another little gem of a movie: jack and sarah

Jack and Sarah is the kind of pleasant surprise of a movie that happens when you have a pretty basic and familiar rom-com script, but populate it with fabulous actors. Originally released in 1995, it was written and directed by British television director Tim Sullivan (The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Coronation Street), and it is apparent that it was a labor of love:

"It took Sullivan four years to make Jack and Sarah, which germinated from an experience he had when working as a director at Granada TV. 'A friend of mine's childcare arrangements broke down and his wife was away, so he brought his six-month-old baby into work,' he says. 'Until that day he had been just an ordinary bloke, but suddenly he was the centre of attention — particularly with the women. And of course, one of the first things they did was take the child off him, as though he couldn't cope. 

Jack works out how to bathe Sarah

"It just amused me — as did the fact that he immediately seemed to become more attractive to women. If you start from the basis that all men are inherently shits — which many women believe and I do myself — when you see one with a baby, he seems more vulnerable and almost like an exception to the rule. Which he isn't." — The Independent

As the story begins Jack (Richard E. Grant) and Sarah (Imogen Stubbs) are about to have a baby. Jack is a rather self-absorbed lawyer who is thrown for a loop when Sarah tragically dies in childbirth. He goes on a bender, leaving his judgmental and disapproving mother (Judi Dench) and harried father and Sarah's mother (Eileen Atkins) to care for the baby. The grandparents team up and practice some tough love, soon leaving the baby with Jack and forcing him to step up to the plate, which he does, for the most part. But when bringing little baby Sarah (who he couldn't help but name after her mother in his grief) to work with him proves problematic, he begins to search for a nanny. Enter American Amy (Samantha Mathis), who knows nothing about childcare, but forms an immediate bond with the baby girl — and maybe her father, too. Rounding out the stellar cast are Cherie Lunghi as Jack's boss and Ian McKellen as an ersatz local wino turned butler/best friend/babysitter.

Amy (Samantha Mathis) changes Sarah's diaper as her two grandmothers (Eileen Atkins and Judi Dench) and William (Ian McKellen) supervise

Sarah and Amy

The London setting adds another dimension to the story. Jack may be a lawyer, but his flat and neighborhood are artsy — full of light and space and in an interesting area. I felt like I wasn't just watching a story but spending time with some people I like, much like the Notting Hill (where some of this film was shot). Jack and Sarah is not your typical romantic comedy, and that's very good, indeed.

love in a cold climate

Article first published as DVD Review: Love in a Cold Climate on Blogcritics.

Acorn Media has released Love in a Cold Climate, an eight-part miniseries originally shown on Masterpiece Theater in 1980. Based on two novels by author Nancy Mitford, The Pursuit of Loveand Love in a Cold Climate, the miniseries is set in England during the time between the two World Wars.

The story follows three young women, vivacious and impulsive Linda (Lucy Gutteridge), her quiet cousin Fanny (Isabelle Amyes, who also narrates the series), and Fanny's distant relative Polly (Rosalyn Landor), and their attempts to find true love.

Judi Dench and Michael Aldridge

But viewers will mostly be attracted to this series for Judi Dench, who plays Linda's mother Sadie, Lady Alconleigh. Dench, as always, is enjoyable as the matriarch of the family, married to the bombastic Lord Alconleigh (Michael Aldridge). Especially wonderful is Michael Williams as Uncle Davey, a hypochondriac who is beloved and respected by his family. Williams (Dench's real-life husband) provides comic relief with his frequently exasperating pursuit of offbeat remedies.

Many faces familiar to fans of British television turn up as supporting characters (and love interests) include Anthony Head, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and John Moffatt as the family's friend and neighbor Lord Merlin. Vivian Pickles is especially funny as the beyond-eccentric Lady Montdore.

Love in a Cold Climate's eight episodes are included on three discs, with an approximate total running time of 405 minutes. The aspect ratio is 1.33:1. SDH subtitles are available, but unfortunately no other extras are included in the box set. The look of the series definitely has a definite television studio-filmed look to it, but the locations and costumes are of the highest quality.

The list of episodes includes:

Episode 1 - Child Hunt
Episode 2 - Coming Out
Episode 3 - Rings and Things
Episode 4 - The Merry Widower
Episode 5 - Heir Apparent
Episode 6 - Foreigners Are Fiends
Episode 7 - Monsieur Le Duc
Episode 8 - In Love and War

Love in a Cold Climate is not just a wonderful showcase for Judi Dench, but a different glimpse at the same world that is currently being depicted in the popular series Downton Abbey. Vivian Pickles is an interesting counterpoint to Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess, portraying another one of the more crotchety members of the upper classes. Love in a Cold Climate is an entertaining look at love and life among Britain's privileged set.

the best exotic marigold hotel

The brochures for the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in Jaipur, India may be a bit misleading — the hotel doesn't quite match up to the photoshopped advertising. But the previews for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel let the audience know exactly what they are in for — a charming, if predictable film featuring some of the best British actors out there. A lot of the film's joys are in its predictability. We want to see Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, and the others as fish out of water who are forced to re-imagine their golden years. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, The Debt) the film follows its characters as they are forced to downsize their lives and find themselves in their new lives as ex-pats.

Evelyn (Judi Dench), Graham (Tom Wilkinson), and Douglas (Bill Nighy) stroll through the city.

Evelyn (Judi Dench), "Nothing here has worked out quite as I expected." 

Muriel (Maggie Smith), "Most things don't. But sometimes what happens instead is the good stuff."

Once the group gets to India the screen absolutely bursts with color and confusion, as the audience is immersed in the culture of Jaipur as abruptly as its main characters. When they reach their destination it's more than a little bit of a disappointment. Clearly not as advertised, the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is rundown, with no working phones, doubtful plumbing, and an overall ramshackle appearance. But its proprietor Sonny (Dev Patel) is so full of charm and enthusiasm that most of the group decide to make the best of their new surroundings. They soon begin to tentatively explore the area, each person finding a way to connect to the culture:

Evelyn (Judi Dench), a recent widow who has never held a job in her life, finds work at a call center and starts a blog about her new life in India. 

Graham (Tom Wilkinson), who grew up in India, has returned to find an old love and seek forgiveness. 

Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean (Penelope Wilton) react to their new home in decidedly different ways, Douglas immersing himself in the food and culture and visiting local temples, while Jean won't even leave the confines of the hotel and dreams of returning to England at the first opportunity. Their marriage is far from healthy, as Jean lets him know, "When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you." Wilton (Downton Abbey) seems to be the go-to actress when you want someone uptight, rigid and annoying.

Madge (Celia Imrie) and Norman (Ronald Pickup) have both come to India looking for love — but not with each other. 

Muriel (Maggie Smith), has come to India for a hip operation. She is at first not just resistant to the culture, but decidedly racist. Her connection to a young maid at the hotel has a positive effect on her.

Muriel (Maggie Smith) is at first doubtful of her surroundings.

Sonny's vision of a home for the "elderly and beautiful," so wonderful that they will “refuse to die” is infectious for most of his residents, but doesn't impress his no-nonsense mother, who wants her third favorite son to give up his dream, sell the hotel, move back to Delhi, and settle into a marriage she has arranged for him. Never mind that Sonny loves the beautiful Sunaina (Tena Desae), who works at the same call center as Evelyn. Sonny's idea of "outsourcing old age" is an interesting one, and many issues of aging and clashes of culture come up in subtle ways throughout the film, as each member of the group acclimates to Jaipur.

Sonny, "Everything will be all right in the end . . . if it's not all right, then it's not the end."

What could be a better metaphor for aging than Sonny's catchphrase, which he says a few times in the film? The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is not only entertaining, but a depiction of hope for the future. There are many more dreams to be dreamed, adventures to have, and goals to be reached, even after one has reached "a certain age."