User reviews

What a disappointment. I lived in Australia for several years, and while I'm not a big K&K fan, I had somewhat higher expectations for this movie.

Literally everything is clichéd. The plot is contrived and predictable, and essentially resembles every other mediocre comedy. The actresses are one dimensional, and while perhaps amusing in 30 minute chunks, are just plain tiresome over 90 minutes.

I just do not understand why they opted for such a tired storyline and predictable gimmickry. Is it just beyond our power to make an original film these days? This movie is formulaic junk food, and unfortunately adds to the common perception that Australian movies are terrible.

The big screen debut of the popular Australian TV comedy about the lives of the titular mother and daughter. While the TV series is a clever documentary style, satire of Australian lower-middle class suburban life, Kath & Kimderella abandons this is a straight fantasy, rom-com adventure with the pair traveling to the fictional micronation of Papilloma.

Released 7 years after the show was cancelled, the show still had a strong following via reruns, so a film adaptation still made sense in 2012. And like most TV movies, Kath & Kimderella faced the dilemma: do you make a 2 hour episode or place these characters in a new situation? Kath & Kimderella chose the latter.

But here's the thing - on the TV show, Kath and Kim were extraordinary characters in a very ordinary situation. That's what worked. They were over-the-top caricatures of Aussie outer-suburbanites in situations that most of us could relate too. Kath & Kimderella makes the fatal error that a lot of board TV comedies do when they go to the big screen and put their extraordinary characters in extraordinary situations - meaning the audience has nothing to connect to.

Australian comedy legends Turner, Riley and Szubanski fail to transport the original show's charm and humour to this big screen fantasy rom-com. The jokes don't land, the script is lazy, the film is too cheap looking justify its location and fairy tale theme and the overall end result is a boring, weak and unfunny pantomime that's an endurance test to sit through and a sad end to a great show.

I've got one word to say to you- ridiculous! And I loved every minute of it. The twist at the end was really great I thought. You probably do have to watch the tv series first to appreciate it, though.

I loved the T.V. show when it was on ABC - I think it lost something when it went commercial - but hey i still loved it.

I just want to say i will NEVER get the 1 1/2 hours back that i spent watching this movie.

It was bad. Too much Trude and Prude and not enough new joke material. The actors in this movie are all extremely intelligent actors but something was missing.

I think they tried too hard and should have just gone back to the original concept. I am sure they could have done something with Eponey Rae and the shopping centre maybe some toddlers and tiaras story line.

The follow up film to their hilarious tv series, kim and kath go on a trip to italy. Everything goes wrong. But they have fun anyway. Some funny bits; in perfect karma, kim has raised a daughter as bitchy and selfish as herself. And their alter egos trude and prue are along as well! So the girls meet their princes and may or may not get hitched! Even sharon goes on a date. Special appearance by barry humphries as dame edna. The film doesn't quite live up to the original series, but its all in good fun. Directed by ted emery, who had directed a bunch of the series episodes.

So disappointed in this film! I absolutely love the tv series so I was excited to watch the film but it is just plain bad. The storyline is awful and so over the top that I was willing it to be over. I had enough after 15 minutes but I patiently stuck with it just incase it showed any signs of improvement. Unfortunately it didnt. Should have set it in fountain lakes and had a more down to earth storyline.

I loved the TV show in the early days.. It was original and hilarious. Over the years though, they just repeated the same old stuff over and over again.. and i always assumed that's why the show eventually went off the air - People were bored.

Unfortunately, it seems they didn't learn their lesson though. This movie is just 90 minutes of the same old jokes from the show 10 years ago, regurgitated in exactly the same way. Only difference is that this time it is set in Italy.

Prue & Trude, My all-time favorite characters from the show are nothing short of annoying in this movie. They are just scattered throughout the film for absolutely no reason and don't add a thing to the story.

I use the term "Story" lightly. This film really doesn't have one. It's just a stage to shove the same old characters, saying the same old lines.

Very very disappointing.

Hopefully the aging actors will finally realize that this horse has been flogged, and move onto new things.

I felt the need to write a review after the 2-star review featured on the front page was written by someone who freely admitted to a) never having seen an Austrlian comedy film, and b) never watching the TV series.

The is the perfect companion piece to anyone who's been a fan of the girls since 'Big Girls Blouse', where Kath and Kim (and to a lesser extent Prue and Trude) first started.

These women have been living these characters for so long that the dialogue and performances are flawless - absolutely spot on, but not predictable.

The cinema I watched it with similarly had a great time - everyone was splitting their sides.

Ladies - if I were wearing a hat, I'd take it off and show you my bald spot.

To everyone who didn't find it amusing - there's so much of Australian culture you do understand. If you call yourself an Aussie, you should be ashamed.

There is a reason that John Cleese et al only made 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers, one of the most beloved of comedy shows. It ensured that Basil Fawlty, Manuel and co would never out stay their welcome, become predictable and, worst of all, boring! It left the fans begging for more. A lot of lesser comedy shows have not followed that same philosophy and they are all the poorer for it. Sadly, Kath and Kim are part of that latter group. The first two seasons of the adventures of the foxy ladies from Fountain Lakes were brilliant, cutting edge satirical humour. The third season got by on the strength of the good will built up in the first two. The fourth season was really starting to take the joke too far and the time was well and truly right (actually, it was PAST time) for the ladies to retire. Sadly, the time behind the show tried to squeeze one last dribble of lucre out of the franchise and so we were presented with this sad excuse for a sparkling comedy. There is nothing sparkling about it. It is just a rehash of everything we've seen before with a smattering of unfunny and unlikely plot elements thrown in to try and spice things up. Sadly, it all just seems to be a bit desperate. I have a feeling that the Australian public still have a great day of affection for Kath and Kim. Any more outings like this however, and that good will well and truly dry up. Retire dear ladies, retire. You deserve it. You have nothing else to prove. If you, like me, have fond memories of Kath, Kim, Sharon, Kel and Brett then do yourself a favour and give this flick a miss.

Kath and Kim..the Australian sitcom..has been running in Australia for a few years now. The type of humor is affectionately called "bogan". Most of its huge audience are ..in fact, lovingly referred to as bogans. The reasons for making this into a movie are a mystery. What we have here is an abject failure. The script is simply ..terrible. The acting self conscious, and not a laugh in sight. The actual story is ridiculous..the whole cast appear not to believe in it either. (A special word for Frank Woodley..he is a funny man). How a world-wide audience is going to react to this garbage is easy to predict. Lets be kind...and say...they will leave early. (Wish i had)...15 minutes is enough. After that one may puke.

To give it a Prue & Trude-ism this film isn't grayshhh.

The original 4 seasons of Kath & Kim as well as Da Kath & Kim Code special are all brilliant. Hilariously funny and give a comedic look inside the world of Australian suburbia. There almost isn't a single bad episode.

But by the woine toime season 4 had come the show had pretty much done everything it could without risking going stale or taking it all too far.

Unfortunately this 2012 outing is stale and does take the premise too far. I can see where the idea comes from, taking the foxymorons from Fountain Lakes and putting them in another country is an obvious but sounds good on paper culture clash comedy idea, but it just doesn't work. The fun of Kath & Kim was seeing them in their suburbia, living their suburban lives. Sticking them in Italy with a loose fairytale storyline doesn't work, and definitely did not work in this film.

The TV series was noyce, different, unewwsual. This film is none of those things.

This fillum is the 'clowning glory' of Kath n Kim! I understand what the negative reviews are saying, but they miss the point of Riley and Turner's self mocking 'joke within the joke'. Just as they joke about the joke going on so long it becomes banal in Season 4 of the show, the joke is on us for continuing to watch! Just for that, this is worth 10 stars!!

I must say, i was hesitant to see this movie, thinking the worst! But i was pleasantly surprised. I am not a huge fan of Australian comedy myself but i thought the acting was very good. Don't forget that Kath and Kim have been the portrayal of characters we all may of encountered in the good old days of the 80's. If you weren't around then, you wont get the humour!In reference to the "bike scene", I am pretty sure it was made to look like that on purpose, as it would of been badly done in the 80's, they were just sending it up! If you aren't Australian and you weren't old enough or born in the 80's and you aren't familiar with Kath and Kim already, then you wont get it!! Soundtrack was great!!

I loved the series and this movie is just great for when you want to switch off and relax. Don't take it too serious, it's meant to be ridiculous just like the series.

Fabulous lighthearted funny movie! It's not serious, watch it for what it is. Has a number of "in" jokes. Great script writing! I think it's probably most suited to Australian audiences, though the beginning of the movie does get you up to speed. Features an enjoyable music score as well. And great scenery.

Jane, Gina, Magda, Peter and Glenn are just perfect - they have wonderful chemistry and are great talents.

Loved the TV series, loved this movie! Watched it on TV - but am seriously considering buying the DVD. It really was enjoyable and upbeat.

Anyone who is Australian and doesn't flat out love Kath and Kim is obviously crazy, I'm an avid fan of these two characters, from their early days on big girls blouse all the way to their prime-time series on 2 of Australia's leading channels, and after watching Kath and Kimderella it makes me love them even more. They're just so bloody charming, and really it is all meant to be a bit of fun and not to be taken seriously. I will say, when I saw the trailer I thought it looked kind of silly, but I was so surprised at just how good the "fillum" really was, we see all our favorites from the show in a bunch of hysterical situations. One thing I really appreciated was that the jokes all weren't recycled from the TV show, sometimes the show used to repeat itself, but I think the movie format and having it set somewhere entirely different really helps, it gives them a new subject to write material on. The script is actually very clever, Riley and Turner have snuck in so many little bits and pieces from fairy tales, I'm even pretty sure the crazy wife in the attic was a nod to Jane Eyre.

Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Magda Szubanski are national treasures, hands down Australia's funniest women, these ladies are just wonderful and all work well together, perfect chemistry. My favorite I have to say is Kim, she is such a right cow she's impossible not to love. This movie must have had a very large budget, as it looks terrific, some has been done on a green screen but that all adds to the Aussie feel, but everything else is just amazing to look at, they've captured Italy very well.

I do hope people ignore the bad reviews and go and make up their own minds, they might be pleasantly surprised at just how enjoyable it is, just take it for what it is which is a lighthearted comedy romp.

I hope all you fellow Aussies love it as much as I did.

I didn't enjoy it as much as the series but it was still funny. One thing I didn't really get was why Kel was afraid to fly because they've flown together before so did something happen that I missed ? It's nice, it's different, it's unusual.