A Bunch of Amateurs (2008)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

there were moments that i couldn't help smiled or laughed lightly. the screenplay was quite dramatic, the casting did a very nice job except signed up burt reynolds who actually performed quite poorly when he was doing the rehearsals and played king lear on the stage. he actually became the weakest part of this comedy. fooled him to stradford to play the role was a disastrous arrangement just like chosen him as that character. he performed so poorly on those stage scenes, this was his worst performance ever! and i have to discredit one of the viewers who claimed it's his best performance. it's watchable but not too good just because reynolds' lukewarm, absent-minded and out-of-placed poor performance; if this role recruited michael caine to play, it would be much better. i rest my case.

This is very much a Hollywood version of England - a very romantic English village - with village green, small shops that people use, a wonderful church, and all is well - it is just a little too unrealistic- this England doesn't exist anymore, anywhere, but let that slide for a moment - fake nostalgia is OK.The whole premise of the movie is this: aging American action hero runs out of offers so ends up taking what he thinks is Shakespeare at Stratford, but well, it's not that Stratford.My real issue with this was that Burt Reynolds is meant to discover some humanity and acting ability by the end - but honestly....Worth watching is there's nothing else on - it has a small but certain charm - it is saved by an excellent support cast and it's overall tone - but it is like watching a slice of the 50s - and though that may seem like the perfect recommendation here it all falls somewhat flat...Overall, watchable but a mere speck of what it could have been with the right actor in the lead.

Don't let anyone tell you what to enjoy and what not. I've read some reviews that weren't very kind to this film, and decided to have an opinion of my own and watch it. Fallen star Jeff Steel (Reynolds at his best) watches his career and personal relationship with his daughter fade away as the years go by and people forget very easily the old icons. As fate would have it, he ends up in a small village in Britain to lead a bunch of amateurs as King Lear in an event that will raise money for charity. This doesn't seat well with Steel, but, this being a romantic comedy, you know that he will go through a great changing, not only as an actor but also as an individual, coming out a better artist and man. A Bunch of Amateurs is a small, simple movie, but the kind of picture you can tell that it was done with the heart. What a cast Burt had in this one. Sir Derek Jacobi steals the film and runs away at every opportunity, the man is just unbelievable, great!His name belongs to the same page as the names of other Britain's favorites, like Anthony Hopkins or John Gielgud. He gave the movie's outstanding performance and stood out among the others. The picture really belongs to Jacobi. Charles Durning couldn't be left out, this being a Burt film, and adds immensely with his presence as Steel's agent, a small role, sure, but it was wonderful to see him back on screen. Samantha Bond represented the moral balance, the soul of the theater actors and the community, she brought so much to it. Imelda Staunton lent her talent to the landlady, the comic relief who brought the funniest moments to this otherwise really nostalgic film that is a homage to the theater and the lives of people who give it all for this dream. Specially moving was when SPOILERS AHEAD Burt is saying good-bye to the folks after the winning theater performance for charity, and suddenly his daughter appears on the doorsteps, a surprise orchestrated by his British friends, and both reunite and all is finally well, father and daughter at peace. Very moving and brought tears to my eyes SPOILERS END. So,don't be fooled. Just don't expect something mind-bending, but if what you're looking for is some ninety something minutes of an entertaining and sweet story, with some laughs and tears, A Bunch of Amateurs if your movie. It reminded me greatly of another British jewel, Bigger than the Sky, another gem that is a must-see!

My wife hit it on the head by saying it was really a TV film and like Midsomer Murders without the Murders!That's all I really wanted to say except that the performances were generally good and Burt Reynolds wig was excellent and looked almost real. I'm now trying to make this up to ten lines but don't really have that much to say and wish that short, pertinent comments were allowed. Oh I've just remembered that Suffolk suddenly had hills, moved presumably from the Isle of Man so that the film had a tax subsidy. I'm really struggling now to say anything else but I would like these comments to be seen by filmgoers. Phew