hugh Laurie as Dr. House, you will be deliighted to know he is truly a comic! He and Steven Frye will keep you in stitches for an hour in this series of comedy shows from the BBC. Inventive and wry, this is British humor (or humour) at its best.

I'd never heard of Hugh Laurie until "House, MD", but after seeing a lot of ABOFAL clips on the net I decided to buy this DVD. It's so funny! Way better than Saturday Night Live, in my opinion.

The humor is sophisticated and not pandering to the lowest common denominator like so much so called comedy on TV these days. I've had to watch the DVD over and over just to "get" some of the jokes. I LOVE that. Not figuring out the punchline when the joke starts is awesome!

Stephen Fry is great too. I'd seen him in "V for Vendetta" but ABOFAL is the first comedic thing I've seen him do. He cracks me up.

Even if you've never heard of either of these two actors, you should get this DVD if you like comedy. It's one of those you can watch over and over and never get tired of it.

This team of comedians should be better known in America. When you are in the mood for Monty Python, but feel you've seen them all too recently, try Fry and Laurie. I think the first seasonA Bit of Fry and Laurie - Season One is a bit funnier, but both will have you rolling with laughter off the couch! It is especially sweet to see Hugh Laurie being so goofy in a broad English accent after admiring his work on "House"House, M.D. - Season One. There is a sketch in Fry and Laurie when Laurie dons a white coat and is interacting with a hospital patient and just comparing that with House, makes it even more hilarious!! Fry and Laurie has been the comedy find of the year for me!!
Highy recommended!

For fans of British humor (or should I say "humour") this DVD is a must see! If you love Hugh Laurie in House and have never seen him in a comedy role - get ready to roll in the aisle! Some of the references to British politics went over my head - but the everything else is very funny! Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are an unbeatable combination - for more of the same try Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder!

Like many Americans, I only became aware of this series after Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry became stars over here. Even though the series has been off the air for two decades now, the humor is still spot-on. Anyone who has enjoyed Fry and Laurie in their more modern roles already know what capable actors and comedians they are. A Bit of Fry and Laurie puts their talents in the spotlight, with each episode presenting half an hour of sketch comedy that is witty, absurd, and above all hilarious.

Season Two picks right up where the first series left off and manages to capitalize on some of the more popular skits from before. Tony and Control, the super-polite British Intelligence agents, get several skits here. The business-obsessed duo Jon and Peter also have some of their most memorable moments. Not every sketch deals with recurring characters, however. There are lots of one-offs where Fry gets to show off his mastery of the absurd and Laurie's versatility in comedy and music get highlighted.

Any criticisms I can offer of this series come down to minor nitpicks, including trivial matters such as the set changes between series one and series two. The bottom line is that A Bit of Fry and Laurie is flawless regardless of the season, and this DVD is well worth your money.

I love British comedy and I loved Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster... so I expected this to be just as good. It wasn't quite as good but it is still really entertaining. I love these two!

Inexplicably, Netflix does not yet have seasons 1, 3, or 4 of this early 90s sketch comedy done by friends/colleagues Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who usually produce successful skits if they're not too esoteric or not dragged out too long.

Imagine a funnier, shorter, and very British SNL. Recurring characters include the spy Tony and his extremely polite boss, Control ("Bohhh!"); the perpetually disgruntled, swearing business partners John and Peter ("Damn, double damn, and an extra pint of damn for the weekend!"); and various interviewees on the streets of London. Much absurdity, wordplay, and amusing musical performances as well. Best bits: Hugh plays an angry man who wants to be cured of his eccentricity ("Well, give the man a bloody MEDAL!" ... I thought I would die laughing); Fry dancercises; Fry portrays Michael Jackson after much facial reconstruction; Hugh plays a song called "Where is the lid?"; Fry and Laurie make up new swear words. Is it possible they invented the word "skank" ?
My mom was in stitches after hearing the trifle/custardy joke in one of the John and Peter sketches.

Includes an extra feature--these fellows and other budding actors, including friend Emma Thompson, performing material at Cambridge University in 1982. Among the 45 minutes of this : Hugh talking nonsense, Fry teaching Hugh how to do Shakespeare; the pair plus Tony Slattery and Penny Dwyer in a hilarious game of charades; and much more.

This is SO worth buying, spec. if you are an American and only know Hugh Laurie from House and Stephen Fry from Bones. They were (and still are) one of the funniest and most talented comic duos!