Holiday on the Buses (1973)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

A nice nostalgic watch! Comedy capers in one of the films that bring you two men who are always on the lookout for the ladies who constantly find themselves in trouble.

HOLIDAY ON THE BUSES was the last of the Hammer-produced film trilogy, following on from ON THE BUSES and MUTINY ON THE BUSES. Sadly, the law of decreasing returns is much in evidence for this lacklustre conclusion to the series, which relocates the action to a Pontins holiday camp in a bid to mix things up a bit.It doesn't work. The humour here is even weaker than before, with Stan and Jack getting into the usual round of difficulties while chasing a bit of skirt, and finding themselves up against the stalwart villain of the series, Stephen Lewis's Inspector Blake. Comic veterans Wilfrid Brambell and Kate Williams are brought in to add some comedy value, but it all feels too little, too late.Indeed, much of the running time is filled with obvious gags and some lamentable slapstick humour, all of it obvious and well signposted. There's also far too much reliance on Lewis's mugging for effect, and by now it's becoming irritating. The film isn't actually THAT bad - it's comparable to contemporary CARRY ON films of the period - but there's an undeniable feeling that the joke was wearing thin by this stage and it's no surprise that no more films followed.

Know all the locations very well and have photo's of them and the newly installed plaque at Pontin's Prestatyn to mark the film by the Welsh film location society. The film is often criticized unfairly - but in my opinion it is better than any Hollywood trash and remakes that are continuously released to keep the ijits in jobs. Britain as it was ... and still is in many respects. Just watch with an open mind and enjoy the scenery (and visit it like I have LOL). British films are not about special effects, car-chases, Hollywood Brat pack etc, but about real situations that at least on one level we can all relate to. Just think back to your childhood holidays with the family ... or think of the old tales of them lol, and this film has them. A British Classic film,,, give me a Brit Flick any day rather than a Hollywood release full of fake people. HIghly recommended - the other two On the buses films are Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Letter To Brezhnev, Beautiful Thing. All down-to-earth British films about real life - must be viewed!!!

When a woman's breasts pop out of her top running for the bus, it distracts driver Stan who crashes into several cars and a bus. As a result Stan, Jack and Blakey find themselves on the dole queue. Jack and Stan find a job driving buses as part of a holiday camp and are only slightly put off when they find that Blakey has also managed to get himself a job there too.As somebody who spent too many childhood holidays in Butlins-style parks and various caravan sites, I must agree that the horrors of the average holiday camp are ripe for a bit of mocking – a fact that makes it all the worse that the film completely misses the chance to make fun of it. In fact the film just accepts the holiday camps for what they are and sets about with a plot that just seems the characters chasing a series of girls. If you are familiar with the On The Buses series then there will be no surprises to you as it is all the usual stuff just transposed to the holiday camp. If you enjoy the TV series then you'll like this, but if you dislike the very basic sexist humour of the 1970's then you'll more than dislike this film. It's not particularly funny and I found it poor from start to finish. The few years since 'Mutiny on The Buses' meant that the film had become more daring and it opens with a flash of boobs that the previous film had only implied – if this plus sexist humour is what you are after then you'll be at home here, but my tastes are a bit above the poor British sex 'comedies' from the 1970's.The original cast all return and it helps the film keep the standard of the TV series (if only that was a good thing!). The only downside of this is that all the cast are pretty old and it's all a bit tasteless to see them chasing girls clearly in their twenties! Varney and Grant do their usual lecherous stuff and they are just what the material deserves – and I don't mean that in a good way. Lewis is easily the best character as his jokes are more physical than sexual and are at least a little funny. Robbins and Karen play the sort of British people that I would cross a country to avoid, never mind the street! Wilfred Brambell hasn't got much to do but his presence at least is something different to distract from the poor material all round.Overall this is a pretty poor film and the fact that it was produced by Hammer just makes it all the more amusing that it turned out to be a really dated horror. The gags are poor, the material very thin and it does nothing that makes it stand out from the hoards of crude sex comedies that the UK pushed out in the 1970's. Fans of the series will enjoy it but the rest of us will just be grateful that they don't make them like this anymore (well, not very often anyway!).