I've always adored Alan Bates, British comedy, and yes, I love gay men. I had never even heard of "Butley", but looking through amazon.com, I saw "Butley" for sale. Sounded great! And great reviews, too. I was so disappointed. This film is about a posh school teacher (Bates), whose wife has left him for his old boyfriend. Sounds like the makings for a great Britcom, no? Well, no. It consists of usually no more than 2 people on screen at a time who verbally joust. They speak very quickly and try to be oh so clever with every sentence spoken. Problem is, not one sentence is funny. If you thought "Meet the Fockers" laid an egg by being not funny, "Butley" is even worse. Not only did I not laugh once, I had to eject it about 3/4 of the way thru. Why should I waste my time on a comedy that won't make me laugh? I gave it ample time. This is the worst type of Britcom...the dialogue is so contrived, it strains so hard, a kind of "we're so very funny because we say we're funny, but if you don't think we are, it's because you're just declasse, dearie". If you want to see a Britcom that will make you belly laugh thru the entire movie, I say go watch "Borat". Now there's a hilarious movie!

I would have preferred to see this on stage. The performances are outstanding (especially by Alan Bates), and the dialogue is wonderful. But the film doesn't transcend its theater roots, and it makes for a very boring film. It isn't cinematic at all, and it's confined to one room for the entirety of the play. And it takes place in real time as well. Unfortunately, this happens quite often with plays are turned into films. But the play itself is still very good, and on that basis, I love it. Butley is having such a bad day, and a lot of it is his own fault, but you can't help but feel for this little pissant who's a drunk, a thief, a user of women and men, lazy, indifferent, callous, and everything. But Bates makes him deeply human, and the dialogue and performances are superb. Some have said the British accents are a bit thick, but I understood them pretty well. If you're looking for a good play, this is something you should rent. If you want a deeply cinematic experience, look elsewhere.

Want to see what really great acting looks like? Here's your film. Gray's biting play is elevated by Bates's astonishing, virtually one-man show. Secondary characters are strong, but serve mainly as figures for Butley to lacerate. Butley's disillusionment isn't all that unusual; it's his unparalleled ability to channel it that amazes: as he sinks further into isolation, he singes as many people as possible. The paradox is, it's fun watching him self-immolate, since he is so damned clever.

If you are a theatre buff and want to see an award-winning performance captured on film, I highly recommend this Harold Pinter-directed version of Simon Gray's play. In additiona to Alan Bates's magnificent yet subtle performance, there is a gem of a peformance by Jessica Tandy as well. The picture quality isn't crisp, and the production values look low-budget, but this is all about the words and the acting.

This is my favorite film, and it has been ever since I first saw it in 1974. Alan Bates became my favorite actor, and never disappointed me. The subtleties and nuances of his performance and of the play itself can't be appreciated upon one viewing. (My cousin saw the film with me in 1974 and hated it, so it's not for everyone.) Please, for anyone who plans to see Nathan Lane in the new Broadway production (I saw it in Boston), please, watch this DVD afterward. You'll see the difference between Lane's superficial outline of a character and Bates' deeply textured performance.