5 British Film Comedies That Must Never Be Remade
Over the last decade or so, a particular trend in Hollywood has arisen: taking a beloved British comedy and Americanizing it. Its happened to Bedazzled, The Ladykillers and Last Holiday. In the cases of Bedazzled and Last Holiday, major roles were changed from male to female. All three films were updated and modernized to give a more hip take on the material. But the reviews were mixed at best. More recent British comedies are not immune to this trend either, as evidenced by the remake of Death at a Funeral. Maybe theres just something about British comedy that makes it difficult to be successfully Americanized. Thats why so many American versions of British sitcoms fail and shows like All in the Family, Sanford and Son and The Office are the exception, not the rule. As a lifelong fan of British comedy films, there are some that I feel should not be remade by anyone on either side of the Atlantic. Because as hard as it may be for studio executives to understand, sometimes its better to leave well enough alone.