A Rather English Marriage

You will enjoy this movie if you step back and watch it like a spoof put together by the actors themselves. Otherwise the story as portrayed in this production is just not logical. There are irritating loose ends and tangents that I found frustrating. However they are all great actors doing a fine job and if you take it as it comes and just accept it as a silly spoof then you will enjoy it. Why an otherwise sensible, financially independent, elderly widower, would move in with an old grumpy, ungrateful, insulting, rake is not well explained. If you are going to write a script at least give good solid logical reasons to support why a character follows a particular course of action. The moment I gave up asking why so and so did such and such I began to enjoy the journey. A few drinks would also help. It is a silly movie that I ended up enjoying. Rosamund Pike - her movie debut - and some others appear for about half a second. One wonders why you would go to the trouble of assembling a cast of actors who may well spend three days on set only to be almost invisible in the final production. Even more outrageous is that very often, some bugger would have spent weeks mulling over who to cast in these invisible roles. We can only hope the invisible ones receive regular residuals ! So grab a stiff drink, relax, throw logic out the window and watch this movie.

Albert Finny and his co lead are superb,acting at its best!!!! A story and performance to remember. I think it fits the over 50-55 year old set best. Just wonderful entertainment with brilliant script. I will see it again...and again Dr G Catapano

I was tired and did not expect to stay with this movie, but thought I'd see how it began. The story and the absolutely wonderful performances by Finney and Courtenay kept me absorbed in it till it was all over. This quiet movie was, unexpectedly, to be one of my all-time favorites.

This reviewer considers 'A Rather English Marriage' one of the finest dramas she's ever watched, British or otherwise. So good in fact, that one does forget that it was made for TV.

'A Rather English Marriage' is beautifully shot and is a lovely-looking drama in general. It's sensitively directed by Paul Seed, and hauntingly scored with a nigh-on ideal use of Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" at the drama's end.

Scripting is thought-provoking, gently funny and heart-wrenchingly poignant. The story is told with great sensitivity, with the parts that could easily have been contrived being handled gracefully and believably, and really touched me on an emotional level. The ending is one classic example of an ending that one can see it as little as once and never forget it, that's how effective an ending it is. It is paced very securely, while never hurting the gentle atmosphere or adopting the book's (of which it is a very faithful adaptation of apart from the ending) occasional tendency to plod.

The characters in 'A Rather English Marriage' are very well-written and easy to engage with. All serve a point to the story and they are interesting. Liz could easily have been annoying and one-dimensional considering her gold-digging nature, but 'A Rather English Marriage' successfully gives the character a good deal of heart. It is Reggie and Roy's relationship that holds 'A Rather English Marriage' together, and it is beautifully written and even more beautifully acted, the contrasting personalities of the two complementing each other perfectly.

You can't go wrong with the acting either, which is superb across the board. Especially Tom Courtenay at his understated best, while Albert Finney in the more broadly written role is a splendid contrast, without falling into ham or caricature. Joanna Lumley gives charming support, and the rest of the acting is without fault.

In conclusion, an unforgettably brilliant British drama. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The pairing of Courtenay and Finney,whose contrasting styles combine so well together,were brilliant in The Dresser,which makes their pairing in this drama so very welcome.They play contrasting men widowed on the same day and paired together by social services.Finney is a womanising ex=Battle of Britain pilot whose wife came from wealthy stock while Courteney is a former milkman.Courteney possesses all the requisite domestic skills while Finney would struggle to boil water without a recipe book. Against all odds and not helped by Finney's habit of assuming command they rub along well together until the arrival of Joanna Lumley a gold-digger who sets her sights on Finney

Beautifully written and impeccably played character study.It illustrates that dumbing down ,while having achieved epidemic proportions on UK television,has not yet conquered all bastions of the box.