Robert Joyner
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Bea Swanson
This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
maxscholl
I don't know why this movie doesn't get the attention it deserves. The first three times I watched it, I spat my drink all over my shirt. All punchlines are perfectly timed, the cast is amazing, and you can watch it over and over again, because there are so many jokes you will miss when you watch it the first time. Try it out, you will not regret it and have many funny evenings.
yo-c
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this. I had started reading the play by Michael Frayn and decided to watch the film to get an idea of what it would look like. I was expecting a cheap movie with unknown actors and average cinematography. I was not expecting to see Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve in a hilarious romp that had me in stitches from start to finish.The first act shows a troupe of actors rehearsing for their own farce, "Nothing On". This rehearsal would precede their first performance that night. But they are clearly not ready to perform. The rehearsal is constantly interrupted by forgotten stage directions, faulty doors, the absence of Selsdon (Denholm Elliott), Frederick (Christopher Reeve) asking about his character, Philip's motives and Brooke losing her contacts. You can feel the tension in director Lloyd (Michael Caine) as he realises how incompetent his cast is.Things only get worse in the second act. This is by far the strongest act. After a few good and a few not so good performances, we now get a glimpse at behind the scenes of one of their performances. However, the cast now hate each other as they believe partners are cheating on them. The brilliance of this act comes from the fact that the actors try to remain silent behind the set and yet they are constantly trying to fight each other or mess with each other. A fantastic moment plays out as the actors attempt to swing an axe at each other only to have it snatched out their hands.The third and final act once again shows the stage from the audience's point of view as the actors have become even more frustrated with each other and slowly drop out of their characters and veer more and more from their lines. Things drastically fall apart and the audience (of the film) is left chewing their fingernails in discomfort.The farce that the actors are playing on stage is also brilliantly written in and of itself. At times (when the actors are properly performing the play) it is easy to forget that this is a play inside a play and get absorbed into the action of "Nothing On". It follows a host of characters as they race around a house trying not to let anyone else know they are there. It also involves sardines. A lot of sardines.The cast do a brilliant job of both their film roles and their play roles. In the film they have American accents, but in the play they have British accents. This makes it clear when they drop in and out of their roles, which they do more and more as the film goes on. This blurred line between between their play character and film character is performed so perfectly as well.The action plays out in a very cartoon-like way. This is true to the farcical style and works flawlessly. The constant flow of action as multiple things are working at once means the film can be watched over and over and something new can be seen every time.The camera is never static and pans seamlessly between action as it shows a pair of characters doing one thing as another pair do something else. The dynamic camera puts you right in the action and makes you feel just as uncomfortable as the actors would be.I was pleasantly surprised to see that the dialogue had been taken almost directly from the Michael Frayn's writing. Only a few words had been adapted to fit the American setting.Overall, this was a uproariously good time and an excellent rendition of the original play. The film serves the play tremendously and is brilliant in its own right too. The cast have performed superbly and the cinematography was dynamic enough so that it still felt like a film and not a stage production.
warren-723-531846
I remember seeing a 'classic' British theatrical comedy as a teenager in London, 'No Sex Please We're British' in the late 1970's and my vague recollection was it was rather good fun and despite the farcical nature of the play; usually an anathema to a cynical 14 year old; I laughed. More than once. The live action added so much to the experience. 'Noises Off' is a film about the staging of a similar production but we get to see the farce behind the farce. Or at least that appears to be the intention. Unfortunately I did not laugh once. I smirked and appreciated the talents of the actors involved. The cast is on the whole pretty good (Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty, Marilu Henner, Mark Linn-Baker, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Nicollette Sheridan, Kate Rich) and all involved do a more than passable job with the script. This comment may appear contradictory to the overall summary I have given, but I am truly baffled as to the "tears of laughter", "you'll laugh from beginning to end", "I could not stop laughing during the entire movie!", " Completely hysterical!" and other hyperbole used by many of the 'critics' on this site about this film.I can see how the original theatrical production would have worked as a live performance and the complexity of action would have been very funny on the stage. But as a film? While it is indeed a well written piece of theatre, as a comedy film, it looses so much in translation, it just isn't that good. So, worth seeing? Yes - but do not expect too much. If you buy this DVD, on a comedy scale, expect it to be amusing at best.
Scaramouche2004
Who was it that said, "Comedy is all about Timing?" Well whoever said it must have just watched Noises Off, as it is probably one of the best examples of true comedy timing ever brought to the screen.It follows a troupe of actors attempting to bring a 'farce' to the stage despite the entire performance falling down around their ankles, as personal disputes, dodgy scenery, missed queues, and backstage accidents take hold.Michael Caine is delightful throughout as the humourless director, desperately trying to bully a reasonable performance out of his unhappy band of players, who include Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliot and Nicolette Sheriden.The film is basically split into three parts, the first third of the movie shows us how the play should be performed, introducing us, the flies on the wall so to speak to the important lines, the queues, the nature of the farce etc, which we then relate to later on when it is destined to all go so wrong. Even this segment is not without its problems as we see fluffed lines, confusing prop issues and the basis for future disagreements between the cast and crew become apparent.Fast forward a few weeks and we see another performance of the play, this time all the action we see takes place back stage, in the wings and behind the scenery as the comical slapstick feuding reaches fever pitch. We can here the dialogue of the play on stage as the cast silently fight behind the scenes, with weapons, bottles and props, being passed from character to character as their off stage antics threatens their entrances and exits, their lines and the overall smooth running of the play.Another few weeks later we see the play reach Cleveland and it's way to its big Broadway opening and the cast have practically given up, ad libbing and bringing their off stage issues right onto the stage and into the audiences lap.The action is so fast paced that it is hard to describe just how great and funny this film is, it just has to be seen to be believed. And anyone who has performed on stage and perhaps even acted out a farce, will appreciate just how brilliant the whole cast were and how their individual performances were just spot on.A nice angle in which to look at this film is that it is a group of actors playing farce on the stage and not quite managing to get it right, yet their offstage antics become the most perfectly performed farce you will ever see.I defy anyone not to enjoy this film enormously.
