Review of Alive and Kicking

It raining heavy outside, it is a cold day in Northern England, and the central heatings been off, its back on now and we have just had Sunday dinner, we 'clicked on this film' with no great anticipation that it would be any different from all the other car-chase trash or local hero gets his man nonsense you get on tv nowadays. The film opened slowly and did not make much sense, then the story got going and we realised this was going to be worth watching and it was, and how. Of course we knew the reputations of the four main cast members who were all leading British stage actors and actresses, but what on earth where they doing turning up in what appeared to be an Irish film about old ladies turning up on an deserted Irish (read Scottish) island, and from the moment they left the beach in search of a new home only then did this film commence. This should have been an Oscar Winner or honourable mention, I admit the story line assumed we would go along with the running-jokes every minute of the way - improbable plot - and we did. And we enjoyed it. It was a make believe Irish film, based on universally accepted Irish sentiments, and at times looked like another Whisky Galore. So what we have here is Whisky Galore vs Alive and Kicking, and they score either even-stevens, or Alive and Kicking Wins the show by a short-head. The best film seen in this house for many a long dark month. Thank you to the makers, directors and cast, Sybil Thorndike was obviously the star, but Kathleen Harrison was indispensable as the cheeky-chappie who kept the wheels turning with laughters in every scene. Richard Harris did not shine, in fact we did not recognise him, and Stanley Holloway was miscast. This role was ideal for James Hayter (Robin Hoods Friar Tuck)