Termingamer2-JD
Only Fools is regarded as the changer of UK sitcoms. Previously, before this series, sitcoms were mainly set around middle-class families. John Sullivan decided to change this for his show (originally called 'Big Brother' which is the name of the first episode), which features a working-class family with two market traders, Del and Rodney Trotter. Although the reaction from the pubic at the time was poor - 8.9 million viewers on average for the first series, in 1996 the last episode reached to 24.3 million viewers, a record for UK television, making it also the most watched sitcom in the country. This was truly deserved. Sullivan writes beautifully, and his actors are true professionals. Due to these creations we now remember most of the main cast by their roles in Only Fools - and even the minor characters are remembered due to being part of this show. The greatest episode for me - and many others, it seems - is probably The Jolly Boys' Outing (Christmas 1989). OFAH's humour is sometimes lacking, especially with the random insults and such - but in general happens to be a masterclass, with a meaning of its own. You could be crying at one minute, and then laughing in the next. Overall an excellent comedy which somehow has been bashed by Americans, because they don't know what comedy is.Today, OFAH would have never made it - and in general comedy is nowhere near like it was, now we think explicit sex 'humour' is funny.
Aleksa Private
It does seem a tad late to review a movie this old, especially after seeing the whole series quite some time ago, but with the recent release of Rock and Chips by the same creator having written it as a prequel to Only Fools and Horses, it gave me the opportunity to do so now.I have to be honest, I never wanted to watch this series. Not because anything was wrong with it, but I was a teenager, and when my parents introduced me to this show, they were cutting into my busy schedule quite rudely (shooting your friends in online games while laughing maniacally is quite time-consuming and disturbingly difficult to pull yourself away from). Even worse, the first episode in the series didn't exactly quite make up for it, either. At least, only in my case."I get better looking everyday, I can't wait for tomorrow." The first words the TV ever spouted upon playing the first episode, coming from one of the few of the Trotter clan, the protagonists, Del-Boy. It was a line I found chuckle-worthy whereas my parents burst into tears laughing. Evidently, I didn't have as refined a taste in humour as they did (I'm quite a pessimist, and it has served me well). Little did I know that old Del-Boy Trotter would predict the future of the series with that very same first line. The gang in Only Fools and Horses had a rough journey getting my stubborn self to like them, but not only have they succeeded, they've done so thoroughly, as well as quickly. Each episode was gradually better than the last, but the gradual improvement in terms of humour and quirkiness wasn't necessarily a slow one. It was a fast one. One that lasted for quite a long while, as a matter of fact, but nonetheless went from your typical sitcom into something worth watching, all in the first season, and the seasons that followed jumped exponentially.Rodney and Del-Boy Trotter of Trotter's Independent Traders are despicable con-artists, a characteristic that not only never changes in the series, but drives the story further. They try to take the saying "another man's trash is another man's treasure" quite literally, scavenging lousy items and hoping to sell it for a quick buck and a pretty penny in these economically hard times. Sometimes it even works, but more often than, everything goes awry. Like myself, the show itself is almost pessimistic, and each episode often ends on a negative note, albeit a hilarious one, which leaves our two anti-heroes (or, arguably, villains) back where they started.Family appears to come second in a world where money makes the world go round. That's sort of the theme in the beginning of the series, but it's almost like the theme exists there for development's sake. Rodney and Del-Boy, despite being brothers, one whom the other had to spend most of his years raising on his own and with the help of his grandfather, Ted, there seems to be a lot of dispute between cash, with Del-Boy often using his own brother and conning him in the end just to get the better half of the deal. It isn't personal, it's business, one could argue, but it's a bit of a harsh reality that, in the real world, not everybody is necessarily a saint at heart. That quickly changes as these two, through the course of the beginning of the series, begin to find a middle ground to co-operate and put money second to their own family. It's a touching turnover, but the ride to get there is where most of the action lies, and where most of the fun is to be had. Regardless, it doesn't end here. The episodes each have an independent story of their own, like most sitcoms, but character development between all the cast is dynamic and hardly formulaic, making it worth watching the series from the beginning if more than just to watch the series become exceptional over time.Acting is superb, and characters are all over the place. Nicholas Lyndhurst is greatly executes the role of the under-appreciated, almost whiny younger brother, Rodney. Lennard Pierce was a great buffer for the ne'er-do-well brothers as Granddad. However, David Jason absolutely stole the show, portraying his character, Del-Boy, best, with such enthusiasm in addition to a brilliant portrayal of a con-artist who has a silver tongue at all times except when things go awry. Not to mention that he has succeeded in making more than only one catch phrase in his character become forever memorable, and a few even mentioned in other reviews in this user review section. The acting of the characters prove that just because it's a comedy doesn't mean that actors don't have to put their best foot forward. Only Fools and Horses was one of the few good sitcom shows on the air to strike such brilliance in its production to actually be wrapped up and finished by the end of it. Twice. By popular demand, like Sherlock Holmes, the series continued even after it was finally concluded, totalling up to two, separate endings. Unlike other sequels, though, it's debatable as to which ending is better than the other. Both wrap the story quite nicely, and both are truly in the vein of the series itself, but each ending is exceedingly different from the other in more ways than one, despite both of them being "real endings" (one happens chronologically after the other). Regardless, it's proof that when fans asked more, John Sullivan delivered, and showed that his talent as a writer and creator was unwavering even in the slightest.
BritishMovieBuff
Quite simply the best British TV show of all time and one of the best in the history. Written by The late great John Sullivan and featuring the talents of David Jason, Nick Lyndhurst and Buster Merryfield to mention just a few, only fools was always destined for greatness, the lovable and relatable characters, the perfect plot, sublime script it just couldn't fail to win the hearts of the viewers.It became a steady diet for the British public with almost 25 million people watching the episodes which at the time was half the population of the country, a viewing record that still stands today, it is one of the very few TV shows that could make you laugh uncontrollably one minute then cry your eyes out in the next. I could go on and on about this masterpiece, talking about my favourite episode (the unlucky winner is, series 6 episode 4), or my favourite feature length special (Heroes and Villains), but I wont, maybe the American readers haven't had the pleasure of watching only fools but please do give it a chance you won't regret it.
