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26 out of 31 people found the following review useful: Hilarious, 20 October 2005 Author: xsnowangelx from Colorado, US.
'Vicar of Dibley' is one of the funniest shows ever made. It is consistently hilarious. It never fails to make me laugh. Dawn French is priceless as the lady Vicar who arrives in a sleepy, yet crazy town whose occupants are expecting a male Vicar. She wins them all over eventually of course, but spends most of the time dealing with the general insanity of the village on a day-to-day basis. Dawn French, James Fleet and Emma Chambers among many others in the brilliant cast make this show a flawless, classic comedy. If you are a fan of British comedies, you should check this one out for sure. It is one of the absolute best.
27 out of 37 people found the following review useful: On the contrary sir. I shall have everything in the world that I desire., 18 October 2005 Author: Andy (film-critic) from Bookseller of the Blue Ridge
I will be the first to announce this here. I have a growing list of films that I have seen this year (ranging from the early 1920s to present) that I have ranked among my favorites that I have seen. While most do a list of what was released this year, I go beyond that because I see more than what is just released at the theaters. While I have consistently kept to just cinematic releases for this list, I believe with this series, The Vicar of Dibley, I am going to make an exception. This was, in my opinion, one of the funniest, cleverest, poignant, and original series that I have ever witnessed. While I am a huge fan of Scrubs, Family Guy, and the very underrated Arrested Development, this BBC released series takes the cake. Up until the final episode (which seemed forced and very strange), this series was chock full of some of the best one-liners imaginable on television. Each episode will continue to impress you, continue to make you laugh, and honestly make you dream that you lived in a community like Dibley. It is a feat that many modern, American, television shows fail to accomplish.Big businesses, aka "corporations", are slowly turning the small individual communities into a suburbia frenzy. With shows like Friends and Everyone Loves Raymond, you see this mythological world where no bills need to be paid, everyone looks perfect, and jobs seem like a thing of the past. It creates this false sense of security, this idea that you need to live in a GAP world to be truly happy. Finally, there is a series that gives you hope that without the fancy clothing, without the fast cars, with just the simplicity of your neighbor, you can live a very meaningful life. Perhaps I am searching too deeply into this series, but The Vicar of Dibley gave me this newfound appreciation for the unique in my community. To witness a bunch of literal, bumbling stooges, run a facet of the Church's organization made me laugh constantly. Not only was writer Richard Curtis attempting to bring to view the idea of women at the pulpit, but also I believe that he was also taking a slow stab at local governments and their idiosyncratic ways. After watching this series, I miss the closeness that my small town used to have before the influx of mini-malls, multiplexes, and those horrid payday lenders. I wish I could live in Dibley, be a part of this nurturing community, and finally find piece in a non-commercial induced world.Overall, this is one of the best programs that television has to offer. I suggest to everyone reading this review to run, never walk, to your nearest family-owned store to pick yourself up a copy of The Vicar of Dibley. The unique character development, the insanity of every situation (which bring about buckets of laughter), and the bond that these characters have cannot be seen in any other television series currently out there. The jokes are fresh and smart. There is not an outpouring of physical humor that you can see in nearly every pre-teen film released today. It is witty, charming, and (not to sound too repetitive) THE BEST television shows EVER! I do not think that I am speaking hastily, but honestly. I have never been ready to re-watch a series again as I have this one. So, join me, the Vicar, David & Hugo, Alice, Owen, Frank, and Jim on a wild ride. Should you watch this television series more than once… "No no no no no no no no no no no no no no … yes!" Grade: ***** out of *****
16 out of 20 people found the following review useful: An absolute British Riot!, 26 February 2002 Author: dkatewin from Dallas, Texas
If you have yet to see this show you're missing out!!I have found this show on late at night on PBS and have found it to be one of the funniest shows I've ever seen on TV! It is written by Four Weddings writer Richard Curtis and is starred in by some of the most fantastic British comics on screen today. Dawn French and Emma Chambers are absolutely hillarious together. I really found it a relief and a pleasure to see something so funny on TV for once.
14 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Highly appealing., 1 May 2002 Author: Devyalento Latchford Deschanel from London, England
Dawn French is a brilliant comedienne. Her effervescent, warm personality is a winning one, so anything she appears in is enough to warrant a glance at. Thankfully, The Vicar Of Dibley is a very funny sitcom, one that showcases French as a talented actress as well as being hilarious. French stars as Geraldine Granger, a larger than life female vicar who is sent to a new parish in the sleepy English village of Dibley after the current vicar passes away. Needless to say, she causes a fair amount of commotion, shaking up and charming Dibley and it's highly eccentric inhabitants. One resident who isn't so impressed is local counsellor David Horton, chairman of the Dibley Parish council and a staunch conservative, who believes that Geraldine should be baking cakes, not preaching the gospel. But Geraldine doesn't let David stand in her way of making Dibley go to church, and she becomes a success.The main aspect of this show that makes it entertaining is it's excellent ensemble cast. French plays Geraldine with a sense of playfulness and fun, whilst Gary Waldhorn is completely believable as old-fashioned David. James Fleet is delightfully dippy as David's simple son Hugo, John Bluthal is endearing as Frank, Roger Lloyd Pack plays no-nonsense Owen hilariously, and Trevor Peacock is amusing as stuttering Jim. But acting honours go to the fabulous Liz Smith as Letitia Cropley, a woman with some of the strangest food recipes you'll ever come across, and Emma Chambers, who plays the extremely dense Alice so lovingly it's impossible to become irritated with her. The Vicar Of Dibley is certainly not the best sitcom I've ever come across, but it's so welcoming and appealing that it's hard to resist. Definitely one of the better shows to grace our screens in a long while.
12 out of 16 people found the following review useful: A souvenir I brought home from the UK, 13 April 2002 Author: missmarmite from Hamburg, Germany
I watched an episode of this series first on a holiday in England, not knowing what it was. Dawn French was in it, reason enough for me. What I got was amazing: A series full of weird but so amiable characters which I had never seen anywhere before. I instantly adored every minute of it. Now it's the only series I own completely on video/DVD and even after the hundredth time watching it I still want to see it once more.My urgent plea to any German broadcaster: Show this ! The comedy in Germany became much better over the recent years, but nobody can top this. So show it!!!I rate this 12 out of 10!
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Brilliant, 21 June 1999 Author: Didier-5
"Vicar of Dibley" is one of the funniest comedies from anywhere I have ever seen, "no no no no, yes". You will not be sorry, if you miss it on tv, get it out on video. Laughter is good for the soul, plenty here.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: An absolute delight!, 19 December 1998 Author: Mike-433 from Asheville, NC
The Brits have a flare for comedy that is unmatched and it is exhibited strongly in Vicar of Dibley. You'll find yourself laughing until tears roll down your cheeks.
10 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Dawn French is Fabulous, 12 May 2005 Author: Basil Caigne from Bedford, TX (USA)
Anything that Dawn French is in is Fabulous. Of course, Vicar of Dibley is one of my favorites simply because, as an Anglican, this focuses on a woman who is a priest. It is unprecedented - it came at a time when women struggled their way to become recognized in the Church of England and allowed to hold roles in the priesthood. The cast is wonderful and offers many opportunities throughout each episode for side-aching laughter. Of course, French can't take the cake by herself. Her sidekick, Alice Tinker (Emma Chambers), whose remarkable role as a "dingbat" (or as David Horton refers to her as a "moron) keeps the laughter rolling. And the comedy ends at each episode with the Vicar and Alice having a spot of tea and the Vicar telling a joke - usually with Alice not understanding the punchline. Genuine humor.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Funny, lighthearted and uplifting, 24 March 2001 Author: Josh (joshualieder@earthlink.net) from Warwick, Rhode Island
I borrowed this series on videotape from my local library after a couple of women in church suggested it to me. I love the show, from its opening music to its silly joke after the credits. Not usually a fan of "foreign" humor but the characters in the series are warm, crazed, real folk who make you smile. Thanks for entertaining me. I would love to have a Vicar just like yours in my town!
6 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Great comedy, 16 June 2001 Author: Johan Andersson from Karlstad, Sweden
I just would like to say that the series "The vicar of Dibley" is great. It has recently been shown here in Sweden. This is, in my opinion, the best and funniest series/production Dawn French have done.As usual Swedish state television (SVT) doesn't let this funny comedy show be shown at so called prime time. I really hope SVT get to their senses again and broadcast all the episodes again and, not least, at a better time.
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