YMMV / Noises Off

• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The actor playing Selsdon is sometimes asked to dance while doing his little speech, so that Selsdon, Tim and Lloyd form a pseudo-chorus line when doing their lines.
• Broken Base: The film version, when it came out, received epically low review scores — probably because the film, no matter if they DID add a happy ending, doesn't really have a narrative structure. However, some would claim that if you can get past that, it's hysterical.
  • Also, in changing the setting from Britain to America, the film alters a key premise. In the play, the troupe is touring provincial British towns (i.e. Weston-super-Mare) with their production; in the film, the troupe is moving the play toward Broadway and the story is framed as flashbacks. However, it's justified with the play being a British play making its debut in America. Lloyd is played by the very British Michael Caine and Selsdon is played by British Denholm Elliott; it's strongly hinted that despite being The Alcoholic, Selsdon's played the burglar so many times on the West End he doesn't really need rehearsal.
  • Some think that making the play into a film was a bad idea in the first place, as the story is so inherently rooted in theatre that it was impossible to do it justice cinematically.
• Fridge Brilliance: In the play, Selsdon makes an early entrance and is told by Lloyd that he isn't on for another 20 pages. This happens on page 29 in the script and Selsdon's next entrance is on page 49.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Lloyd is an ass who has little to no patience for his crew's screw ups, but to be fair, most people would be driven mad having to put up with all the crap he goes through.
  • Garry's Crazy Jealous Guy tendencies cause quite a bit of drama throughout the second act, with his targeting of the innocent Frederick being particularly cruel. At the same time, he takes more physical abuse throughout the show than anyone else.
• Moment of Awesome: The second act requires a cast of actors working in perfect tandem to be truly pulled off. Once the In-Universe play begins, from then on, with few exceptions, if an actor is portraying almost entirely silent slapstick onstage, then they're behind the stage, delivering dialogue which has to match up just right with the visible action. It's difficult, but if pulled off, the audience will be in stitches.
• Slow-Paced Beginning: Some have criticized the first act due to the audience frequently sitting through the Stylistic Suck In-Universe play delivered straight, and not having the same chaotic high energy present in the rest of the show. With that being said, many still find the show's beginning to be hilarious, and even detractors can admit that it successfully sets up much of the show's later humor.
• The Woobie: While it's all Played for Laughs and their individual levels of sympathy vary, the Troubled Production takes quite a toll on everyone involved.
  • Poor Tim. He hasn't gotten to sleep in two days!
  • Frederick's wife left him shortly before the show opens, leaving him an emotional wreck. Despite that, he keeps trying to solve everyone's problems and keeps screwing up horribly.
  • Poppy gets nothing but abuse from Lloyd and is carrying his child.

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