Crush, le club des frustrées

For all its faults, I found more poignancy in this movie than I expected. I admit that I purposely avoided this movie because Andie McDowell was in it -- who is a terribly overrated (though beautiful) actress. I was surprised to discover depth where she has never shown it before -- and very subtly, so much so, that it was unfortunately missed.

I've always enjoyed how many of the English movies I've seen have a tendency to mix comedy, tragedy, and drama in a way that Americans find hard to comprehend. Is not life itself a mix of all these? Do we not have situations so painful that we have to laugh?

I don't want to make this movie more than it was, but I thought it was a sweet, quiet story about a woman who may not have had the chance to find love -- and it comes along unexpectedly, in a very unconventional form. It is rather sad to watch her struggle with her somewhat immature feelings (and as I noted, Andie M. did a superb job) and disbelief over whether she was involved in just a "crush" (ahem, perhaps where the title came from -- surely not, as some reviewer noted, from the fate of one of the characters) or true love. I also enjoyed the genuine concern of her friends -- despite their misguided, and perhaps implausible efforts to dissuade her.

The movie showed how the type of love Kate wanted, may not have been possible in her small community, in the position she held, and with the life she had already created for herself. I thought the writer/director did a fine job of showing her struggle with the implausibility of the relationship she found.

Not the best movie ever made -- but nice to see a film that focuses on friendship, which often gets pushed aside as true love prevails (an implausible plot that movie viewers most want to see -- and who find anything other than true love to be implausible!).

"Crush" is a comedy/light-drama which tells of three middle-aged single women best friends in England, one of which, a proper school headmistress (MacDowell), falls in like/love with a young former student half her age. What begins as a straight forward sexually charged Spring-Autumn romance twists and turns unexpectedly and finally sorts itself out to feel good conclusion. "Crush" is an enjoyable, sometimes brash, sometime sentimental romp which will play best with more mature females. (B-)

I was very surprised how much I enjoyed this film. I thought it was funny, sexy, painful, and warm. Andie MacDowell's performance was nuanced and vulnerable. For once, the director of a MacDowell film did not make her beauty another character in the film. The romance between Kate and her young man is lovely to watch and it plays out very well. Her relationship with her friends is both a thorn and a balm in her life. Imelda Stalinson, who has been a MVP in so many British films, does a great job in this. There is some tragedy in this but I think the film is saved in the end by the brilliant acting, clean direction, and witty writing.The film quality is excellent and the music is good, too, though unavailable on sound track.

The tag line for "Crush" is "Three female friends behaving badly". I beg to differ. It's more like three middle-aged women complaining about men. This won't be enjoyable for many men.

But now on to the good things. It's dramatic, it's sad, it's funny and it combines all those elements with beauty. It's primarily about Kate (Andie MacDowell) trying to find love. MacDowell stands out in this film. She does have two best friends played by Imelda Staunton and Anna Chancellor but to me they were just annoying and continuously acted inappropriately.

But then into Kate's life comes Jed (Kenny Doughty). The entire theatre audience sighed as Doughty appeared on the screen. Very handsome, and he had the smouldering stare down pat as he melted our hearts. I had predicted that he would go on to be a star, and that might still happen, but slowly, as he toils around in some small roles.

The film was shot beautifully with the location in England being spectacular. The filmmakers also made a number of beautiful subtle contrasts to the men in Kate's life. These filmmakers definitely know how to make a great film. Too bad they don't know how to write characters very well. Andie MacDowell's Kate is the only great character, unless you count Kenny Doughty's looks.

"Crush" is not for men, and only for fans of Andie MacDowell, Kenny Doughty and technically superb and beautiful film-making.

Crush provides a combination of drama, humor and such irony that I find the English establish very well when it concerns matters of the heart. Mostly known for directing John McKay wrote this wonderful screenplay about three forty-something friends in a small town in England. All three professional women down-out of luck with men formed a ritual ladies night gathering with gin, fags and sweets intake included with endless chatter of their dates erroneous behavior or the needs of their libidos. Andie MacDowell once again thrown by the surrounds of the British (which is where I find she exudes the most) is absolutely charming as the head mistress of a prestigious school who becomes involved with a younger man. Small town gossip and the disapproving jealous friends (great supporting cast) conflicts with her relationship. Unfolding a series of brutal unfortunate events and showing us the many difficulties when one is in pursuit of true happiness. Keep in mind the main premise of this film is friendships and the ending shows us exactly that. This is the type of film you either love or hate, which is why I believe a lot of mix reviews and not that greatest success resulted when this film was released. As I'm sure most are just unearthing the film now. I very much enjoyed this film and highly recommend for those in the likes of such films as "Love Actually", and "Three Weddings and a funeral". Not to mention the soundtrack is extraordinary perfectly capturing those crucial moments.