De particulier à particulière

This movie is brilliant, really it is. The fact that it is based on a true story only adds to it and makes it that much better.

Basically, this movie is following Harold Guppy, a man who we want to like but does some pretty despicable things on our road to the ending. He seems like he's had quite a bit of trouble in his life (he lets us know in a discussion with his brother) and he wants to start fresh. This won't be the only time he has such ambitions.

Harold is immediately welcomed into a family who are looking to rent a room. Enter Julie Walters. Although it's a nice, friendly, relationship at first, Harold and Mrs. Beasley's relationship soon turn sexual (though he's in his 30's and she her 50's), where they even result in having sex in bed with Mrs. Beasley's (or as he calls her, Mum's) daughter Joyce.

Their relationship is smooth enough until Harold decides he wants to get out. Mum has this psychological control over him and it isn't healthy. They are now regularly sleeping together (with Joyce still in the bed) and Harold needs to get out of the situation. So he escapes, at least, for a while.

Soon enough Mum has control of him again, saying she'll tell the police that Harold sexually abused Joyce. So here he is again, back in Mum's control.

We are led to believe that Harold really is a good boy, just a weak one. We have compassion for him, as he really needs Mum (it's not as if he ever had one growing up), and he can't escape. But he must.

All the way to the end, we pity our Harold as everything falls apart. And it does fall apart for poor Harold.

This movie is sad in its simplicity and we do feel for many of the characters, Harold's brother and wife, Mum's children, Joyce, Mr. Beasley, the list goes on.

I'd suggest this movie a million times over. The film-maker films each shot so coldly, there never really is any sunshine, and everything seems so grey...it's reminiscent of the relationship Harold and Mum have. Icy.

Julie Walters and Rupert Graves deliver masterly performances, as well as the young girl who is Joyce. Congrats to everyone who worked on this film, it's amazing.

This movie was good, but very weird. It is hard to believe that people can be so demented. Laura Sadler gave a great performance as young Joyce Beasley. I was looking forward to seeing her in future movies, but sadly, she passed away.

If you feel that your family isn't quite right, see this movie and you'll be grateful for what you have. This mother is the mother from Hell, seducing the boarder...a baby-faced ex-reform school lad. But he's an angel compared to her and her pitiful completely wierded out daughter. Guess you would be too if you shared a bed with your mama doing the nasty. Then of course, he refused to play on the night he catered inexplicably to this kids' attempt at blackmail.

Loved the English countryside, despite the fact that it was splashed with gore. It's an interesting diversion from what passes as entertainment today. Wonder what the TRUTH was. Glad that the veteran with one leg at least got Christmas cards from the Veteran's Group over there;;;;that's ALL he ever got.

Harold Guppy leaves the navy and lodges with the Beasley family . Before he`s unpacked his case he`s bonking the middle aged Majorie Beasley and before he knows it the daughter , the thirteen year old Joyce Beasley is wanting a shot

Does this sound like a movie with a lot of potential of laughs ? I didn`t think so either but for some reason writer/director Philip Goodhew has gone all out to make INTIMATE RELATIONS a tragic black farce . I have to admit that I didn`t laugh once or even feel like smiling as I imagine was Goodhew`s intention , I just kept saying to myself " Gawd some people deserve to be strung up " , I can`t think of a movie I`ve seen recently with so many unlikable people . It should also be pointed out that the very serious ending jars with the saucy postcard humour of the rest of the film

I will give the director some credit for getting the best out of the cast . Rupert Graves manages to communicate the angst of his character Harold Guppy rather well while Julie Walters is also good as Majorie , but the late Laura Sadler is absolutely superb as young Joyce

But the cast are unable to stop me thinking that perhaps this is a movie that shouldn`t have been made , especially with its comedic feel

Based on a true story, Harold (Rupert Graves) arrives home after a spell at sea and finds rejection at home from his sister-in-law. Forced to seek lodgings elsewhere, he alights on Marjorie (Julie Walters) who shares a room with her teenage daughter whilst her husband sleeps separately for "medical reasons"! Initially all goes well, they all bond nicely and he settles in as one of the family. The applecart gets a bit upset, though, when Marjorie decides that she's got the hots for her new tenant and after some very timid rebuttals, he soon acquiesces to her demands! The daughter, Joyce (Laura Sadler), meantime, is fully aware of her mother's peccadilloes and threatening to tell her father, insists that she becomes part of their games. Not the sex part, no, but she essentially treats him like an indulgent new father - and one with whom she becomes increasingly infatuated. Needless to say, this situation cannot continue but it's only when he tries to end things that he discovers that his older paramour is quite prepared to make his life a criminal misery with some heinous allegations should he try to escape this web of deceit - before a picnic brings things to a tragic and definitive head! Walters and Graves are both fine here, but they don't gel especially well together and that's quite crucial to the addictive nature of this story. The sex scenes are almost comedic at times and the ease with which this menage-à-trois seems to thrive rather robs the film of much of a sense of jeopardy, or even that they might be doing something wrong and immoral. It does look good but the narrative is a bit flat and disappointing, I found.