Mrs. Brown's Boys - Series 1 Page 6

Quote: Gelgoog @ February 28 2011, 11:04 PM GMT

Seems the keeping the bloopers in is a continuing theme of the show.

View original

Are the bloopers real or scripted? And does it really matter as long as it gets a laugh, given the loose, theatrical nature of the show? That's for the viewer to decide.

For me, Mrs Brown is a strange beast to be sure - a weird, borderline uncomfortable hybrid of prehistoric gags and more contemporary references. It misfires time after time but it keeps me watching because of that infectious 'stagey' energy. I just love audience comedy and sincerely-hope this is a success, if only to wander alongside Miranda's footsteps and convince commissioners that she's not a one-trick-pony.

Quote: clueless @ February 28 2011, 11:55 PM GMT

I haven't seen the second episode yet but I hope it doesn't disappoint.

I must admit I didn't register any Irish stereotypes in the first episode. Apart from the Irish accents (and the references to paying for the doctor) it just felt like any other matriarchal family set-up - like an OTT version of Bread.

View original

I'm not sure that Bread is the best sitcom to cite when defending this show against accusations of cultural stereotyping.

Quote: Tim Walker @ March 1 2011, 6:14 AM GMT

I'm not sure that Bread is the best sitcom to cite when defending this show against accusations of cultural stereotyping.

View original

Fair point and the mother's Irish too, so that doesn't help. I hadn't meant to draw comparisons with any Liverpudlian stereotyping, I was trying to draw a comparison with a large, working class family with a domineering matriarch (plus a Granddad).

I've only watched one episode, so I'll probably eat my words after the next one, but apart from the swearing maybe, I didn't notice any cultural elements that would be construed as being typically Irish. I couldn't really see any derogatory cultural elements to it at all, but that possibly says more about my family than anything else...

Quote: clueless @ March 1 2011, 11:08 AM GMT

I didn't notice any cultural elements that would be construed as being typically Irish.

View original

me neither, not in a derogatory fashion anyway.

Quote: Lee Henman @ March 1 2011, 11:11 AM GMT

me neither, not in a derogatory fashion anyway.

View original

Me neither.

But of course I wouldn't expect or indeed hope there would be. The show is made about an Irish household in Ireland, albeit a heavily caricatured version. The Irish reference points are purely the accents and the overall ethos really. Nothing more than that. I think anybody who thinks that the accents in themselves are meant to be funny is missing the point by several thousand light years. They are in no way any more mocking or indicative of racial stereotyping than say The Good Life was mocking the Home Counties middle classes of the 70s.

On episode 2: I still enjoyed it though probably it wasn't quite as manic or energy-packed as 1. But as Lee says, the almost live feel of the show is very infectious and is one of the draws for me.

Still enjoying the show a lot and still wondering why I am. It certainly has the 'Marmite Factor' with viewers and critics alike.

Quote: Lee Henman @ March 1 2011, 12:51 AM GMT

For me, Mrs Brown is a strange beast to be sure - a weird, borderline uncomfortable hybrid of prehistoric gags and more contemporary references. It misfires time after time but it keeps me watching because of that infectious 'stagey' energy. I just love audience comedy and sincerely-hope this is a success, if only to wander alongside Miranda's footsteps and convince commissioners that she's not a one-trick-pony.

View original

Only saw the first episode and thoroughly despised it for all the reasons above, plus many many more (eg all the other performers simply feeding set-ups to the 'boss', no attempt to disguise clunky plot exposition with humour, the only funny jokes being ripped-off gags)... but you're right about that manic energy. For all its faults, there was something that made it almost watchable. Damn you Henman for forcing me to confront my own prejudices. Now I'll have to give it another go...

Call me a comedy snob if you will, but any show which relies on a thermometer-up-the-arse gag for its laughs really isn't for me.

I sort of liked it (missed the first episode) though it did feel a bit of a time warp and landing in an Irish equivalent of The Dick Emery Show with Dick playing just the one character. Some very funny lines, some very telegraphed ones and some stuff that just felt like it was, as mentioned, from another comedic era. I'll probably stick with it as it's harmless enough.

Pretty ordinary writing but I enjoyed the fourth wall breaking and off-the-cuff banter.

Well I quite enjoyed the second episode. It's not great, but there are some very funny bits in each episode. Really not sure I'm fond (yet) of the wall-breaking though - I do love a good bit of theatre and the off-the-cuff remarks and fluffs that can go along with a comedy, but I think I like my TV to be a bit more polished.

Quote: Aaron @ March 3 2011, 11:21 AM GMT

Really not sure I'm fond (yet) of the wall-breaking though - I do love a good bit of theatre and the off-the-cuff remarks and fluffs that can go along with a comedy, but I think I like my TV to be a bit more polished.

View original

For me, these 'fluffs' all feel a bit too scripted. I might be wrong, but there's a feeling of pre-planning about some of them.

Quote: Mark @ March 3 2011, 12:16 PM GMT

For me, these 'fluffs' all feel a bit too scripted. I might be wrong, but there's a feeling of pre-planning about some of them.

View original

Exactly. Something not quite right...? I felt the same way about 9/11.

Quote: Blenkinsop @ February 21 2011, 11:28 PM GMT

So much of this went against my comedy instincts and yet on three or four occasions I found myself laughing like a drain and generally smiling and chuckling throughout nearly all of the remainder.

It was for me that unique thing - something so totally unlike any other sitcom I've seen. The sequence with the tazer and the phone was slapstick genius, brilliantly staged and just had me in stitches even though it was so obvious what was going to happen.

The energy levels were extraordinary (particularly Brendan O'Carroll's) and funny to boot.

It was all a bit mad, a bit manic, extremely broad and *looks up and down to see who's about* blimmin well funny.

Totally confounded all of my expectations. Oh and I liked them all taking a bow at the end. It gave the impression of almost having made a trip to the theatre to watch a show.

View original

Agree with every word. Wasn't too sure what I was watching, he looks like some Old Mother Riley type music hall star transported to the modern day. But Brendan O'Carrol's manically funny performance won me over within 15 minutes. Terrific.

Quote: Mark @ March 3 2011, 12:16 PM GMT

For me, these 'fluffs' all feel a bit too scripted. I might be wrong, but there's a feeling of pre-planning about some of them.

View original

Particularly the missing hand bag from episode 1.

I'd personally machine gun the tw't from the audience, just to get a non-scripted laugh of course.