What We Did on Our Holiday

Remember Angeline Ball, the beautiful blonde back-up singer in Alan Parker's superb Irish Musical "The Commitments"? Well into her thirties she's still an extremely attractive woman in TV movie "What we did on our Holiday" so you can imagine my surprise when her husband, played by English soap star Shane Ritchie, sticks a jagged piece of glass into the sole of his foot rather than make love to her. (She wants a baby, you see). I'm afraid your character lost a little credibility for me, Shane.

"What we did ….." didn't work for me as comedy, I didn't care for Roger Lloyd-Pack's Parkinsons' sufferer being treated as a figure of fun. There is one good line when they go into a church where Pauline Collins' reply to "Make a wish if you want" is "The technical term is praying" However this Granada International comedy/drama has something to say about our responsibilities for our aging parents and the ending packs a real punch.

"What we did on our Holiday" is crisply edited but has excessive use of the Stedicam, its Maltese setting is attractive and Pauline always gives a performance.

Really I do wish they made more movies like these; nice stories that deal with human (and not super-human) issues and situations, human emotions, human dilemmas, human insecurities.

The story is about a man in his 30s that goes for holidays in Malta with his wife and parents. A secret is revealed there that will upset the hero of the story and all the family. In addition to this, our hero has to face his dilemmas relating to his sick father and his estranged wife.

The execution is nice and not Hollywood perfect which I believe adds to the believability of the story. The movie draws you in and it is really nice to watch. I especially enjoyed the acting of the elder couple but also the setting. It is a movie that will not go away as soon as the credits appear. Well done.