Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served? (1977) is comedy film based on the BBC's British sitcom Are You Being Served? (1972–1985), which follows the staff of the men's & women's clothing departments of the London Grace Brothers department store. The film was directed by Bob Kellett & the screenplay was by series creators & writers David Croft & Jeremy Lloyd. The film featured the performers from the television series, including Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton, Trevor Bannister, Arthur Brough, Wendy Richard, Nicholas Smith, & Penny Irving. Here are the pros & cons of this film as I see it, I hope this helps you.Pros:1. I did laugh out loud during some of the antics in the film2. It was nice to see the cast from the early years of the series again3. Wendy Richard's evening gown was very nice4. Mollie Sugden was a truly talented actressCons:1. I gave the series five stars, but I only gave three stars to the film, that should tell you something2. Many of the jokes & routines are directly from the series, the material should be new3. Poorly written, created, & directed compared to the series

During the worst of the pandemic, we binge-watched ALL of the “Are You Being Served” TV episodes. They are funny, lighthearted, silly. Just what the doctor ordered during scary and dark times. I had watched them years ago on PBS with my parents, but my husband has never heard of the series. He loved it. We completed our binge session with the movie. And it did not disappoint- we laughed.

First off let me say I am a huge fan of "Are You Being Served" the TV show. I own both the original and "Are You Being Served, Again" DVDs of the TV shows. I purchased this hoping to see some new capers involving the hilarious characters of Grace Brothers. Right from the start I started hearing jokes from the show. So much so that being a serious fan of the show I knew the punchlines before the line was finished. The timing seemed off as the TV show had pauses for the laugh lines in the jokes. Since you don't need pauses for laughter in a non live movie, the next line sometimes ran over where you would be laughing. If you are new to "Are You Being Served" you might enjoy this, but I recommend the original TV show as it seems to have more punch as a "live" show with an audience.

I watched this movie after a marathon binge of all 10 series of AYBS and the 2 series of "Grace and Favour." In that context I absolutely loved it! It was wonderful seeing the original cast together on the big screen. I quite enjoyed the different yet 'larger' feel of the store set. I also felt that most of the store scenes kept the continuity of the show nicely.I was a bit less pleased, in terms of continuity, with the actual holiday scenes. As has oft been pointed out many of the jokes and material are recycled. However, The "Dear Sexy Knickers" scene was, in my opinion, quite a bit BETTER than the original TV episode routine, precisely because it did last longer and take the joke further with the follow up, "Dear Sexy Y-Fronts."The amorous tent-hopping scene was quite amusing, although I couldn't help but be reminded of the better and much funnier room-hopping scene in the season 5 episode of Frasier, "The Ski Lodge." I feel like that scene could have delivered a bit better. I was also put off by the terrible special effect caterpillar they used in the tent scenes.I agree with the comments that Mr. Humphries seemed quite a bit "gayer" in the movie compared to the series, which I neither took as positive or a negative, just an interesting thing to note. On the plus side some of the humour was a bit more explicit and pushed the envelop further, often delivering, but on the downside a lot of the original humour associated with the character was in his ambiguity, and he was just a lot less ambiguous in the movie.I also agree with the comments about the laugh track/audience being sorely missed. I also quite missed the cash register sounds between scenes, and yes the lack of these familiar, beloved sounds and effects did make the pacing and jokes feel just a bit off.I thoroughly enjoyed the plotline involving Mrs. Slocombe using a fake photo of her head on someone else's body and all the missassumptions it caused. That was a new, fresh device for the show and in my opinion they got a great deal of positive mileage out of it. I think it should also be noted that back in that era, despite the jokes to the contrary, Mollie Sugden really did still have a nice figure.My biggest complaint of the movie was the entire revolution plot, which just seemed over-the-top and not especially amusing, and worse the attempts at Spanish/cultural comedy. The latter is certainly no deviation from the show, however. Throughout its run AYBS attempted to poke fun at many foreign cultures: Japanese, Germans, Italians, Greeks, Mongolians (Grace and Favor), Arabs, and I'm sure many others I'm forgetting. They were all awful and almost painful to watch with the exaggerated stereotyping, tacky attempts to 'speak the language' by adding or dropping a few letters of otherwise standard English words, and generally conveying the attitude that foreigners are to be mocked. I could have done without them adding the Spanish to the list in this movie. The only exceptions, in my personal estimation, were the frequent lampooning of the Americans, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish throughout the original series - that didn't strike me as offensive at all, just lighthearted teasing. I imagine in large part because there was no need (excuse?) to do the terrible mock language jokes.Anyway, all in all I did thoroughly enjoy this movie. It was great in the larger context of the series and a must see for any AYBS fan. Although I can't imagine a non-AYBS fan particularly enjoying it. It doesn't stand alone, but it's a nice companion piece.

If you're a fan of the show, as I am, you'll recognize Almost ALL of the jokes they use in this... they seemed to have lifted the biggest laughs of the tv show and plonked them right down into the film...It's cute enough, and as an avid RUBnSrvd Fan, I think it's one you need to have... but the show is better!I've not found the show available for streaming yet online, and so I bought this because it was the only thing that came up when I did the search...I own the original show on DVD, the boxed set, and Love it, and I'd like to eventually get the Grace and Favor series to complete the set, but this film is really for purists, collectors, and those with nowhere else to turn for RUBnSrvd content...It's fun... but it doesn't hold a candle to the real deal...

Soooo disappointing...... As a fan of the series i wanted to like this "movie" but it was just recycled material with poor timing and out of pace dialogues... Once and done view-ability at best for serious fans of the show.

It was funny to a point, but began to get repetitive about half-way through the movie. This story might have been better as a half hour episode as opposed to an hour and a half movie. The sense of "vacation" was lacking in that there was minimal travel up until they get to their destination. The movie might have been better served with scenes of the country attractions, sight-seeing, etc.This movie has been difficult to find and this may be why.

This 1977 spin-off movie really does seem to polarise audience opinion.You either love it, in which case you consider it an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to shell out a fair old wedge for what is, in all honesty, a very cheaply made DVD ... or you think that 'Are You Being Served? The Movie' is the sort of thing they ought to have perpetually playing of a night-time in areas of high crime, as a way of getting potential malefactors off the streets quickly and efficiently. Not just off the streets either, but voluntarily locked up in their own homes and praying to anyone who will listen to please, please not let Mrs Slocombe's Union Flag knickers appear in their nightmares.For what it's worth (and, no doubt, because I was born to be awkward) I can't say I absolutely love this film. But I do like a lot of things about it. At the same time, I can see why it might have caused someone like Barry Norman to choke on his popcorn.A seventies sitcom spin-off movie needs to have a number of things going for it to have any sort of hope of being spoken of favourably a few decades down the line. Essentially, it needs the original cast, an original script, an interesting situation for the characters to find themselves in and, most important of all, it's got to be funny. All of which explains, at a glance, why the film version of 'Rising Damp' won so few Oscars.'Are You Being Served? The Movie' can certainly pass muster as far as its cast is concerned. It features all the regulars (including Arthur English as Mr Harman, Mr Mash's janitorial replacement) as well as people like Andrew Sachs and Glyn Houston in support. But never mind them: Mollie Sugden is unquestionably worth the price of admission alone. There's nothing more attractive than a woman who is effortlessly brilliant at what she does - and that applies to Mollie, in spades. Even if her superb comedy creation IS keen on sporting a hair tint which has been picked at random from an interior designer's colour wheel.As for having an original script though - well, that's where things go a little bit wrong really. If we think of the film as being split into three main segments, I would say that the first two (where we find the staff in their usual environment and then follow them, via Gatwick, to the Costa Plonka) definitely have merit. The denouement however is, in my opinion, as weak as water.And Mrs Slocombe and I are unanimous in that. In my dreams we are, anyway.Arguably, the staff of Grace Brothers being forced to go on holiday together could be said to have come straight out of one of the earlier TV episodes, although the fact that they never actually did get away on that occasion is something in the film's favour. And there is a lot of original comedy to be found, albeit it somewhat outflanked sometimes by some suspiciously familiar-sounding lines. But there are two main set-pieces that, basically, have been lifted straight out of the programme.One of them ('Dear Sexy Knickers...') works very well in its new Spanish setting. The other, which sees Derek Griffiths' visiting Sheik having a balloon thrust up his inside leg, was as boring as heck when they did a variation of it in the show. Here in the movie, it manages to be as boring as heck AS WELL as doing absolutely nothing to serve either the story or the characters. Although, from the expression on his face, Derek Griffiths himself must have got quite a lot out of the experience.As far as the 'situation' part of things goes, the idea of having the staff holidaying together is actually made rather believable. Indeed, it even seems quite appealing... at least until it becomes apparent that everyone will have to share the one lavatory. For some reason the idea of going in there after Mr Grainger would put me right off. Then again, he'd probably have similar reservations about following me. And he'd undoubtedly have a much stronger case, too.These days, Mr Lucas' behaviour while going through security at Gatwick would see him serving a considerable period of time in chokey. And Mr Grainger would be going through a body scanner and then, quite possibly, joining him. It's funny how times change, isn't it? Still, we get to see some wonderful old footage of the airport, including a gorgeous Dan Air Comet (known to its friends as G-APYD) which, a quick internet search tells me, is now residing in the Science Museum at Wroughton, near Swindon.As I said before, I think the ending itself is pretty disappointing. Having thought about it though, that's probably because it is a step too far for the characters. They get up to some daft things on the sales floor and (particularly in the case of Mr Humphries) in a whole lot of other places besides... but to find them effectively in the middle of a warzone is just a bit too far-fetched. Although not as far-fetched as Young Mr Grace's shenanigans in the final few frames. How does that bloke get so many nubile young ladies, that's what I'd like to know. And how the dickens did he never try anything on with Mrs Slocombe? Good grief, what was wrong with the man??!The lovely thing about 'Are You Being Served?' is that it quickly evolved into a true ensemble piece and that is very much reflected in this movie. Each character has been so well-written and is so well-portrayed that they are all funny, and each and every one of them brings something different. It's not going to split your sides (unless you've got a part-time job as the Laughing Policeman), but it certainly has an awful lot more going for it as a comedy than a lot of its detractors might have you believe.My own favourite moments come right at the beginning, before the cast have even packed their suitcases. First, there's a brilliant series of scenes in which Mrs Slocombe has to get a photo taken for her visa while trying to evade the nurse who's been tasked with giving her her injections. The glaring hole in the plot that means she surely would never have actually had the time to get that visa made up is never explained, so I suppose we're meant to ignore it. To be fair, it's not really something I find myself dwelling on. Not when I've got Mrs Slocombe's reassuringly patriotic bloomers to hold my attention.In addition to that, there's a clever piece of silent comedy involving a mannequin, some false teeth and a pair of budgie-smugglers. I know, I know - the mind positively boggles, doesn't it?The music is what really makes that scene, by the way. I've read reviews elsewhere that complain about the soundtrack as a whole, accusing it of sounding 'cheesy' and the like. All I can say is, the main reason I bought this film was to get my hands on a copy of the music they use in the closing titles. It's awful, I'll be the first to admit that. All the same, it is infuriatingly catchy.And it's not as if there is anything else that could even remotely be referred to as a 'bonus' on here. It's been lumbered with a Region 2 coding (for, what I can only assume are, reasons of abject spite). Meanwhile, it can boast no helpful sleeve-notes, no handy leaflets, no life-saving subtitles... no nothing.Well, unless you can count that picture of Mrs Slocombe on her hands and knees. That one there... where she's looking over her shoulder all wide-eyed and enthusiastic.Actually you know, someone with a crush on her and an overactive imagination might well consider that to be a definite bonus.No?Oh well, that must just be me then!

In a similar vein to Carry On Abroad, the movie pokes fun at the theme of Brits abroad in Spain during the package holiday boom of the 60s/70s and finding the food strange, toilets unusual and accommodation not quite to the standard shown in the brochure.More of an extended episode of Are You Being Served? than a fully-realised movie, this is still an enjoyable romp with the much-loved employees of Grace Brothers department store.

Works great what a funny dvd film are you being served on holiday worth seeing again

A big fan of AYBS. However, there is no canned laughter and this movie is really made out of recycled jokes and set pieces from the shows. Still slightly amusing but forgettable.

Remember seeing this at the pictures as we watched the tv series. My wife worked in a dept. Store like Grace Bros. Brings back memories.