starbug1-1 This film is a glorious tribute to so many 'stiff' period pieces as well as such comedies as 'Carry on up the Kyber'. It is also beautiful to watch with real locations used in the UK, Italy and India (rather than at the back of Shepperton studios).While the plot may lag in some places, the references and in-jokes are so dense that you can blink and miss many of them.The list of movies and television series that are lampooned is massive, but a few include 'Chariots of Fire', 'Brideshead Revisited', anything with Helena Bonham-Carter, 'Upstairs Downstairs', 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Gandhi'.Peter Ustinov (Horace) letches like Sid James, Prunella Scales (Aunt Agnes) stands her ground like Joan Sims, Sam West (Edward) bumbles like Charles Hawtree and Robert Portal (Cedric) sneers almost like Kenneth Williams. Sean Pertwee (George) saves the day a la Jim Dale and Georgina Cates (Emily) is feisty like Barbara Windsor etc. etc.The scene where Cedric meets Aunt Agnes is priceless, if only for the 'Daughter of Zeus' gag.'Stiff Upper Lips' is definitely worth seeing more than once.

CyberSuze Based on the title of this movie, I expected it to be a droll British comedy. Instead it was a laugh out-loud spoof of such films as A Room With A View, A Passage To India, Sense And Sensibility and others in that vein. I must admit that once I caught onto the joke it didn't seem quite as funny as it was at the beginning, but it was still one of the most amusing films I've seen in quite awhile.If you like British period movies and British humor, I highly recommend this one.

intervamp I have always admired the way Merchant/Ivory films have had at their core a sort of droll humour that has come through and made me smile. This movie has taken every little bit that had made me crack a smile during the "serious" Merchant/Ivory productions and made me smile and laugh so much my cheeks hurt by the end of the movie. There are so many sight gags that I couldn't keep track of them all, and the ones I did see were enough for me to recommend this movie. Here's a little hint, just before George rescues Emily from drowning, take a look at what he's carving, maybe that's why he was little too eager to divest himself of his clothes. Don't get me wrong, I loved Howards End and Room with a view, but I also loved The Naked Gun and Airplane as well, this is the perfect hybrid of the two genres. The acting isn't in the least bit Hammy, the actors play it straight the whole way through, which is what makes this so funny, Samuel West probably being the best thing about this movie. His brainless upperclass twit played to perfection makes this a good movie for Masterpiece theatre watchers with a sense of humour.

pip-17 I love a good parody, and this movie is right on the money! I am an American, and I've enjoyed many British films over the years, particularly Merchant-Ivory fare. I was so (pleasantly) surprised to find that the Brits made such a clever, funny film, and I thought the running gag of the 'typical' American tourist couple, very witty and on target, too! I saw this on Masterpiece Theater, of all things, and I have seldom laughed so hard at anything on PBS since Jeeves and Wooster. What a great movie, I just wish it had more of a theatrical release in America, but I'm not surprised that it didn't. I don't think many Americans 'get' this type of humor anyway. It ranks up there with the best American parodies of genre films. Besides 'Howard's End', 'Room with a View', 'Passage to India', and Brideshead references, there were definite pokes at the Jane Austen-type of films, as well. Very worth renting and/or buying a copy!