RyothChatty ridiculous rating

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

ravanagh What can I say about it? Do yourself a favour and see it, you brae, wee lad! Basil Redford carries the show (and so does the location), but Joan Greenwood is at her seductive best; and let's face it: the story revolves around a subject dear to all our hearts. I've loved many an Ealing Comedy the English have been good enough to favour us Scots with, but this one really is The King!

alanrhobson I regret to say that this is one of the most overrated films I have ever seen. This is the only negative review I have ever done for IMDb, but enough is enough - someone has to stand up against the tide of praise this film has inexplicably attracted for decades.If ever there was an example of a film playing the part of the emperor in the Emperor's New Clothes fable, it is this one. There are virtually no laughs - and yet it is an acclaimed comedy. It is at times cruel and unpleasant - and yet it has a reputation for being gentle and whimsical.There are genuinely classic comedies from the 1940s, so I have nothing against 40s comedies as such. An example is fellow Ealing comedy 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' (1948), which is both clever and genuinely witty, and at the same time doesn't pretend to be gentle and whimsical.However, 'Whisky Galore' is neither clever nor witty. And, as mentioned above, it is at times cruel. The army captain (Basil Radford) is only trying to do his job, yet is driven to the edge of a nervous breakdown by the malice of the islanders. In the end, the captain gets into trouble with his superiors because of the deceit of the islanders. How gentle, whimsical and amusing - not.I realise that such films were popular at the time because they tapped into the prevailing anti-establishment feeling of the immediate post-war years. However, in the cold light of the 21st century we need to be honest. There are many 1940s films which stand up extremely well even today. 'Whisky Galore' is not one of them.

duckbaker Glancing through the other comments, it would appear that the most negative response to this one is the suggestion that it wouldn't be much fun to view more than once. Having just seen it for the first time, I can only say that I would happily watch it next week, proving only that it's just about impossible to get complete agreement on anything. For this viewer, the fact that the setup here is so simple means that a great deal of the humor depends on timing and delivery, and this cast obviously relish the job at hand. In fact, some of it seems so obvious that it almost shouldn't be funny even the first time around - but it is not only funny, it's out-and-out hilarious. I think that there was a tendency of light films of this era to try and stretch the feel-good created by the humor to imply that all is, after all, really right with the world, something perhaps easier to believe in 1949 than in 2006. Possibly that wears thin for some, but why split hairs? In my experience, comedy is the most difficult genre for getting a consensus; many of my best friends, for instance, love Woody Allen, the very sight of whom who gives me (and many others) an almighty pain. With that in mind, the fact that everyone who has commented agrees that this movie is very funny - at least once - seems in itself quite remarkable.

John O'Neill Another brilliant movie from Ealing studios, this one based in the islands of Scotland.Due to the studios at Ealing all being used for other productions at the time, filming took place on location in Scotland and the film looks immeasurably better for it. Having the action take place on the actual beaches, countryside and buildings of the islands makes the whole thing look so much better.Based on a true story, Whisky Galore tells the tale of when whisky is rationed during WW2 and a ship is wrecked off the island coast with 50000 cases of whisky. Naturally the inhabitants want to get it before the ship completely sinks, but have to contend with the local pest Captain Wagget and the local revenue.Captain Wagget is really really nasty and wants to cause misery to everyone on the island and yet he is not actually a bad person, he just doing what he thinks is right. But as history shows untold misery has been inflicted on the world by those who do things because they think they are right. At the end, his attitude annoys everyone, even his own wife who, having stood by him throughout the entire movie, bursts in uncontrollable laughter when Wagget finds out he has inadvertently sent some whisky to the revenue.The rest of the island inhabitants are all a bunch of crooks. Particularly funny is Duncan Macrae who appears stupid, but who one suspects is a lot cleverer than most people think.It also extols the virtues of whisky, such as how it allows Mummy's boys to stand up to their domineering mothers and other such acts of bravery.Ealing Studios does it again.