Widows' Peak

I'm feeling a bit silly here, but I thought Natasha Richardson was British. In this film, she has an American accent that sounds very cultivated, although I couldn't tell whether it was fake or simply voice training.

I do like this movie, though, in fact I like it very much! Natasha was wonderful despite my confusion about her accent, and Mia Farrow was quite good, although it was hard to really see her as plain as she was in this film. It was fun to watch, though, and has you thinking at the end. Joan Plowright was superb, as usual.

9/10.

This is billed as a suspense/comedy, but is really lacking in comedy. The acting is fairly good, but the script forces us to accept numerous incidents of inexplicably outrageous behaviour from the characters culminating in an ending that my wife and I anticipated, but may be a surprise to some. While the ending reveals the characters' hidden motivations, it is paper thin. We really don't care what happens to the characters anyway, so the ending fails to deliver its punch to the viewer.

A truly lovely look at Irish humor and it's not so subtle jabs at the Brits. But there's more. How these characters weave a tale is fascinating and the plot thickens, as they say, with a marvelous twist that caught me totally off guard. Wonderful performances by all especially Joan Plowright who kept me laughing whenever she was on screen. It was nice to see Mia Farrow successfully widening her range, and Natasha Richardson wafted through the film with an aire of mystery about her -as did Farrow- commanding out attention throughout.

Yes, this movie has the elements of a chick flick: it's about relationships, most of the main characters are women, it's set in the 1920s and has lovely costuming and beautiful English countryside settings, and there is a love story-- but it's also more than that. It's a complex story about a single woman (Mia Farrow) in an English village, and how she interacts with her widowed and single neighbors. It combines comedy and drama in a good mix. There is action, and good pacing, with a surprise twist at the end. There are excellent actors in this film and great chemistry between them. You care about the characters; even the annoying ones. One can tell that the actors enjoyed making this movie. I would recommend this film to just about anyone. If you are of the persuasion that normally avoids chick flicks or period pieces, give this one a try. You might be surprised at what you've been missing.

This is an absolute masterpiece. I have watched the film innumerable times and still enjoy, with the best and most unpredictable climaxes I have ever seen. This film starts off as a great film and just gets better and better.