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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best-Kept Britcom Secret = AGING WITH ATTITUDE, June 27, 2004
This review is from: Waiting for God: Cheering Tom Up, Fraulein Miller, Power of Attorney [VHS] (VHS Tape)
PLEASE don't be put off by the title - this is one of the best Britcoms to hit the US Shores. This show is totally unique - set in the British retirement community of Bayview, and its inmates...er, residents, are taking steps to NOT gracefully fade away! It also has the advantage of being less silly than "Keeping Up Appearances." I have never laughed aloud so much at a series as I have at the adventures of Stephanie Cole's Diana Trent (spinster & proud of it) and Graham Crowden's Tom (part-time bullfighter on the moon, when he wasn't digging out of Colditz with "Dickie and Johnny"), and their battles against Daniel Hill's "The Idiot Baines" and Janine Duvitski's love-starved Jane. Together with sex-fiend Basil and other inmates, and constantly thwarting the efforts of Tom's revolting family to control them (not to mention Harvey's plots to toss Diana out of the community), the antics are priceless. I have been hunting for all 47 episodes of the show, which form a total story, with a beginning (Tom's arrival), a middle (the Scandal!), and an end (call it two weddings and a funeral - not the one released). FINALLY six episodes (and slightly edited at that!) from the first series (season) were released on video; alas, the premiere was not among them. The two tapes of three episodes each are IT so far, at least commercially. Grab 'em while you can - and let's see if we can get BBC Video to release the whole thing (including a second Christmas special episode never shown in the US) on DVD! Once you visit Bayview, you'll want to go back, and six times won't be enough!
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why hasn't the BBC released more of these?, August 25, 2003
This review is from: Waiting for God: Cheering Tom Up, Fraulein Miller, Power of Attorney [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This sitcom is one of the most excellent I've ever seen, and I cannot comprehend why the BBC hasn't released more episodes, and why they are still available only in VHS format. I began watching this show as a teenager when I could wrench the television away from my major network-watching family and fix the channel firmly on PBS. It still gives me more rewards than I can count. What makes "Waiting for God" so worth watching over and over again is that the humor is not without very real, human, compassionate depth; the characters are old, and they know it. Though sometimes their humor is what we might call slapstick, and it is certainly quite frequently on the randy side, Tom and Diana have real affection for one another, and they are allowed by the writers to show that affection. We Americans have few images of older people who we permit to have genuine emotional experiences, especially in the world of comedy (we like our grandparents to be nasty and negative and fatallistic, like Ray Romano's parents). But this sitcom emphasizes equally the comedy and the situation the characters find themselves in. Buy this video, and prepare to be entertained and moved at the same time. If you like "Are You Being Served?" and "Keeping Up Appearances" and "As Time Goes By," you won't be disappointed. But I think you will be refreshed and surprised at a few tricks the Brits still have up their endlessly comedic sleeves.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for anyone who loves Bayviews two most funny couple, November 18, 2000
This review is from: Waiting for God: Cheering Tom Up, Fraulein Miller, Power of Attorney [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This movie was a treat for anyone who enjoys the wild and crazy antics of Diana Trent(Stephanie cole)and Tom Ballard(Graham Crowden).When Diana was assigned the task of cheering up Tom and convincing him he wasn't going to die I knew it was going to be laugh-out-loud halarious,and it was.When Diana inadvertantly talked Tom into killing himself I lost it.Later when Diana let loose her "If you can do it so can i"spirit and starts to think of ways to kill themselves my mom was practically on the floor laughing.I think the best part was after Diana finally talked Tom out of suicide and Tom criticises her painting saying that the tree really looked like a naked man. This is deffinately a must see video for all wfg fans and anyone who enjoys a really good laugh.
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