Beryl Vertue Movies

Based on the long-running British TV series of the same name, the NBC sitcom Coupling was clearly designed to fill the gap that was about to be opened by the departure of the network's popular ensemble piece Friends. The difference here was that the sexual shenanigans on Coupling had a lot more edge, and were heaps more complicated and controversial, with a group of basically selfish, unlovable Manhattan thirtysomethings perpetually seducing and/or betraying one another. Steve (Jay Harrington) fell in love with Susan (Rena Sofer, replacing the pilot episode's Melissa George), but was still attached to Jane (Lindsay Price). Susan was the ex-girlfriend of Steve's best friend, Jeff (Christopher Moynihan), and also of Patrick (Colin Ferguson). As for Patrick, he currently carried a torch for Susan's best friend, Sally (Sonya Walger, replacing the pilot's Emily Rutherfurd), and on and on and on it went. When it debuted on September 25, 2003, Coupling became something of a cause célèbre, with a number of special-interest groups complaining about the frankness of the series' sexual scenes and situations; critics were not as bothered by the series' raciness as by the fact that it failed to live up to the standards of the British original. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Written by Richard Lumsden as a vehicle for himself, the British dramedy series Wonderful You zeroed in on a group of aimless friends and siblings in their early thirties. Though generally preoccupied with their own romantic and professional difficulties, the characters spent many of their waking hours brooding over the misadventures of Henry (Lumsden), a bike messenger who aspired to be a singer (the star also wrote his own songs). Since many of the stories dealt with Henry's anguish over reaching his 30th birthday, it was just as well that the series was of brief duration (seven episodes, to be exact). Wonderful You originally aired from March 9 to April 13, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The British sitcom Men Behaving Badly is the tale of three mismatched roommates. Needing a fellow lodger to help pay the mortgage on his flat, Gary (Martin Clunes) takes in first Dermot (Harry Enfield) and later Tony (Neil Morrissey), both of whom are loutish chauvinists and neither of whom ever seem to have enough money to pay the rent. Both of Gary's lodgers are desirous of bedding their sexy upstairs neighbor, Deborah (Leslie Ash). As for Gary, he goes to great lengths to avoid making a lasting commitment to his girlfriend, Dorothy (Caroline Quentin), though eventually he does relent and marries her. Based on Simon Nye's novel of the same name, Men Behaving Badly debuted in 1992, lasting six seasons and 42 episodes. During its first two years on the air, the show was carried by the British ITV network to lukewarm response; it fared far better when it moved to BBC1 in 1994. Two years later, an American version of Men Behaving Badly, starring Rob Schneider and Ron Eldard, settled in for a brief run on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV Parole stars the music of Bob Dylan and Sting. Actually, it stars James Naughton, but the music is (or should have been) the selling angle. Naughton portrays street-smart Boston parole officer Andy Driscoll, who takes a personal interest in each of his charges and tries to mainstream them into decent society. The plot concentrates on one such parolee, played by Mark Sopper, who considers returning to crime after losing his girl, his job and his home. The film's studied grittiness is undercut by a contrived car chase and a phony happy ending. Watch for Ellen Barkin in the supporting role of "Donna." Filmed as a TV pilot in late 1980, Parole was not telecast until September of 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A trio of musically talented Harlem sisters rise to become major stars of the '50s. Unfortunately, their sudden popularity causes much turmoil in their lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This Americanized remake of John Osborne's play changes the locale from a seedy British amusement pier to an equally seedy burlesque house in Santa Cruz, California. Jack Lemmon assumes the Laurence Olivier role as Archie Rice, a third-rate entertainer who's a failure but won't admit it. Selfishly feeding his own ego, Archie destroys the lives of those around him, including his long-suffering wife (Sada Thompson), his formerly famous father (Ray Bolger) and his disenfranchised grown children. This made-for-TV film is set in the 1940s to allow for several period-flavor tunes by Marvin Hamlisch, the best of which is the jaunty "Honolulu Lulu". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this mundane, droll horror spoof, British comedian Frankie Howerd plays a washed-up actor who tries to cash in on his newly-discovered ties to the outrageously wealthy Henderson family. His efforts are stymied by the greed of stern patriarch Ray Milland, whose equally-avaricious offspring go to great lengths to bump off the hapless hero, abetted by a convenient household nest of venomous snakes. The producers conceived this film as a star vehicle for Howerd, but it didn't exactly propel him to super-stardom. Though competently filmed, this project is hampered by a lazy pace and unimaginative murder setpieces, leaving viewers with a horror-comedy featuring scarcely a scare or a snicker. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Zany British comedian Frankie Howerd, who'd previously laid waste to Ancient Rome in Up Pompeii, does same with World War II in Up the Front. Howerd plays a timorous servant who undergoes hypnosis. While thus entranced, he imagines himself a fearless warrior, and makes a beeline to the recruiting office. The laughs come fast and furious when Howerd finds himself the recipient of the enemy's war plans--tattooed on his tush. As was customary, Frankie Howerd took several opportunities in Up the Front to directly address the audience and crack wise about the situation at hand. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this slapstick comedy two bumbling workmen attempt to take a long wooden plank through a London suburb to a building site. Mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi