Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie

This is the second film in the Doc Martin series, the first not, as yet getting a mention on IMDb. Hugely enjoyable film incorporating all aspects of life such as escapism, small town gossipping, pretty ladies to keep men glued to their seats (Neve McIntosh) and a little bit of intrigue in the smuggling plot too. I for one would love to see this made into a series and to run and run.

I wish this movie were part of a set of 3 with Saving Grace instead of being automatically tied to the TV series. The only thing the movie has in common with the series is the setting of a Cornish village and the star. The character is entirely different. Dr Bamford does have a snobbish outsider view of the villagers and their odd beliefs but this movie is about him becoming a villager in their eyes and in his own mind as they unite to oppose custom agents.

The movie seems to start out all over the place but it all ties together when it ends. I like that the movie has a light mystery feel to it similar to the first Doc Martin movie. The medical aspects of Martin being the GP of the village is irrelevant to the plot instead of being a key to it. I can understand why lovers of the TV series hate the movie but that's why I wish this weren't so tied to it. It is a totally different story.

We got hooked on Doc Martin when the first two seasons were offered on Netflix -- love the Cornish landscape and love the slightly scruffy and very quirky denizens of this corner of England. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there were two films previous to the series, and finally sat down to watch them. The first was really cute -- it was nice to see the Doctor not so crusty and more human than he is in the series, but the second one absolutely cracked me up. Nicely plotted, so many subtle digs at stereotypical Londoners, but not so stereotypical that they were trite. Loved the magical moments, and the last scene just ties everything up in a big bow -- I fell off the couch laughing, happy to leave the Doc with things perfectly in order (for Cornwall). A very feel-good movie, and well worth watching twice.

The first Doc Martin prequel was pretty good, except for the repulsive sex scene, the squeamish bits, and the verbal litter. But the rest was great. We watched it just before we watched this one and this one was absolutely awful.

Anna Chancellor's character made us want to turn the show off right from the beginning. The Doc showed no intelligence. It was a comedy of stupid errors rather than unfortunate ones. There was no one to root for in this show. Well, we take that back. Pam Ferris was her awesome self. It was fun to see her glammed up. We're also not a fans of the verbal litter. It usually just stinks things up.

Loved the scenery though.

Another outing for the original Doc Martin Bamford character, the Dr. Nice Guy of "Saving Grace" and a follow-up TV movie, not the sharper-edged Doc Martin Ellingham of the TV series. "Cloutie" makes good use of the Celtic Fringe folklore of Cornwall; the flimsy plot doesn't matter much—encouraged by the village wise woman (Pam Ferris), Doc Martin dabbles in the dark arts and sides with the goodhearted local smugglers against a pair of nasty customs agents. Reminiscent of Stephen Fry's "Kingdom," this one's pretty slight but thoroughly entertaining. Haven't seen "Saving Grace," but anything with "Doc Martin" in the title is decidedly worth watching. If you haven't seen the series (now mostly available on streaming NF and Amazon), I'd start with that.