Are You Being Served? The Movie (1977)

To me, this movie is perfection.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

ARE YOU BEING SERVED? is a 1977 big screen outing for the popular British TV sitcom of the same name. All of the same cast are back in a plot that sees the workers being packaged off for an ill-fated holiday on the 'Costa Plonka'. There's something endearingly low budget about the production which was entirely shot in a studio in Britain aside from one brief airport scene.The film isn't as funny as the TV series and it's a bit odd not to have any canned laughter, but I found myself enjoying it regardless. The humour is more along the lines of CARRY ON ABROAD than anything else but the actors are all very good at line delivery and the likes of John Inman and Mollie Sugden rarely step out of line. The film is fairly smutty in places but not offensively so as in these modern times. Much of the humour relies on puns which for the most part are very amusing, and there's a bonus in having FAWLTY TOWERS star Andrew Sachs playing another Spaniard.

Ever see some of those SNL sketches that are funny on the show but not nearly as good when a movie is made out of them? AYBS: The Movie is like that.All your favorite clerks from Grace Bros. go on holiday together, but there's a lot missing from this movie. Just like with Grace & Favour, it suffers because it's not in the store. It's really hard to make these characters work and flow as well when they aren't in the store, IMO. I mean, the chemistry is great between the cast, as always, and there are some pretty funny moments in the movie, but it's just not as good.The Arabic customers scene was similarly done before, and the ending really left a lot to be desired. Also, there was no laugh track. Not that you would expect there to be one in a movie, but not hearing that laugh every time someone does a joke just isn't the same.If you like the show, it may be worth renting. It's good for what it is, but it's not a movie you're going to want to watch repeatedly.

it was only once...and i agree..it did leave me very flat.....it was lacking a story and continuity, and so much more.....it would have been better if they went to an actual local for me...to me it only seemed like they went to the rooftop..nothing more, nothing less...it might have been more interesting if they met up with some local characters....i have seen every episode dozens of times..and like the previous person said, i can resite the lines, that's how many times i've seen are you being served and again...what i liked about again was that we got to see them mingle with other characters..i wish it had of gone beyond the 12 eppies..i'm hoping that someday we can see them do one more eppy, but since mr moterd is now dead, i do not see that happening..and with molly being 80 something..but i would love to see them go back to the manor just one more time but the movie..was not very memorable susan

I've always been an infrequent fan (if that makes any sense?) of the cult British TV show "Are You Being Served?" When it was originally aired it was actually in black and white and then moved on to color as the years progressed. I thought the characters were likable and had good trademarks, the humor was well-established as was just about everything regarding the series. Overall it was just very well crafted.However this spin-off movie from 1977 really lacks the spark, charisma and humor of the TV show and as a result is quite lame and not even very entertaining. Part of the reason, I think - believe it or not - is due to the awkwardness of the missing laugh track. We've become so accustomed to the use of a fake laugh track (you know - the people who always seem to laugh at even the lame jokes in "Friends" for no reason whatsoever) that watching a "film" playing like a full-length sitcom - minus the laughs - seems really bizarre.Oh, that, plus the movie itself is a stinker and not very funny. That probably has something to do with my dislike for it as well.Overall not horrible but hardly worth your time.