The myth of the eccentric Englishman (or woman) is given a cinematic boost by the awkwardly hysterical VERY ANNIE MARY, a tale of a young Welsh woman's stumbling struggle to proclaim her independence and strike out on her own. With an epic sweep reminiscent of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, VERY ANNIE MARY examines the bucolic and banal .. Read more
| Starring | Rachel Griffiths, Jonathan Pryce, Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys |
|---|---|
| Director | Sarah Sugarman |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Comedy |
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The myth of the eccentric Englishman (or woman) is given a cinematic boost by the awkwardly hysterical VERY ANNIE MARY, a tale of a young Welsh woman's stumbling struggle to proclaim her independence and strike out on her own. With an epic sweep reminiscent of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, VERY ANNIE MARY examines the bucolic and banal life of 33-year-old Annie Mary (Rachel Griffiths), a perpetually adolescent and tragically klutzy young woman, miserably under the thumb of her egomaniacal opera singing father (Jonathan Pryce). Since the death of her beloved and similarly opera-loving mother when she was a girl, Annie Mary clings to the memories of a childhood musical competition where she was awarded a scholarship to study opera singing in Milan (which her domineering father prevented her from accepting). Haunted by the spectre of a future that could never be, Annie Mary mopes around, lost in hopeless dreams of living on her own and finding love. When her father is rendered helpless by a stroke, Annie Mary is forced to take her life into her own hands, which is when her inspired and overenthusiastic effort to reclaim her true self (and her singing voice) begins to send shock waves through her secluded Welsh village.
| Starring | Rachel Griffiths, Jonathan Pryce, Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys, Ruth Madoc |
|---|---|
| Director | Sarah Sugarman |
| Studio | 4DVD |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 39 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English, English Audio Description |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 14 Apr 2003 Production year: 2000 |
| Format | DVD |
"...It has Rachel Griffiths showing a flair for physical comedy as gawky misfit Annie Mary that rivals her already proven talent for accents....This is a delightfully eccentric fable..."
Welsh writer/director Sugarman's second feature is an uneven, sometimes awkward but ultimately winning parable about... read more on Time Out
This film, which boasts an extraordinary cast -- Jonathan Pryce, the fantastically versatile Rachel Griffiths, one of the real actresses around today [Six Feet Under, Hilary and Jackie, My Son the Fanatic], and the very lovely Ioan Gruffudd -- is let down by a corny and cringeworthily sentimental script: local colour with a sugar-pink tinge.
If you're in the mood for a wholly undemanding feelgood meringue or cream cake, this film may satisfy you; but really it's not worthy of its distinguished cast, or even -- to be fair -- of the ideas and sentiments it tries (heavy-handedly) to convey.
I really just couldn't let myself go and enjoy this movie. Right from the start I was waiting for the end. I hated Annie, she really went through me for some reason, i think this was because of her weird personality. I can't remember what the plot was at all, and i can't say that for many films i've watched.... I appreciate that others must have enjoyed this film based on previous reviews on the site, but for me it is a definate No No!