Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

gee-15 Many current comedy series rely on the "sarcastic putdown" to generate humor (and in the right hands, such writing can be very funny). "Mum" is a comedy where the humor comes not from the snarky remarks of the main character but rather her patient and quietly bemused reactions to the lovable (and some not so lovable) idiots in her life. Lesley Manville is absolutely brilliant and fully inhabits her character of the recently widowed, 59 year old Cathy who now has to face a difficult circle of family and friends alone. These include (but are not limited to) a clueless son, his insecure and awkward girlfriend, two elderly, cranky in-laws teetering on the edge of dementia, her dunce of a brother and his snobbish, unkind "partner" (as he calls her). And yet, the writing allows most of these characters their own moment or moments of aching humanity. (One of the most poignant is the moment when Cathy's foul-mouthed father-in-law falls sadly silent after mentioning how well his late son used to barbecue). But the show really belongs to Cathy and old family friend, Michael (Peter Mullan). Their tentative romance plays out slowly over the two seasons. It's hard to recall any film, play, tv show that had a more tender romance at its heart. When you realize that this romantic interplay is between two individuals who are around 60 years old, it becomes even more significant. Well worth watching!

donthomas-82520 I love this sit-com...and feel the characters so typical but can't always grasp what they are saying...what did Cathy say to Michael in the kitchen to upset him ? I reeled it back a few times and still couldn't get it.

tonydart-54259 Loved series 1 and series 2 is proving to be just as brilliant. I rarely laugh out loud at sitcoms but the relationship between Derek and Pauline in the episode April was just played to perfection and with sublime comic timing. Yes, some people are annoying, or too nice, or slightly stupid, or emotionally armored. or weak ... but this is real life. Well done BBC for this life affirming piece of work.

moonmaedyn I watched this, after finding it on the recommendations list on this site (i.e. "other people that liked this, also liked THIS"). Not knowing what to expect (but encouraged by the rating), I binged- watched all 6 episodes and found myself genuinely dismayed that it was over!As for some of the characters--well...the actors play their parts so well and it is written SO WELL that I cry every time someone is mean to Kelly (She's just dumb, and doesn't know any better. Last I checked that wasn't a crime, or a reason to be mean to someone), and frankly, the character of her mother, and the way she treated Kelly (who isn't SO dumb that she doesn't realize her mom is a mean snake), just makes me want to four-five her. I guess that's because I've known real people like that. Mean people suck. The fact that Cathy (the Mum) puts up with Kelly's numerous verbal faux pas is really endearing. She seems to understand, and empathizes with her. Just what a Mum ought to do! I know a lot of people that lack the internal "filter," so I guess I'm used to this, too!Anytime something makes the viewer "feel" something (besides disgust!), it's a GOOD thing. Some of the characters are awkward with each other, but I think this would happen in real life, too.I sincerely hope they do a second season. I know that BBC sometimes does these little half-shows like this (Fleabag was another), but I hope there is a chance to develop this into something long term.