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A lovely example of British black comedy, Keeping Mum is funny and heart warming in the strangest sense and weaves the story in a way that leaves you smiling when you know you really shouldn't be.
The story begins on a train with the sweet, pregnant, Rosemary Jones (Emilia Fox) drinking tea and browsing through magazines about country homes as her train rattles through the English countryside. In the baggage compartment a Train Inspector notices a pool of blood leaking from the corner of her very large leather trunk, and thus the plot is set.
Skip forward 43 years and we find ourselves in the town of Little Wallop where Gloria Goodfellow (Kristin Scott Thomas) is having trouble keeping her life together. Her son Petey (Tobey Parkes) is being bullied at school, her daughter Holly (Tamsin Egerton) is a Nymphomaniac, and her husband Walter (Rowan Atkinson), the kind, bumbling vicar of the town, has let their marriage die and lost his sense of humour, causing Gloria to seek affection from her sleazy American Golf Instructor, Lance (Patrick Swayze).
Into this comes the new housekeeper Grace (Maggie Smith), and she is everything her name would imply. Sweet, kind and charming, she begins to change things in Little Wallop, and even if her methods are a little… unusual, she has only the best of intentions at heart.
There are only so many times I can use the word charming so let us get that out of the way right at the start.
This movie is charming. From the casting, to the cinematography, to the sweetness of the soundtrack. Well directed and well written, it turns the sinister into the heartwarming, and doesn't linger on the darker aspects, but rather makes it a discovery of happiness in the little things in life.
Just don't expect there to be any morals, because there aren't.
The casting was excellent, with everyone playing their roles to perfection, going a long way towards making this movie what it is.
Rowan Atkinson is seen here in a somewhat different role from his norm. But instead of being the clown of the film he is grave and kind and genuine and really grounds the story, especially next to the role of Kristin Scott Thomas who is simply superb as the Vicars slightly wayward wife.
Patrick Swayze does slightly over the top sleaze as only he can, and all within the spirit of the tale, offering a few good laughs within the course of the film.
And lastly there is the impeccable Maggie Smith who stars as the quintessential, sweet, old lady, a veritable Mary Poppins in her latter years, ready to make life better for everyone and set things back onto the right path.
In the end this is so much more than just a story about murder. It is about family, love, faith and sticking together, and most importantly, how to dispose of your neighbours dog.
Witty, dark and and down-to-earth as only english comedies can be, if you like black hearted humour and are in need of cheering, this movie is most definitely for you.
Just remember; some family secrets are best left...buried.
8/10
The story begins on a train with the sweet, pregnant, Rosemary Jones (Emilia Fox) drinking tea and browsing through magazines about country homes as her train rattles through the English countryside. In the baggage compartment a Train Inspector notices a pool of blood leaking from the corner of her very large leather trunk, and thus the plot is set.
Skip forward 43 years and we find ourselves in the town of Little Wallop where Gloria Goodfellow (Kristin Scott Thomas) is having trouble keeping her life together. Her son Petey (Tobey Parkes) is being bullied at school, her daughter Holly (Tamsin Egerton) is a Nymphomaniac, and her husband Walter (Rowan Atkinson), the kind, bumbling vicar of the town, has let their marriage die and lost his sense of humour, causing Gloria to seek affection from her sleazy American Golf Instructor, Lance (Patrick Swayze).
Into this comes the new housekeeper Grace (Maggie Smith), and she is everything her name would imply. Sweet, kind and charming, she begins to change things in Little Wallop, and even if her methods are a little… unusual, she has only the best of intentions at heart.
There are only so many times I can use the word charming so let us get that out of the way right at the start.
This movie is charming. From the casting, to the cinematography, to the sweetness of the soundtrack. Well directed and well written, it turns the sinister into the heartwarming, and doesn't linger on the darker aspects, but rather makes it a discovery of happiness in the little things in life.
Just don't expect there to be any morals, because there aren't.
The casting was excellent, with everyone playing their roles to perfection, going a long way towards making this movie what it is.
Rowan Atkinson is seen here in a somewhat different role from his norm. But instead of being the clown of the film he is grave and kind and genuine and really grounds the story, especially next to the role of Kristin Scott Thomas who is simply superb as the Vicars slightly wayward wife.
Patrick Swayze does slightly over the top sleaze as only he can, and all within the spirit of the tale, offering a few good laughs within the course of the film.
And lastly there is the impeccable Maggie Smith who stars as the quintessential, sweet, old lady, a veritable Mary Poppins in her latter years, ready to make life better for everyone and set things back onto the right path.
In the end this is so much more than just a story about murder. It is about family, love, faith and sticking together, and most importantly, how to dispose of your neighbours dog.
Witty, dark and and down-to-earth as only english comedies can be, if you like black hearted humour and are in need of cheering, this movie is most definitely for you.
Just remember; some family secrets are best left...buried.
8/10
First review, yay. I was beginning to feel a bit guilty about it. © 2010 - 2024 The-Inkling
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This review is wonderful, i love it.