Anyone who has ever performed in a Gilbert and Sullivan production should see this movie. There will be added humor and enjoyment for these viewers, especially for those who have acted, sung, and danced in the Mikado.

All the characters feel so fleshed out even if they're only in the film for a couple minutes, the look at the creative process is rather wonderful, many of the performances are terrific and most impressively of all I found the film to be by quite some distance one of Leigh's funniest.

Definitely for G&S fans, and not just for anyone, but a delightful look into the world of the English Theatre during this time period.

A truly great movie about the creative process. The story of the inspiration for and making of The Mikado is never less than thrilling and deeply engrossing, and the script is offbeat and funny and tender and the acting is superb. Plus the music is wonderful. See this movie!

I'm not a Gilbert & Sullivan fan. All that laboriously clever wordplay irks me. But being a fan is not an absolute requirement for appreciating this movie. It's more about the creative process. And on that score, it's quite engaging. It helps that the characters are exceptionally well-drawn, even the minor players. I thought the period reproduction was obtrusive. It was impressive set design, but too in-your-face. Overall an entertaining film, though probably more so for fans of musical theater.

A love letter to the creative process, decoratively intricate, authentic and gaudy. Probably should be reserved to G&S fans, theater majors, or Brits(-at-heart) for maximum enjoyment.

It's probably a good film -- if you're a Gilbert and Sullivan fan. For me, G&S are like nails under the chalkboard so....there's that. Sorry.

82.500

Perfect blend of the spectacle of theater, the wordplay of Gilbert, and Leigh's own subtle, realistic view into the people herein. I will admit to holding a great affection for films that chronicle a work of art, though.

I think I've reached the point in my Mike Liegh fandom where I'll fall for most things that he makes: a two and a half hour film focusing on Gilbert and Sullivan shouldn't leave me really rather delighted!... All the characters feel so fleshed out even if they're only in the film for a couple minutes, the look at the creative process is rather wonderful, many of the performances are terrific and most impressively of all I found the film to be by quite some distance one of Leigh's funniest.

It's just too boring for my liking. I know that's a lazy criticism to make, but in this case, it's also the most honest one.

Being a theater person, I understood the facets of this story, and thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

# 898

Delightfully observant and detailed, and outfitted so beautifully that I can hardly keep myself from squealing like a little girl at the sight of almost every new scene. The decision to have the actors perform their own music pays off hugely in ways I don't have room to go into here. The acting is simply out of this world; Broadbent once again delivers a masterpiece of a performance with seemingly no effort; Lesley Manville and the criminally underutilized Shirley Henderson are both fantastic.

An excellent backstage drama from Leigh, who continues his career-long focus on strained relationships with this look at Gilbert and Sullivan staging the first production of The Mikado. Leigh sprinkles in a number of counterpoints to the more dour tone of the relations: the energetic musical numbers, Jim Broadbent's dry, comic performance, and the theatrical sets bursting with color. The mystery of broken people creating beautiful, entertaining, and comic art is on full display here.

Maybe if you are into Gilbert & Sullivan or stage musicals this would be entertaining, for me it was two and a half hours of unrelenting boredom.