Mutiny On The Buses (4½ Stars)

When Inspector Blakey first appears in the film, he's introduced with the words, "Look out! Here comes Hitler!" That's not a very complimentary nickname, but let's be honest. Anyone with a moustache like that is begging for the nickname.

The story begins with Stan announcing that he intends to marry his girlfriend Susy. The Butler family quickly realise that losing Stan's wages will leave them in serious financial trouble, a situation made even worse when Arthur loses his job. It's enough of a storyline to tie the various episodes together, but the plot is never the film's main attraction.

That's one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. Many critics complain that the film lacks a strong narrative, and they're right in one sense. Apart from Stan's engagement, "Mutiny On The Buses" is just a collection of comic episodes loosely strung together. Even the title is random, as there's no real mutiny. The dispute that supposedly gives the film its name is just one brief incident among many. Critics may see that as a weakness, but I think it's exactly the right approach.

I don't watch comedies for intricate plots; I watch them to laugh. "Mutiny On The Buses" keeps the laughs coming with remarkable consistency. The story simply provides a framework for one funny situation after another, allowing the familiar characters to do what they do best.

As always, the regular cast are the film's greatest strength. Reg Varney, Bob Grant and Stephen Lewis had spent years perfecting the chemistry between Stan, Jack and Blakey, and it shows in every scene they share. The film also introduces a new depot manager, Mr. Jenkins, who provides a decent foil for the regulars without overshadowing them. More memorable is Nymphy Nora, whose outrageous flirting, first with Arthur and later with Mr. Jenkins, produces some of the film's biggest laughs.

When I first saw the film, I remembered the Windsor Safari Park sequence as feeling out of place. Watching it again, I realised it's only a fifteen-minute episode that arrives well into the second half of the film. Rather than dominating the story, it's simply one more comic set piece before the film moves on to its closing scenes, including the satisfying twist that leaves Blakey demoted to a conductor.

My only real criticism concerns Little Arthur. Arthur and Olive never had children in the television series, and I don't think the films gained anything by changing that. Their constantly bickering marriage was already funny enough without introducing a baby into the household. Fortunately it's only a minor subplot and doesn't detract from the film as a whole.

The film would have been better if it had spent less time on Little Arthur and more time showing the clippies in their delightful short skirts. 

Like the television series itself, "Mutiny On The Buses" isn't trying to tell a profound story. Its purpose is to make the audience laugh, and it succeeds brilliantly. The loose structure allows the writers to move effortlessly from one comic situation to the next, and the jokes land with remarkable consistency. If you judge a comedy by the number of laughs rather than the complexity of its plot, this is one of the finest British comedies of the 1970s. It may not surpass the original, but it's a worthy companion piece that almost deserves a five-star rating.