favorite movie #117 - holiday edition: peter’s friends

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #117 - Peter’s Friends (1992) - This film, about the getting together around the New Year's holiday by a bunch of old college friends, feels mostly improvisational, and probably for good reason — most of the cast are old college friends or frequent collaborators. Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Tony Slattery, and screenwriter Martin Bergman attended Cambridge University together and were members of the Cambridge Footlights. Director Kenneth Branagh was married to Emma Thompson at the time of filming, and Bregman is married to co-writer Rita Rudner. Hugh Laurie was a former comedy partner of Stephen Fry, and Imelda Staunton has appeared in numerous projects with all of the cast. Called a British Big Chill, the film is less about a generation as it is about the nature of friendship. Some of the plotting and situations seem familiar, but the fun comes from watching this talented cast interact with one another. And I am happy for any chance to see one of my favorite British comedians, Tony Slattery, apply his zany energy to anything.

Stephen Fry

Tony Slattery

peter's friends 20 years later

Spoilers abound, as I want to discuss some major plot points that have been affected by the passing of the years.

Peter's Friends has been dubbed a "British Big Chill." I have never actually seen that movie, but I guess the ensemble of stars playing friends, the nostalgic soundtrack, and the interpersonal dramas, make them similar. The friends in Peter's Friends are played by real-life friends. The movie was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who plays Andrew, and was married at the time to Emma Thompson, who plays Maggie. Thompson's old school chums play ... old school chums (they were all once members of the Cambridge Footlights): Stephen Fry (Peter), Hugh Laurie (who American audience know and love as House, M.D., plays Roger), Tony Slattery (Brian). Thompson's mother Phyllida Law plays Peter's housekeeper Vera. The cast is rounded out by Imelda Staunton, a frequent co-star of Thompson's (Sense and Sensibility, Nanny McPhee), Alex Lowe, who plays Vera's son, and Rita Rudner, who co-wrote the script with her husband Matin Bregman, who was also a member of the Cambridge Footlights.

Clockwise from L: Rita Rudner, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Laurie, Phyllida Law, Tony Slattery, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Alex Lowe 

All of the nepotism aside, Peter's Friends desires to be a bit more than it is, which is a bunch of old friends spending a weekend at a fabulous country estate owned by Peter. The friends have lost touch since college, but get together for New Year's, where they will fight, divulge secrets, and have lots of sex. It is hinted throughout the film that Peter is gay — through some comic and unsuccessful attempts at seduction by the extremely single Maggie, and by some sheepish exchanges that Peter has with his housekeeper. But the big reveal comes near the end of the film, when right before the stroke of midnight, Peter, fed up with all of the in-fighting that has come to a head over the weekend, informs his friends that he is HIV positive, banishing all of their bickering and replacing it with a deadly silence.

The reaction of his friends is quite dramatic, and shows how much has changed in twenty years. Not that an HIV diagnosis is not a serious thing for anyone and their loved ones still to deal with, but I was surprised at all of the looks on the actors faces as they took in Peter's news, clearly feeling that he had announced his imminent death. If this movie were to be made today, Peter's news might still come as somewhat of a surprise to his friends, but more because they were all so self-absorbed and had no idea what his life was really about rather than his prognosis, which would be generally more hopeful.

Peter's Friends isn't really a good movie. It wasn't even when it came out in 1992. But it is entertaining, even funny at times. It is interesting to see this group of actors together, and to see how attitudes have changed in two decades.

arthur christmas is a treat

Animated movies have been so popular over the past few years that Hollywood is churning them out with greater frequency. But a little bit of computer animation goes a long way (at least for me.) So many seem to just be capitalizing on children's love of bright colors and the inevitable fast food kid's meal tie-in (Happy Feet 2). I have been resisting them, preferring to take the kid to live-action family fare. But I'm not a Grinch, so last week we went to see Arthur Christmas, which was actually quite good.

Arthur composes a letter from Santa

Director Sarah Smith has assembled some great vocal talent:

James McAvoy as Arthur, Santa's younger son, who is clumsy and sweet and deemed to be not much good at anything. His job is reading and answering children's letters to Santa. He loves everything about Christmas.

Hugh Laurie as his brother Steve, who hopes to succeed their father, Santa, and soon. Santa's hyper-efficient older son, he has streamlined and updated Santa's Christmas Eve operation, replacing his sleigh with a spaceship, and coordinating thousands of elves delivering presents from his control center at the North Pole.

Arthur and Steve at mission control

Bill Nighy as Grandsanta, who isn't happy about being put out to pasture

Jim Broadbent as an out-of-touch Santa, who leaves everything to Steve

Imelda Staunton as his wise wife, Mrs. Santa

Ashley Jensen as Bryony, a gift-wrapping elf extraordinaire

Bryony can wrap anything, even a bicycle

Michael Palin, Robbie Coltrane, and Joan Cusack all voice elves, too

What was really fun about Arthur Christmas was the quirky characters and Wallace and Gromit style of animation that I've come to know and love (Aardman Animations upcoming The Pirates! Band of Misfits also looks great). The plot is simple, as it should be in a kids' movie. A little girl  has been overlooked in the massive operation helmed by Steve and figure-headed by Santa — the delivering of a Christmas present to every child all over the world on Christmas Eve. Arthur, who reads and answers all the letters to Santa, remembers the little girl's letter and her request for a pink bicycle. He is very upset — even one child should not be missed, and he tries to convince his family to deliver her gift before Christmas Day.

Grandsanta takes Arthur out in Santa's sleigh

Steve and Santa are willing to write it all off as a good percentage of error, but that doesn't work for Arthur. He, Grandsanta, and Bryony set out to deliver the present — in Santa's old sleigh, with real reindeer, who have all been living in the barn since being replaced by Steve's spaceship. A series of amusing misadventures ensue.

Not only do we get that age-old question answered — how can Santa manage to deliver all of those presents in one night — but we are introduced to the multigenerational Santas, a supremely dysfunctional family. That's three very good kids' movies we've seen this holiday season: The Muppets, Hugo, and Arthur Christmas, which is sweet and silly and highly original.