SYNOPSICS
Keeping Mum (2005) is a English movie. Niall Johnson has directed this movie. Rowan Atkinson,Kristin Scott Thomas,Maggie Smith,Patrick Swayze are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2005. Keeping Mum (2005) is considered one of the best Comedy,Crime movie in India and around the world.
Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson), the vicar for the small English country parish of Little Wallop, has allowed his marriage to Gloria (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas) go stale, and he is so detached from his family, that he has not taken notice that his seventeen-year-old daughter Holly (Tamsin Egerton) is going through a succession of relationships with unsuitable boyfriends, and his son Petey (Toby Parkes) fears going to school, owing to being bullied. Out of desperation for affection, Gloria begins to fall for the advances of Lance (Patrick Swayze), an American golf pro who is giving her "private" lessons. The problems upsetting the family start to fade away after Grace Hawkins (Dame Maggie Smith), the new housekeeper, arrives and starts tending to matters as an older, and rather darkly mysterious version of Mary Poppins (1964).
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Keeping Mum (2005) Reviews
Great black comedy reviving a British tradition
This great black comedy in the British tradition appeals to all generations. I went with my mother, wife and son and we all enjoyed it very much. My 20-year-old son, who was not accustomed to this type of dark humour, was quite startled at how murder was portrayed in an off-hand, humorous way. I felt it was a revival of a genre going back to the "Wrong Box" [1966] and before. This film does not dwell on the violence, the gore, the sentiment or the psychological aspects of murder. It seems to be standard fare for most films but it didn't seem appropriate here. As much I respect, Rowan Atkinson as a comedian, I was concerned that this film would be in the Mr Bean or Black Adder vein. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rowan Atkinson is a very good actor. Most of the time, he played his role as an absent-minded vicar in an understated and sometimes quite touching way. Mr Bean fans will have their moments. There's also lots of innuendo combined with more subtle humour. Maggie Smith is as ever excellent. The rest of the cast play their archetypal characters or in the case of Patrick Swayze's caricature well. Though I was able to predict the overall plot, the story is entertaining and there is a gentle message about marital problems, the generation gap and hypocrisy. The scenery mainly in the Isle of Man and partly in Cornwall is stunning. I recommend it highly.
I saw this film recently and I was pleasantly surprised.
I saw this film recently and I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of the old Ealing Comedies as it was charming but had a definite sense of delicious wickedness running through it. All of the main characters are funny in their own way particularly Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith. It reminded me so much of and Ealing Comedy that after a while I could only see Alec Guinness in drag when Maggie Smith was on screen. Kristin Scott Thomas started out as being being a bit of a female Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral and showed that she can be quite funny but towards the end she gets a little unconvincing once some revelations unfold. All in all it has it's minor misgivings and gets a little too silly and unbelievable in places but I'd give it a go.
Surprisingly wonderful English comedy
This is an almost perfect "naughty" English comedy whose humour is too complicated to be described. Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith, and the rest of the cast are perfect. This is the most understated I have ever seen Atkinson, and marks an interesting evolution for him. Two young ladies in front of me were still giggling halfway through the closing credits, and the entire audience, judging from the laughter, had a great time. I chuckled all the way home - think I'll go see it again tonight, as I have an "Unlimited" card, so can see as many movies as I like for 11 pounds a month. Seriously, this is not a "sweetness-and-light" comedy - it has a dark side, which is evident from the beginning, but that aspect drives the humour, because it touches feelings in us which we must restrain, but in watching the film we are allowed to indulge them. It also has a lot of very deep things to say about marriage and religion (Atkinson plays a shy, self- absorbed country vicar with a beautiful wife and daughter whom he neglects) without indulging in the usual superficial post-modern ironic attacks on either institution. In fact, it has some very intelligent things to say about both of them. You really must see this movie - it is a gem - if you know people who don't normally go to the movies (like older in-laws) urge them to see this one, or at least rent the DVD.
Watch Out For...Mom!
Niall Johnson's 'Keeping Mom' is a delightful black comedy. Russo and Johnson's innovative screenplay, the pleasant score and the surprising cast and the dark humour is brilliantly put together. At the same time, the characters are very identifiable. After all, Grace is just a mother who's protecting her children, Gloria just wants her husband's affection, Walter just wants to excel in his 'profession' and Lance is a sleaze you might have met once. Yet, the story cleverly takes them to extreme ends that results in murder, infidelity and voyeurism. Pretty much all the actors are cast in roles you have never seen them play before. Kristin Scott Thomas is the heart of the film (as the director himself stated) and she performs very naturally. While Atkinson has played Reverend earlier, he actually delivers a very subtle performance where he downplays the comedy (unlike his regular in-your-face comedy sketches). He is proving to be a versatile comedian. I loved how Patrick Swayze makes fun of his iconic status in an indirect way. The actor is excellent as the jerk and it has been ages since he has been in something worthwhile. Liz Smith is fun to watch as the annoying and nosy flower committee member. Emilia Fox is very good as the nonchalant killer and Maggie Smith is hilarious! This lady has never let down and she is a complete delight to watch as she goes on 'protecting' her family. 'Love the actress! The location shots are amazing. The fictitious town looks lovely yet the director manages to successfully bring out the coldness and boredom. The stunning cinematography deserves mention too. 'Keeping Mom' is a small but wonderfully innovative film that had me laughing all the way.
Funny, sweet, heartwarming, refreshing
This movie is - in my humble opinion - a gem absolutely worth watching, and watching, and watching again. I found it genuinely funny, and laughed the whole movie through (and judging from the decibel level in the cinema the people around me enjoyed it too. :) It was refreshing, and gave me much of the same feeling as when I first saw Ocean's Eleven... it's one of those 'they don't make movies like these anymore' (only they do - sometimes), if you know what I mean. I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I was especially impressed by the performance of Rowan Atkinson, who plays a more down-to-earth character than I'm used to seeing him play, and I think it suits him very well. He doesn't reduce the good reverend to a clown, but makes him sweet, realistic and lovable. Kudos also to Kristen Scott Thomas, who gives Gloria a heart, and the ever so amazing Dame Maggie Smith, who gives Rosie a soul. Bottom line: I recommend it wholeheartedly!