Plots with a View

Once again seeing this kind of movies turns me more and more into English humor, not too often seen on screen since the days of Monty Python and Man About The House. Too bad.

Brenda Blethyn (Who I first saw in Saving Grace early in the year, another must see by the way.) just excels, as Alfred Molina does. The rest of the cast, while virtually unknown to me, turns on great performances too. The film starts slowly and gradually gains in pace and amusement - midway I had tears in my eyes from laughing.

All in all, a funny English movie, a thousand times better than the supposedly 'funny' garbage that comes from Hollywood.

I have always been a fan of Britcoms and Nick Hurran's 'Plots With A View' is another hilarious addition to that list. It's sort of a funeral comedy that tells an unusual story of love, competition and revenge. The screenplay is wonderful and the film provides dozens of laugh out loud moments. The locations are refreshing and breathtaking. The cast is exceptional. Robert Pugh, Alfred Molina, Brenda Blethyn, Naomi Watts and Christopher Walken are like never seen before. Pugh is superb as the jerk of a cheating husband. Alfred Molina is the perfect gentleman/mortician. Blethyn beautifully downplays the part of the simple, slightly naive and lovable Betty. Naomi Watts plays the sluttish bimbette secretary and is overdone with makeup and props which makes her stupendously suitable for the part. Both she and Walkens prove their flair for comedy. Walken, well, I do not want to give away much. One just has to watch and see. 'Plots With A View', while being an immensely amusing comedy, pays tribute to ballroom dancing. The dance numbers are well executed. There's one with Walken and Evans and two or three with Molina and Blethyn. All of them performed fantastically. Molina and Blethyn actually prove to be quite good dancers. If one is looking for something to laugh then 'Plots With A View' is definitely the movie to recommend.

Very lovely love story between Brenda Blethyn and Alfred Molina. The whole story is very bizarre and funny. An undertaker (A. Molina) loves a married woman (B.Blethyn). They try to fake her death to escape her husband and the village. A scenario of strange situations starts. As good as SAVING GRACE and LONG LIVE NED DEVINE.

This was a wonderful film. My wife and I saw it on a princess cruise last year, and while it was an obvious plug for the cruise line, we thought the acting was superb (especially Christoper Walken). The story line is not your typical romance but the funerary background was an excellent twist. We both love Alfred Molina's acting and character that he portrayed however Walken steals the show with truly insane comedic genius. The way Walken's character tries to fulfill the deceased's supposed unrequited wishes in life in a uniquely expressive send off will have you rolling in the aisles. We kept waiting to see it in the states and have wanted to recommend it to our friends. I understand that it may come out with a different title and only in limited release, but we would love to see it again.

I was privileged to catch a preview of this film and I must say it's terrific. Christopher Walken is hilarious as a progressive U.S. funeral director trying to steal business away from a traditional funeral director (Alfred Molina) in a small Welsh town. Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies, Saving Grace) is equally outstanding playing Molina's object of affection since childhood. She's married to a powerful local councilman, who, unbeknownst to her, cheats on her with his vivacious secretary. Molina's role, however, provides the backbone of the storyline and he does a superb job carrying it through. Ultimately, it's writer Ponzlov's deft intertwining of love and death that bring this comedy to life.

Overall, casting is first-rate, the writing wonderful and the cinematography beautiful. This fun, quirky and sweeet film will rank up there in popularity with features like Four Weddings, Waking Ned Devine and Local Hero to name a few.