This British comedy, written and directed by William Brookfield, stars James Fleet as the middle-aged mama's boy who has just lost his mother. This seemingly tragic event actually leads to good things for the man, whose country neighbors and friends have lots of plans for how he can use his time in his new, free life. Read more
| Starring | Dawn French, James Fleet, Phyllida Law, Joss Ackland |
|---|---|
| Director | William Brookfield |
| Genres | Comedy |
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This British comedy, written and directed by William Brookfield, stars James Fleet as the middle-aged mama's boy who has just lost his mother. This seemingly tragic event actually leads to good things for the man, whose country neighbors and friends have lots of plans for how he can use his time in his new, free life.
| Starring | Dawn French, James Fleet, Phyllida Law, Joss Ackland, Francesca Annis, Richard Johnson, Lesley Manville, Duncan Preston, Clotilde Courau, Peter Jones, Judith Scott |
|---|---|
| Director | William Brookfield |
| Studio | CINEMA CLUB |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 32 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 28 Oct 2002 Production year: 1999 |
| Format | DVD |
An enviable British ensemble is under-employed in William Brookfield's directorial debut. Despite darkening the persona of the amiable bumbler he played in Four Weddings and a Funeral, James Fleet is rather swept away by the grasping relatives who descend on his Wiltshire dairy farm following the death of his martinet mother. Consequently, we're much more interested in the antics of such inveterate scene-stealers as Peter Jones and Dawn French than in Fleet's machinations and his tentative relationship with back-packer, Clotilde Courau. Caught between Ealing, Cold Comfort Farm and a sitcom pilot, this is never macabre nor comic enough.
An upmarket cast delivers mostly classy goods in this very English, dodgily conceived package. A middle-aged small... read more on Time Out
Not all British made films are good, some are so naff it defies belief. This one shines above most of the others. A credible cast of top class actors with a totally original plot, makes a change.
Warm hearted and tragic at times but funny in it's own way. It is certainly "one that got away" from the big screens, how I missed this I never know. Worth seeing over and over... superb writing and great script.
I love british films but this was a strange one. Its a black comedy but more bleak and not funny at all. Dawn French's acting was poor in this and overall I was really disappointed!