Deadly Summer

I just loved this movie, it was so much fun. I have loved Francesca Annis since I saw her in a TV series on PBS about the life of Edward the Eighth, I think that's the number. She is so beautiful and talented, she just grabs your attention. "Deadly Summer" is a kind of a road tour, two British couples with their children rent a summer house in France. Some of the scenes made me very uncomfortable, particularly the abusive husband. I am not going to spoil my comments about this movie, but when brow beat your chubby wife, when you constantly denigrate her, when you treat her like a loser, then you are going to get it!

It's about their dysfunctional lives. I won't post a spoiler, but the ending is very satisfying. I love the the folk song, "Erie Canal, Low Bridge, Everybody Down." Got it?

I happened on this film one morning and I rarely watch TV movies in the daytime, but I couldn't turn it off. Even though I had missed approximately fifteen minutes of the beginning, the characters, scenery and humor held my attention until the end. Deadly Summer is about two British couples on holiday in France. Since I didn't see the beginning, I don't know if they were close friends or not prior to this summer escape; they certainly seemed the "odd couples". Pauline Quirke was especially good in her role as the abused but stiff -upper-lipped British wife with inner strength to carry her through. Her husband played by Nicholas Farrell, was the epitome of the flawed male psyche searching for sex, power and money which leads to a devastatingly funny ending. I loved it!

Watching that movie happened totally by chance. i bumped into it while zupping, and felt like keep watching it. it was capturing by its simpleness. very attractive shots and visuals. the view of the village, the village people, the local coffee chop. Linda reminded me sometimes of Katey Bates' acting. the story of the movie consists of two unhappy couples, trying to show the exact opposite. it's a movie about the human greediness and about superficial men, whose wives only wants a fair and caring treatment. one day the hosting couple have a fight, and the wife accidently kills her husband (by throwing a metal ball at him and causing him to fall off the bridge they were standing on, into the river). Linda's husband is insulting her and criticizing her non stop. i won't tell you any longer in order to let you get your own impression of the complicated relations between the people. and there's a pleasant surprise at the end (well, pleasant for Linda...) enjoy.

If you are a woman in a suppressed relationship, where you are the one being suppressed, then you might enjoy this movie. But I doubt it. The two chauvinistic males were way too exaggerated, even for a comedy. Or maybe it was just bad acting. The movie was not very funny. I did smile a couple of times. I even laughed a couple of times, during the commercial breaks. Maybe if you are an english tourist who often travels in france, then you might find it funny. I didn't. The plot itself was okay, and I think it might have gone quite okay as a drama. Oh, and why did I watch it? Because IMDbs users gave it a rating of 7.1. Please watch this movie an rate it as it deserves.

This 'made for TV' film is filled with over-the-top characters, (it's no wonder the French hate English tourists) this lot are scraping the bottom of the barrel, with the exception of darling Pauline Quirke. How could the film ever be mundane with actors like herself, Francesca Annis, Bob Peck and Nicholas Farrell, not forgetting Sarah Smart, playing a role similar to the bratty daughter of the Braithwaites. Everyone including the old French "witch" played their roles to perfection, that they kept themselves from laughing proves their acting ability!! I would love to have seen some of the out-takes! A middle of the night movie that should have been given a better time slot, Deadly Summer, fulfilled all expectations of how enjoyable black comedies can be!