Search - Gentlemen Prefer French & Saunders on DVD

Dorothy M. from FEDERAL WAY, WA
Reviewed on 12/7/2015...

I was familiar with Dawn French from the Vicar of Dibley. She is one of the best comedy performers that I have ever seen. With Jennifer Saunders along for the ride, they rival Abbot and Costello or the original SNL group. Worth watching. LOL

It's to "AbFab" as "Fawlty Towers" is to "Monty Python."

02/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders emerged on the British comedy scene as one of the new crop of performers who began at the "Comic Strip" club. This clan produced great TV comedy throughout the '80s & '90s, much to America's indifference: "The Young Ones (the most successful of the bunch stateside)," "The Comic Strip Presents...," "Bottom," "Filthy, Rich, & Catflap," and "French & Saunders." Then, Jennifer Saunders wrote and starred in a program based on a sketch from a "French & Saunders" show called "Absolutely Fabulous." Of course, it became an worldwide hit and put Saunders on the map. "AbFab" is unquestionably brilliant and Edina Monsoon a fantastic creation but the fact that Yanks love "AbFab" while remaining ignorant of "French & Saunders" is like having people love John Cleese's "Fawlty Towers" while never having seen his work in "Monty Python's Flying Circus." "French & Saunders," being a sketch show, covers a wider range of subjects and humor than "AbFab" and reveals Dawn French as a formidable talent on her own and a perfect compliment to Saunders. Many of the shows parody popular films and musical acts and, while some pieces may be very dry, others are rather vulgar and savage. Personally, I think these shows are greater than "AbFab" in that there is so much more in them - including the full breadth of Saunders talent (both women have an endless stream of diverse characters inside them). Grab this disc and discover what they already know overseas: that French & Saunders are the greatest comedy team of the past 20 years!"

These Two Women Are Chameleons

E. Richards | Alone with my thoughts | 12/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I rate these folks fairly highly because I understand British idiom and humo(u)r. If you are an American, trust that your mileage may vary on how well this tickles your funny bone. It is a good bit more sedate than "Monty Python", that's for sure.No doubt about it - Saunders and French are chameleons. I suspect a big award goes to the wardrobe and makeup crew who work with them, but we have a somewhat convincing 250 pound Jane Russell (French) doing schtick with a middle-aged Marilyn Monroe (Saunders).The DVD has sketches, not one running story. In this one, they lampoon opera divas, publishers of utterly worthless "stocking stuffer" books (I am resisting spoiling it and will not post the title of the dreadful book,but it is funny.), boring chat shows (one has the two women chatting earnestly about what the Queen had for "elevenses"), two rustic housewifes bragging about fleecing the yuppies ("She offered me 100 quid for the loo!"), and (my favorite) a couple of dour and indestructible old women in Wellies with two large dogs under the table.The sketches I did not like were the "Gone With The Wind Sketch" ( Too many "Fiddle-dee-dees" for my taste) and the visit to the friend in jail sketch (I got bored, so sue me.).Oh, yeah, this DVD also has the sketch that spawned the entire "Absolutely Fabulous"."

Har Ar Yew?

07/21/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone unfamiliar with this long established comedic duo is in for a treat. Their well crafted use of repetitive humour and uncanny 'spoof' techniques make other lesser parody comedians seem trite. Sets and costumes alone are reason enough to invest in this gem of British comedy, but it is the dialogue and nuance which draws one into their world. A world which lies "somewhere between crap and mediocre". We however know the reality!"