TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

fedor8 There are so many problems with this over-polished, hugely unrealistic show...First of all, the cast. The guy who plays Evan and the actress who plays his clandestine love (I forget the name...) are the only two solid actors, the rest are to the most part rank amateurs; in particular the woman who plays the big-nosed Gabrielle (Steffi Graf's little sister) comes off as a zombie almost, with only one facial expression on offer: that of a grinning-yet-annoyed fool.Secondly, the political correctness. We have a bunch of goody-two-shoes PC morons with views that are textbook TV/movie propaganda garbage. The way they go about discussing women's rights, race relations, drugs issues, gay rights - and just about everything else - is so carefully worded, it almost comes off as a bunch of slogans one would expect to be created in the marketing departments of various left-wing parties and organizations, and not as the kind of natural, flowing dialogue that real people engage in. That TSLOU would be PC was to be expected; after all, every single Aussie show (and many movies) I've seen were heavily infested with that syrupy world-view (even worse than in the U.S.), but this serial takes it to ridiculous extremes; there is barely an episode in which someone - usually a woman (oh, how PC!) - doesn't make a detailed commentary on some political or social issue - in one breath. That makes TSLOU one of the preachiest TV series ever, making me wonder if the producers were more interested in promoting their political beliefs than actually entertaining the viewers with realistic characters. Hence I have to wonder who financed this crap in the first place...One of the worst examples of this was when one of the male characters finds out (a little late in his life, perhaps?) that he actually might be gay. The plot that develops from there is high melodrama/camp of the most pathetic sort, verging on the unintentionally funny, one absurd plot twist following another.The worst and most disgusting example of Marxist propaganda came in form of a casual dialogue in which Big-Nose and her ex discuss how wonderful Fidel Castro and his Cuba are. "Everyone there is so happy". Which Cuba are they referring to, the Neptunian Cuba? A typical example of spoilt, decadent, elitist Westerner writers day-dreaming about a genocidal political system, while justifying all its dictators every step of the way.Another absurd character is the aborigine girl; her behaviour is often in sharp contradiction to what she said or did only episodes earlier. Bad writing, yet again.The show could have been much better if some roles had been cast with better actors (nepotism?), and if there was more focus on interesting plot-lines rather than third-rate preaching for the masses...

foffster One of my favorite TV-shows - ever. It had everything from great actors and casting who just became more and more beautiful after you got to know the characters, terrific stories and a very nice pace. To love the characters is always essential, and these were characters that made in impact in your own life - people you could relate to, even if they were from the other side of the globe (from me).I would run home to catch the next episode of the series, and that, for a grown man to do, is kind of...eeh...special. And Claudia Karvan is the most beautiful actress from Australia I have ever seen!I'm just sad it didn't continue longer than it did. GRRREAT!

lloydiwombatboy I first started watching SLOU on UK TV when it was billed as an Aussie version of the UK series 'This Life' (highly recommended, also). I was instantly hooked. Loved series 1. Was waiting for series on C4 in UK but it never seemed to come. In 2002 I caught the first showings of series 2 in Aus and was gutted that I could only see a couple of episodes. I waited even longer. Eventually, back in the UK, they showed series 2 - at 12:30 am!! What's going on?! Series 3 never aired in the UK, and I bought the DVDs and had them mailed from Aus. Bottom line is this - it's an excellent series that was poorly misrepresented in the UK. I just love to chat to Aussies about the show (before it turned poo in series 4) and will always recommend it to people. One of the best dramas and a great reminder of my time in Aus (and particularly St Kilda)

Michael_Grech There are many things that can be said about this fantastic show however if you saw if for the first time in its last 2 years of production then you can be excused for thinking that it was awful.Although the show suffered an incredible demise during series 3 and never recovered, original viewers will always remember how sensational it was in the first two years. (2001-2002) In fact it was so good that it was bound to become worse because no show could continue to be that good while being so original and creative. I suppose all good things must come to an end and if the show had ended after series 2 then it would have left us viewers dying for more. The way it really ended during series 4 left us viewers yelling "Get it off !!" I can honestly say that I have never seen a show go from being so good to being so bad !! But remembering the first series, it was a show that any person in their 20's could relate to. It was an extremely realistic show which also had some great acting. Combine the infectious storyline, the great scenery (around St. Kilda and some of Melbourne's other more attractive locations) and not to mention... great home grown music and you have a great show. If you love Aussie music then this was definitely a show for you. Secret Life had a contract with Mushroom so we got to hear the best in Oz rock, both past and present !! We also got to hear Abi Tucker's great singing and Oh my god !! Who could ever forget Evan singing "Howzat" at the Fu Bar Karaoke night !!! What made it so special to me was that most of us could identify with every character in the show and as the series went on, the characters just grow on you. I will never forget in series 2, when Will (Joel Edgerton) left the show. It wasn't the same anymore. There was something missing. He was part of the original cast that made such a big impression on us. (Who could ever forget his heartache when he lost his lovely girlfriend Sam in a road accident) His departure was definitely the beginning of the shows demise as every original character except for Kelly & Simon, would soon jump off what was to become a sinking ship.With the exception of Will's departure, series 2 was almost as good as series one. It continued with so many realistic situations that we could all relate to. Personally my favorite character was Jason, played by Damian De Montemas. In series one we saw him as a very confused man who was making a lot of mistakes and learning the hard way. Series two saw him trying to become more responsible after getting a girl pregnant. He committed himself to fatherhood and was extremely overjoyed after the birth of his son. He persevered with his relationship with a woman who was very difficult to get along with simply because he wanted to do the right thing and be a responsible father. But in the end it all caved in around him and nothing went his way. His absence in series three was a major disappointment for myself.There was also the on-going Evan & Alex saga. The couple who seemed so perfect for each other but who always seemed to be victims of bad timing. I am actually amazed that the writers of the show never gave us viewers what we all really wanted which was of course to see them together in a relationship. Alex was to marry Rex who was played by Vince Colosimo. Although Vince Colosimo is a great actor, he was not suited to the show and his introduction was another step in the shows decline.Despite the show losing its popularity, its later years did have some highlights. The introduction of Dan Speilman as "Tidy" was very good for the show although he only lasted one series and then he simply vanished like most others did in 2004. Stephen Curry was a great asset to the show in series 4 however by then it was too late. If he had been in the show in its earlier years, even if he was just a regular guest, he would have been a huge hit !! Also in the later years we got to know Simon (likeable Gay barman from Fu Bar) a lot better and his character was sensational.There was however one character in the show that I could never understand. The character of Kelly, (played by Deborah Mailman and the shows longest serving character)never made a lot of sense. I am not sure what the writers of the show were thinking when they invented her. I must say she was good in the first series but after that her character never progressed in the same way that all the others did. It was the same story every series. She would just meet new guys and form relationships that would never last. Another thing that also did not make sense is that she is not an attractive woman yet in the show she got more interest from guys than all the other girls when some of the other girl were in fact stunners !! But overall the Secret Life Of Us will remain as one of my favorite all time shows. The first three series are available on DVD and I strongly urge anyone who has never seen the show to get your hands on it although I would just stick to the first two series and not bother with series three.