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The Song of Lunch

  • TV Movie
  • 2010
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson in The Song of Lunch (2010)
DramaRomance

A London publisher recounts a lunchtime reunion with a former lover, in poetic monologue.A London publisher recounts a lunchtime reunion with a former lover, in poetic monologue.A London publisher recounts a lunchtime reunion with a former lover, in poetic monologue.

  • Director
    • Niall MacCormick
  • Writers
    • Niall MacCormick
    • Christopher Reid
  • Stars
    • Alan Rickman
    • Emma Thompson
    • Andi Soric
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    2.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Niall MacCormick
    • Writers
      • Niall MacCormick
      • Christopher Reid
    • Stars
      • Alan Rickman
      • Emma Thompson
      • Andi Soric
    • 24User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 4 nominations total

    Photos5

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    Top cast15

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    Alan Rickman
    Alan Rickman
    • He
    Emma Thompson
    Emma Thompson
    • She
    Andi Soric
    • Waiter
    Siubhan Harrison
    Siubhan Harrison
    • Waitress
    Joseph Long
    Joseph Long
    • Massimo
    Georgina Sutcliffe
    Georgina Sutcliffe
    • Young She
    Christopher Grimes
    • Young He
    Jamie Baughan
    Jamie Baughan
    • Noisy Boy
    Orlando Brooke
    Orlando Brooke
    • Noisy Boy
    David Hayler
    • Noisy Boy
    Simon Killick
    Simon Killick
    • Noisy Boy
    Oscar Ward
    • Noisy Boy
    James Richard Marshall
    James Richard Marshall
    • Debauched Publishing Type
    David Tennant
    David Tennant
    • Self - Host
    Christian Wolf-La'Moy
    Christian Wolf-La'Moy
    • Advertising Guy Talking with Massimo
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Niall MacCormick
    • Writers
      • Niall MacCormick
      • Christopher Reid
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews24

    7.32.7K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    8miss_lady_ice-853-608700

    An Erotic Lunch

    Alan Rickman plays a jaded publisher meeting a past flame (Emma Thompson) at an old haunt, now impersonally renovated. The publisher has a one-track mind and views her every move as erotic.

    This is a dramatised narrative poem. I'm sceptical about modern poetry but this one's quite good. It may be familiar ground but a lot of the phrases are actually quite good: consciously poetic but a concise description. Fans of Alan Rickman might find it hard to control himself as his character is aroused by everything: a squeezed hand, a glass of wine meeting his lips, a comely waitress, even a pepper shaker. The story is told through his perspective, much of it as voice-over. The switch between voice-over and dialogue really works, creating tension and drama in what is a fairly undramatic scene. It's like a short play.

    Both Rickman and Thompson speak the blank verse (with the occasional rhyme) very naturally. Their characters are intellectual people and the talk comes naturally to them, particularly Rickman's emotionally/creatively/sexually frustrated character.

    It's only 50 minutes so it's worth a watch. It would have been nice if it were part of a series of poems.
    9paul2001sw-1

    The pain of lunch

    Christopher Reed's poem 'The Song of Lunch' is brought brilliantly to life here by Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson, two fine actors and, though like most actors they sometimes waste time (and make money, no doubt) in rubbish, here we see them both at the top of their games. Rickman has the harder role, since he also has to narrate the verse; but Thompson handles herself excellently opposite him, never attempting to claim a larger space than is available but filling what is there perfectly. The story is a classic male tragedy, of a drunken middle-aged man whose awareness of his own increasing unattractiveness is a self-fulfilling prophesy; but the observation and psychology are razor sharp, and the words clear and cutting. It could be thought a bold move to dramatise a poem; but with this level of quality at all levels, perhaps the success of this project was never really in doubt.
    7mariam-bayat-n

    Great film that hold the original poem by the hand

    A beautiful tale of two long lost lovers that doesn't fail to lift your spirit. Despite only being a short film I enjoyed it very much. Perfectly assembled with great cinematography which compliments the original poem greatly. The melancholy and passion between the protagonists were definitely sustained through out the film steering it away from titles bearing names such as Depressing-love-story-for-the-over-40s or a Horny- middle-aged-people-have-a-rendez-vous. No better actors could have been picked for this. A brilliant performance on behalf of both Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson who portray the characters exact to how I had imagined them to be.

    All in all 'tis a great film. However, I advise people to read the book first before watching the film.
    infodaddy

    The saddest words, it might have been

    He came close to his fantasy, a renewal. But shortly let his mind take him down a trail of various sorts of negativity. He was on that line a bit, a line where he could have been witty and upbeat and challenging, a line he crossed into torpor and, well, annoyance, and more.

    Or perhaps He knew something the other reviewers here (and they are a very solid group of reviewers) did not know: That She too wanted a renewal. Though her words bely that possibility, well into the film, she touches his hand in a way that is personal and perhaps a bit erotic. Perhaps in her wonderful life with a successful author and two nondescript kids, she would like to recoup her past with He.

    Perhaps He knew this, and sabotaged it. If so, Why?

    The subject that screenwriters love to chat about, subtext, comes up. I thought the Mamet fiasco, PHIL SPECTOR, had the characters all delivering subtext as dialogue. Thus there was no mystery. Here, however, the subtext was given us in his unspoken words, his thoughts, as voice-over dialogue in his own head. Perambulating in his skull. It worked.

    For Rickman, I find this his second most compelling work, the first being CLOSET LAND (which I saw on a Saturday night in a popular movie theater, but only me in the room for that film). Both works exploit his rich voice.
    8info-73150

    Rickman and Thompson in Top Form

    This film is not going to be for everyone. I knew that just five minutes in. But I loved it. The poem, the dialogue, the acting. Any lesser actors than these two could not have pulled it off. It is heartbreaking, because fairly early in, it becomes clear that someone has a problem and it is this issue, along with other feelings of inadequacy that is the true root of their relationship's demise. What is especially interesting is the fact that the viewer doesn't despise Rickman's character--rather, feels his humiliation and loss.

    I gave the film eight stars rather than 10, because unresolved for me is the "WHY" of it. Why does he ask her to meet him for lunch to begin with? Is it to punish her? To rekindle something? Is the scene outside the apartment in Paris meant to illustrate obsession? Why does she agree to meet? Is she just being kind? If so--then why is she so cruel in her assessment of his book? The motivation/impetus for this lunch feels unclear to me.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The photo on the dust jacket of the lead female character's husband's book is one of Greg Wise, Dame Emma Thompson's real-life husband.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #14.45 (2010)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 8, 2010 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Песня ланча
    • Filming locations
      • Tottenham, London, England, UK(San Marco)
    • Production company
      • Masterpiece
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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