Directed by:
Stephan ElliottCinematography:
Martin KenzieComposer:
Marius De VriesCast:
Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Kimberley Nixon, Katherine Parkinson, Kris Marshall, Christian Brassington, Charlotte Riley (more)Plots(1)
The twenties have roared... the thirties have yet to swing. John Whittaker, a young Englishman, falls madly in love with Larita, a sexy and glamorous American woman, and they marry impetuously. However when the couple returns to the family home, his mother Mrs Whittaker has an instant allergic reaction to her new daughter-in-law. Larita tries her best to fit in but fails to tiptoe through the minefield laid by her mother-in-law. Larita quickly realizes Mrs Whittaker’s game and sees that she must fight back if she’s not going to lose John. A battle of wits ensues and sparks soon fly. Mrs Whittaker manipulates every situation to undermine her, while Larita remains frustratingly calm and engineers sassy counter attacks. Before long, Mrs Whittaker’s manipulation starts to work on John and Larita feels their love is in danger of slipping away. In a grand finale, where the secrets from Larita's past are revealed, she finally makes a break for freedom from the suffocating house... (Pathé Distribution UK)
(more)Reviews (2)
Great actors, a beautiful English period setting and that unmistakable British humour. It looks great, but it all struck me as a very unstable set-up that was about to fall apart at any moment. There were a lot of funny scenes, but there were some pretty boring passages alongside them. I have no complaints about the cast, they were all well chosen and, as I have a soft spot for period films, I enjoyed myself here. All in all, an average comedy that could have been more striking and definitely could have been made better.
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You know those harmless comedies that you find primarily in the repertoire of Vinohrady Theatre or Na Jezerce Theatre, almost certainly starring Jirásková or Hrušinský? One of those plays that you would never go to alone, but when you take Mom, Granny, Dad and anybody else from the family to it, you can be sure that you will survive, your parents will be happy, Granny will be over the moon about how Jirásková is still enchanting and jumps about like a spring deer. Well this is exactly the same. So much so, that I’m just waiting for it to appear in the Vinohrady Theatre repertoire, starring Jirásková and guest-starring Hrušinský.
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