I find Emma Thompson extremely sexy, not merely because of her classic English-rose beauty and her physical grace, but also because of her keen intelligence and sense of humour. 'Thompson' was meant to be a showcase for her talents as a comedian, dancer and scriptwriter, in a format permitting her and her friends to put on a wide range of accents and disguises. Unfortunately, an utter lack of discipline queered the project ... and, frankly, it was only Ms Thompson's charisma and physical appeal that kept me watching this dull tosh.

Part of the problem is that Thompson seems to have caught here a dose of Tracey Ullman Disease: she seems to be more interested in impressing us with what a wide range of characters she can portray, with different accents and physical crotchets, rather than developing any of those characters in a funny skit. Also, Thompson seems to be borrowing half a leaf  only half of one  from the Monty Python lads, by larding these sketches with high-end intellectual references. The Pythons did that too, but they were careful to balance the Proust references with low comedy and cheeky bawdiness. Ms Thompson seems to be pitching her jokes at Mensa.

I did enjoy the musical sequences, in which Thompson dances gracefully to the simple accompaniment of a piano. These sequences are evidently ad-libbed ... or, maybe not. It's clear to me that Thompson and her accompanist have carefully planned and choreographed the beginning of each routine, as well as its ending, leaving the middles to be entirely free-form. Unfortunately, this becomes a bit too obvious when each dance sequence fills its allotted time, and Thompson and her pianist make a lurching transition from total improv to tightly-rehearsed finale.

I watched every episode of 'Thompson', but frankly I did so only because I enjoy listening to Emma Thompson's voice and watching her face and body. The script material on offer here, alas, just isn't interesting. And Imelda Staunton ceased to be funny when she left "Is It Legal?". I'll rate this ill-thought experiment just 3 out of 10. A much earlier British series  "What's On Next?"  had a similar format, but was much funnier.

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

The music genre features stories showcasing musical performances, music-related documentaries and recordings of live concerts and music festivals.

Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

See who dazzled on the red carpet and took home gold at the 78th Primetime Creative Emmy Awards.

Primetime Creative Arts Emmys: Photos We Love

Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Hugh Laurie, and Siobhan Redmond in Alfresco (1983)

Rowan Atkinson, Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson, Kim Thomson, and Emil Wolk in The Tall Guy (1989)

Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Hugh Laurie, and Rita Rudner in Peter's Friends (1992)

Thompson

Episodes6

Photos

Top Cast26

User reviews13

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed