Product: Porridge [VHS] (1974)
Rating: 2.0
An over extended sitcom based movie
"Porridge " -UK criminal slang for doing time in gaol-was a very popular BBC TV sitcom in the 1970's but it had ceased to be shown some two years before this movie version was released .The movie brings back all the regulars from the show including the great comedy writer and actor Ronnie Barker who reprises his role as Fletcher ,an habitual petty criminal serving time in Slade prison .It was an era in British cinema when vitually every popular TV sitcom was made into a feature movie and this is probably the best of the resultant movies.Unfortunately ,that is to damn it with faint praise as it is nothing special.Very often what works on TV over a 30 minute time slot gets stretched too thin over 90 plus minutes on the big screen and that is what happens in this movie.The plot has echoes of The Longest Yard in that it revolves around a soccer match ,this one being between a team of inmates and one of celebrities .The idea is to use the game as the front for an escape attemptDespite the best endeavours of an accomplished cast ,laughs are few and far between .I do however suggest that anyone who likes character driven British comedy try to trace any of the original TV epiodes as they are very good indeed and way better than this movie which is simply too long for the material