Experience Preferred... But Not Essential

I had this film on VHS when I was a young girl,and I watched it until the tape broke! I would love to watch it again but I can't seem to find a copy anywhere. The characters are so varied and interesting that you find your self drawn into the world behind the running of a busy hotel and in the end your sad to leave all of the colourful characters behind. The storyline is so simple, but so cleverly written it only enhances the enjoyment of the film. What I loved the most about this film was the attention to detail, Annies attic room was a a wonderful piece of set design. I too would loved to have seen what happened to these people a few years on. It's such a shame this hasn't been released on DVD it's such a waste for for it not to be seen.

If the characters in your ensemble cast are so annoying that you'd walk out of a bar giving away free drinks to escape them, you have a problem.

If the boyfriend of the main heroine is a sex-obsessed stalker who tries jumping into bed with her at every opportunity and this is presented as 'charming' behavior, you have a problem.

If the best thing about your film is an ongoing joke about a naked sleepwalker and the soundtrack full of 60's hits, then you have a problem.

Basically, this whole film shouldn't be rated PG for Parental Guidance, it should just be P for 'problem'. And plodding. And prosaic. And pedestrian. And... 4/10.

I wish I could get my hands on a copy of this movie. I saw it as a callow 21-year-old and have been looking for it since.

It's a sweet little coming-of-age, of sorts, with a female lead for a change. The setting of a resort hotel is the perfect background for a voyage of mini-discovery, with all its endearing characters.

The Elvis wanna-be is one of those characters you come across once or twice in your life, and his unspooling is one of the highpoints of the movie. He's scary and funny at the same time.

I give this movie a 9 on 10 for enjoyment.

"Experience Preferred but not Essential" was, for me, one of those beautifully done esoteric films that deserves to be seen more than once to fully appreciate it humor, insights and writing.

It is akin to another such movie, "She'll be Wearing Pink Pajamas." I really appreciate writers, directors and actors who can delve into a humorous story, dig out the subtle humor and make it work on the big screen.

These are two films I'd really like to get a hold of and to watch again and again. Both films contain the kind of encouragement that one can find one's identity and not be lost in a "majority mentality."

Every other reviewer here hit the nail on the head about this film-- "enchanting", "sweet", "a gem", "beautiful", "charming", all apply to this terrific sleeper of a film. I came across it very late one night on cable TV when I couldn't sleep and was doing some channel-surfing. I had never heard of this film, director Peter Duffell or pretty much anybody in it, so I figured I'd give it a shot, see how bad it was. I couldn't possibly have been more wrong. A lovely, warm, funny, beautifully directed, superbly acted slice of life that just charmed the pants off me. I haven't seen it since--this was in the mid-'80s--and I'd love to see it again. If you ever get the chance, do yourself a HUGE favor and check it out. You won't be disappointed.